Senators urge President Obama to protect Critical Access Hospitals
Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and 26 other senators wrote a bipartisan letter to President Obama urging him to exclude the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) reimbursement cuts and the 10-mile exclusion proposal from his Fiscal Year 2016 Budget request. Obama’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposed reducing Medicare reimbursements for CAHs and removing the CAH designation for hospitals located within 10 miles of another hospital. “Rural Hospitals have experienced significant Medicare reimbursement cuts that have strained critical resources. CAH facilities already face unique challenges, such as remote geographic location, workforce shortages, and limited resources, as they continue to provide 24 hour access to care for isolated rural communities,” the letter says. “Since the beginning of 2013, 24 rural hospitals have closed; this is double the pace of the previous 20 months. Proposals to reduce payments to CAHs will only serve to exacerbate the current problem and cause further care shortages in these isolated areas.” The National Rural Health Association applauds Senator Baldwin and the other cosigners. NRHA urges members of Congress to stand up and protect the rural health care safety net.