Smith: Republicans Prioritizing, Transforming Rural Health Care

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Under the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) established as part of the Republican-enacted Working Families Tax Cuts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced state grant awards that will be used to expand access to health care in rural communities across the country. As part of the RHTP process, states submitted applications for funding - including the state of Missouri which was allocated $216,276,818. Prior to this announcement, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) wrote to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz calling on the Trump Administration to ensure that RHTP funding goes toward truly rural communities. Additionally, Chairman Smith alongside members of the Missouri delegation sent a letter to Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, Missouri Department of Social Services Director Jessica Bax, and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Sarah Willson highlighting the importance of the RHTP program to Missouri's rural communities and asking officials to incorporate key policies in their application.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Smith (MO-08) issued the following statement:

"In the Working Families Tax Cuts, Republicans delivered targeted relief to address the American people's everyday needs and expenses - including critical health care reforms that will expand access to care. The Rural Health Transformation Program is a foundational piece of a broader Republican effort to prioritize working families in communities across the country. Sixty million Americans - roughly 20 percent of our nation's population - live in rural communities that lack sufficient access to quality, affordable health care. That includes many families in my home state of Missouri that will now benefit from greatly expanded health care access, better training and retention for health professionals, and new innovations to fight the chronic disease epidemic thanks to the RHTP. This effort will dramatically improve the delivery of health care in rural communities that currently suffer from a disproportionate level of mortality when compared to their urban counterparts - including heightened cancer and maternal mortality rates, alongside the closure of hospitals like the twelve that have shut down in Missouri over the past decade. I applaud the Trump Administration and the leadership in Missouri and in states across the country for recognizing this once in a generation opportunity to strengthen the health and well-being of America's rural communities."

READ: Missouri Lawmakers Champion Rural Health, Unlocking Access to Quality Care for Rural Communities

READ: Working Families Tax Cuts Make Rural America Great Again