Angie Craig: “Every Minnesotan deserves access to high- quality healthcare no matter where they live. However, too many of my…”

“Every Minnesotan deserves access to high- quality healthcare no matter where they live. However, too many of my neighbors face difficulty traveling long distances to the nearest hospital or even finding a nearby pharmacy. On top of that, prescription drug prices are skyrocketing and putting lifesaving medications out of reach for too many families. These critical issues--access to healthcare and the price of prescription drugs--are the top issues I hear about in my district. Therefore, my amendment would take a step toward addressing these issues by giving the Health Resources and Services Administration's, or HRSA, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy an additional $1 million to prioritize its coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish its rural health liaison. This amendment builds on report language in the underlying bill that encourages HRSA to coordinate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure communities have access to the full suite of Federal resources and that those resources are used effectively for health outcomes. Madam Chair, for a bit of additional background, Representative Cheri Bustos and Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, their bipartisan Rural Health Liaison Act of 2018 was ultimately included in the 2018 farm bill and established this rural health liaison position. {time} 0245 The liaison position at USDA will be responsible for working with the U.S.…”