AHA supports rural access to care legislation considered during House Ways and Means Committee markup session

AHA submitted a statement May 8 to the House Ways and Means Committee for a markup session on proposed legislation impacting telehealth access for patients and rural access to care. AHA expressed support for extending telehealth flexibilities, the hospital-at-home program, and Medicare-dependent hospitals and low-volume adjustments; and supported provisions involving cost-based reimbursement for critical access hospitals and providing financial assistance to critical access hospitals. The AHA also offered comments regarding the distribution of additional Medicare-funded residency positions as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act (within the Rural Physician Workforce Preservation Act, H.R. 8235), and legislation that would make changes to the rural emergency hospital designation (within the Second Chances for Rural Hospitals Act, H.R. 8246).