Rural Health Policy Update

Update provided by Andrew Coats, NOSORH Legislative Liaison 

Appropriations Update: 

On July 10, the House Appropriations Committee advanced the Labor-HHS subcommittee FY 2025 spending bill by a party-line vote of 31-25. The House bill was a win for rural health programs administered under HRSA. The rural health programs were funded well above the FY 2024 House and FY 2024 enacted levels.   

The next step in the process happens this week. The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up their FY 25 Labor-HHS package this week, prior to the August recess. After this week, the House and Senate won’t return to DC until September 9. Expect Congress to pass a 6–8-week Continuing Resolution to keep the federal government funded beyond September 30 at FY 2024 levels. Congress will most likely pass the FY 2025 bill into law sometime in December.  

Below are the FY 25 funding levels for rural health programs. This chart will be updated once the Senate releases its FY 2025 legislative text.  

Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility program 
– House FY 2025: $74,277,000 of that amount, $25,942,000 for the Small Rural Hospital Improvement (SHIP) Grant Program 
– Senate FY 2025: TBD
– FY 2024 enacted: $64,277,000 

State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) Grant Program 
– House FY 2025: $13,500,000
– Senate FY 2025: TBD
– FY 2024 enacted: $12,500,000

Rural Residency Planning and Development
– House FY 2025: $14,000,000
– Senate FY 2025: TBD
– FY 2024 enacted: $12,700,000 

Rural Communities Opioids Response Program 
– House FY 2025: $145,000,000
– Senate FY 2025: TBD
– FY 2024 enacted: $145,000,000 

Authorization Update:
NOSORH is scheduled to provide a briefing for the House Rural Health Caucus in August. NOSORH will use the briefing to urge Congress to take up bills reauthorizing rural health programs that are important to NOSORH. Below is an update on the rural health programs NOSORH has been meeting with Congress on during July.  

– Flex: During July, NOSORH was on the Hill to meet with Senate offices about reauthorizing the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program. NOSORH identified and confirmed a Senate and House sponsor for legislation to reauthorize the Flex program. Work continues with members in the House and Senate to introduce a bipartisan-bicameral bill. 

– RCORP: NOSORH continues to lead a House-Senate bipartisan working group on legislation to authorize the Rural Communities Opioids Response Program (RCORP). NOSORH has identified a Republican and Democrat sponsor in the House and has two Democratic offices lined up in the Senate. Once a Senate Republican office confirms, the RCORP legislation is ready to be introduced.