Liz Saville Roberts: “I am rising in support of an amendment that will be offered later in the debate to restore approximately $9 million for…”

“I am rising in support of an amendment that will be offered later in the debate to restore approximately $9 million for rural health care research. As a past cochairman of the House Rural Health Care Coalition, and that involves about 140 Members who are obviously very much interested in the rural health care delivery system, we have really worked very hard to strengthen and preserve the rural health care research. Our coalition was organized back in 1987, and we have been able to establish a Federal office of rural health policy. We have worked very hard to try to eliminate the urban-rural Medicare reimbursement differential with State offices of rural health and the rural health transition grant program. I know that we have very severe budget responsibilities, Mr. Chairman. However, let me point out that these are just a few of the letters I have from my small community hospitals in my 66 countries out on the prairie, pointing out the value of the $9 million, and note I said 'million,' not 'billion,' in regard to research. I just cannot stress how important it is that we maintain a presence for rural health at the Federal level. We have been working for years to overcome our physical and our age and our geographical barriers to health care. Let us not put up one more barrier by removing the rural health research component.”