Inflation and consolidation of healthcare facilities have been huge challenges in maintaining access to healthcare in rural areas, an Iowa Republican lawmaker says.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, speaking on this week’s Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, said the Affordable Care Act of 2010 increased consolidation of rural healthcare facilities and providers and made it “much more difficult to have an independent practice,” especially one that can “keep up with inflation.”
Consolidation not only made it more difficult for facilities to survive but also “removed providers from rural areas,” said Miller-Meeks, a former physician. “Overregulation really burdens providers," she said, which is why she is working to pass the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act to provide an inflation adjustment update for providers for physicians measured by the Medicare Economic Index.
The bill also would help train and educate graduate students by placing them in rural areas.
“We know in Iowa that if you both go to medical school here and do your residency here, you're more likely to remain in Iowa,” said Miller-Meeks.
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While she would like to see both of the measures passed soon, she does not believe the upcoming farm bill is the right vehicle for the legislation.
“It just depends on whether or not we think we're going to be able to pass the farm bill. … I don't think we're going to put things in the farm bill that make it more difficult for members to vote.”
However, she does believe the farm bill could include provisions on telehealth or association insurance plans.
“I would rather [have] things on healthcare go in another vehicle, than to prevent the farm bill from getting reauthorized in a timely fashion,” said Miller-Meeks.
Florence Becot with the National Farm Medicine Center and Alan Morgan with the National Rural Health Association were also on this week’s show to discuss the availability of rural healthcare across the country and how farmers and ranchers can handle their health insurance coverage.
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