More access to affordable health care needed in Iowa, nation
Access to high-quality, affordable healthcare is critical to the health and wellbeing of our families and communities. From routine checkups and bloodwork to cancer screenings and surgeries, patients rely on trained healthcare professionals, doctors, and nurses to deliver exceptional — and at times lifesaving — care for ailments and injuries that range from minor to severe. A major component of a functional and resilient healthcare system is strong hospitals. However, in recent years, we’ve witnessed devastating hospital closures in rural areas that make access to healthcare much more elusive and costly. To ensure the long-term vitality of rural Iowa, we must work to keep our hospitals open, operational, and fully staffed.
According to the American Hospital Association, nearly 140 hospitals experienced complete or partial closures between 2010 and 2021, including a record 19 closures in 2020 alone, largely due to financial difficulty. These hospital failures mean that healthcare workers lose their jobs, patients lose access to reliable care, local economies contract, and adjacent hospitals take on a higher patient load — spreading staff thin and straining financial resources. Closures also have serious economic ramifications as some estimates find that approximately $220 billion in economic activity is generated in rural communities by rural hospitals. The farther that patients and seniors must travel to receive the care that they need only increases the probability that people will forgo seeing the doctor altogether, pay more for transportation and gas, and make emergency medical situations even more dire.
On my 36 County Tour, I’ve made a specific point to visit hospitals, meet with healthcare professionals and families in every corner of our district, and discuss the importance of keeping hospitals open and operational in our rural communities and maintaining access to high-quality, dependable care for our seniors. Among many hospitals, healthcare clinics, and senior living facilities, I’ve traveled to the Franklin General Hospital in Hampton, Stewart Memorial Community Hospital in Lake City, Sioux Center Health, Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City, St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Loring Hospital in Sac City, and the Spencer Hospital. These hospitals support cancer patients, deliver newborns, offer accommodating telehealth services, and respond to emergencies. I also convened a roundtable discussion of healthcare workers and administrators in Algona to hear their thoughts and suggestions about how we can strengthen our hospitals and healthcare system and lower costs for patients and families.
Following my conversations with hospital administrators, doctors, nurses, and patients, I introduced the Rural Hospital Stabilization Act. This legislation — which passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee in May — would authorize the Rural Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program through 2029, allowing struggling hospitals to improve financial stability, retain healthcare services, increase service capacity, and improve patient outcomes. My bill would specifically prioritize vital financial support for rural hospitals, those with smaller patient capacity, and those at most risk of closure. It would also ensure that these funds can be utilized for renovations, training, hiring, staff compensation, and equipment purchases. These investments not only address short-term commitments like paying staff and incentivizing doctors and other practitioners to work in rural communities, but also support long-term projects like needed upgrades to hospital infrastructure, increased bed capacity, and expansions for more personalized and targeted care.
Our rural communities are stronger and healthier when our hospitals are successful. They power economic growth, create good jobs, and provide a high standard of care to our families. By returning our taxpayer dollars to Iowa and delivering financial support to keep our hospitals open and fully staffed, we can improve care outcomes, retain doctors and nurses in rural communities, and save lives. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Rural America to get this critical legislation signed into law so that our families, hospitals, and communities get the relief and care that they need and deserve.
This op-ed was originally published in the Northwest Iowa Review on August 7, 2024.