Branded Blog

The Case for Rural Healthcare

By Rep. Greg Lopez (CO-04)

In rural America, and especially out West, there is a concerning lack of hospitals, doctors, and medical care of any kind. Despite advances in technology and the U.S.’ growing population, access to life saving in-person care is only decreasing in much of rural America. Unfortunately, life expectancy has also dropped. 
 
In my home state of Colorado, 38 out of 64 counties are considered to be “healthcare shortage areas,” and every county with a shortage is a rural county. People in the furthest corners of the state must often travel hundreds of miles to access hospitals and specialist care, including OBGYNs. This medical access gap is represented in life expectancy which is increasing for urban Americans while decreasing for rural Americans.
 
Addressing these issues starts with combatting two of the largest factors leading to decreased healthcare accessibility: travel time and healthcare workforce shortages.
 
Both issues can be partially improved with increased access to telehealth care. By expanding rural broadband access and ensuring that HIPAA telehealth provisions are up-to-date with modern technology solutions, we can create a better pathway to easy and affordable care. Especially when it comes to preventive checkups, ensuring that facetime with a doctor is only a phone call away rather than a hundred mile journey away increases the odds that rural Americans will seek medical care as symptoms begin.
 
Attracting skilled medical workers to rural areas is much trickier. Confronting this issue starts with incentivizing medical practitioners to move into rural areas through benefits, higher wages, and innovative solutions.
 
As a member of the House Budget Task Force on Healthcare, I know that rural healthcare deserves congressional attention and that my constituents, as well as all rural Americans, deserve to have their voices heard and their tax-dollars directed towards addressing the issues which truly impact them.
 
For too long, decision makers in Washington have prioritized large urban population areas and invested money in locations that have a lot of votes. Rural America is the backbone of this country. It feeds our country, fuels our country, and is what built this country. It’s time to make rural America healthy again.