Rural communities are counting on us

OPINION:

Rural healthcare is top-of-mind for many Iowans.

Across our state, Iowans rely on rural hospitals for compassionate, personalized care close to home. Rural hospitals are also economic anchors that support local businesses, create jobs and help small towns thrive.

That’s why we’re advancing policies that support rural healthcare and rural hospitals.

Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts Act created a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund, the largest investment in rural healthcare in history. Under the law, Iowa will receive a minimum of $100 million annually from the fund over the next five years. In fact, our state already received $209 million this year, over twice that amount. But our work doesn’t stop there.

Together, we’re working to advance legislation to support hospitals across the United States, including several here in Iowa. It’s called the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration (RCHD) Program, and it’s offered a lifeline to rural hospitals for more than 20 years.

The program is designed to support what we often called “tweener” hospitals. Tweener hospitals are too big to serve as critical access hospitals, but too small to benefit from Medicare’s hospital payment system that’s designed for higher volume urban hospitals.

The RCHD program provides a lifeline by allowing rural tweener hospitals to test innovative hospital payment models under Medicare that boost financial sustainability, maintaining and improving care. Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows hospitals in this program improved margins, made more capital investments, retained more staff and expanded patient services.

Over 50 hospitals across 17 states have participated in this program over the past 20 years. Here in Iowa, we’re fortunate to have four hospitals currently in the program, located in Spirit Lake, Fort Dodge, Grinnell and Newton.

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These rural hospitals serve more than their rural communities. In Iowa, these communities are summer vacation destinations, home to county fairs and a NASCAR race, and the site of a nationally recognized college.

Unfortunately, the program has expired, and Congress needs to act to extend this important program. Without RCHD, rural communities could lose access to essential services families rely on every day. Without extending this program, Iowans would face longer drives, delayed care and fewer options closer to home.

We’ve introduced legislation to stop this cliff, extend the program and ensure Iowans maintain access to care close to home. Our bipartisan Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program Reauthorization Act would extend the program for another five years, and it’s co-led by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., in the Senate.

We’re glad to report the bill has already passed the U.S. Senate with unanimous support. This is the clearest sign yet of the importance of the program and the bipartisan commitment to extending it. Next, the bill needs to be passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, and we’re working hard to get it over the finish line.

As representatives for the people of Iowa in Congress, we’re committed to fighting for care in our rural communities, and that includes getting the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program Reauthorization Act signed into law. Rural hospitals across America are counting on us, and we’re working to get the job done.

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• Sen. Chuck Grassley represents Iowa in the U.S. Senate. Rep. Randy Feenstra represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.