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Representative Terri A. Sewell, D-Alabama, is fighting to keep hospitals in underserved Alabama communities running and well-supported. She has introduced a bipartisan bill to increase Medicare reimbursements for rural hospitals both in Alabama as well as in other states with large rural populations. The proposed legislation will also require the federal Department of Health and Human Services to report annually on the state of health systems in rural America, which it has not done since 2003. Sewell knows what it’s like to be part of an underserved community, and she’s making it a mission to help others.
A graduate of KKR’s Sponsors for Educational Equality Career program, an eight-year academic program for underserved public high school students that guides them from high school through college, Sewell was honored at this year’s Annual Awards Dinner, chaired by KKR’s Ken Mehlman, for her civic contributions.
Now, Sewell has turned her eye towards healthcare in Alabama by introducing H.R. 5133: The Rural Hospital Enhancement and Long-Term Health Act of 2016. The bill is meant to provide more support and more healthcare options for people in rural communities, especially to provide more mental healthcare opportunities for local veterans through telehealth programs.
Rural hospitals face an uphill battle. Over 30 percent of them are vulnerable to the same conditions that have forced the closure of 71 facilities since 2010, and fewer funds are allotted to rural hospitals every year because of federal budget cuts. Lack of services means that rural people may have to travel tens—or hundreds—of miles to get to a healthcare facility.
“The Alabama State Office of Rural Health’s recent collaboration with the Veterans Affairs to provide mental healthcare to rural veterans…is just one example of how our state organization is an outstanding steward of the federal funding provided through the State Offices of Rural Health Program,” Sewell said. “As more rural hospitals are being forced to shut their doors, and rural health services are being cut, it is my hope Congress will respond by making the revitalization of America’s rural healthcare infrastructure a top priority and pass the Rural HEALTH Act.”
The bill has garnered a lot of support from state hospital associations and the National Rural Health Association. Its 31 original cosponsors include the entire delegations of Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas, as well as members from Kentucky, Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana.
“Rural communities are home to some of our most resilient people, but they are too often overlooked for that very reason. We need to act now to prevent more families from losing their lifelines in times of emergency,” Sewell said.
H.B. 5133 will go to a vote later this year.