Political Quotes

“most of us agree that a ``one-size-fits-all'' health care reform plan that fails to recognize the difference between small, rural communities and large, urban areas will serve no one particularly well, whether you are from New York or Punxsutawney, PA. When Congress does finally vote on health care reform legislation, we must adopt a plan that provides flexibility for States and localities to meet their own special, regional health care needs. In particular, Congress must not forget that 27 percent of Americans live in rural areas which have distinct health policy problems to resolve. Aside from the obvious geographic barriers to medical care--such as rough terrain, bad weather conditions, and long distances between medical facilities--rural communities must overcome certain demographic characteristics that make health care delivery a unique challenge. Rural populations tend to be older and poorer, so there are higher concentrations of Medicare, Medicaid, and uninsured patients. As a result, rural hospitals and providers rely primarily on Federal funds in the form of Medicare reimbursement for survival. As it is, rural hospitals must contend with low occupancy rates and operate on shoestring budgets, so the past decade of cuts and freezes in Medicare reimbursement have put many rural hospitals in dangerous financial situations. Cutting the primary source of revenue for rural hospitals has forced many to close their doors altogether.”