Rural Health Policy Update

Update provided by Andrew Coats, NOSORH Legislative Liaison 

Rural Communities Opioids Response Program (RCORP):
In April, the Senate Finance Committee held a Substance Use Disorder Care Roundtable. The panel discussion focused on improving treatment of substance use disorder in federal health programs. Panelists shared their expertise and recommendations for improving the continuum of care and outlined challenges and solutions for treating youth substance use disorder. Senators discussed the potential for different models of care that could be applied to addiction treatment. 

The continued interest in substance use disorder care dovetails with some of the work NOSORH has been doing with Congress. In April, NOSORH held a follow-up call with the staff of the Senate Finance Committee on the authorization of the Rural Communities Opioids Response grant program (RCORP). While RCORP does not fall directly under Senate Finance Committee jurisdiction, we want to include the RCORP authorization language in the SUPPORT Act, which the Finance Committee is involved with. NOSORH is leading a House-Senate working group of staffers on RCORP. The goal is to get the RCORP bill introduced and passed in Congress. NOSORH continues working with Congressional staff to get favorable SORH language included in the introduced bill. 

Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex):
NOSORH continues to meet with Congress to get the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility program reauthorized. Last month, NOSORH met with the Senate Finance Committee on efforts to get a Flex bill introduced and reauthorized in Congress. Both Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee have expressed interest in getting this program reauthorized. NOSORH is meeting with a handful of Senate Republican and Democrat offices to get a sponsor for the bill.   

State Offices of Rural Health (SORH):
One of NOSORH’s goals is increasing the SORH funding for FY 25. In March, the Biden Administration released its FY 2025 budget request to Congress. NOSORH is working with House and Senate Appropriations Committees to increase funding for the SORH grant program from $12.5M to $18M annually.   

Telehealth Update:
One of the primary focuses of Congress throughout 2024 has been the expiring telehealth waivers. In April, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a legislative hearing on telehealth. The hearing focused on 15 bills designed to extend flexibilities that Congress first implemented in response to COVID. Many of these telehealth waivers are set to expire on December 31, 2024. There was broad bipartisan agreement that Congress needed to pass something, especially for rural populations. Broad support was voiced for the CONNECT for Health Act of 2023 and the Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024.   

Rural Health Bills Recently Introduced:
In April, Senators Manchin (D-WV) and Moore Capito (R-WV) and Representatives Miller (R-WV) and Caraveo (D-CO) introduced the Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites Act (PEAKS Act). The legislation would allow Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in rural, mountainous areas to operate ambulance services under a special enhanced Medicare payment model. Currently, CAHs in mountainous areas are not reimbursed for ambulance services under the enhanced Medicare payment model. This legislation would correct that error and reimburse CAHs for ambulatory services when no other ambulatory base is within 15 miles of the facility.