The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed a bill that would promote the expansion of care delivery services in rural communities last Friday.
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), who serves as chairman of the committee, introduced the bipartisan Rural Health Care Connectivity Act of 2015 earlier this year. The bill would amend the Communications Act of 1934 to allow skilled nursing facilities to apply for support from the Universal Service Fund's Rural Health Care Program. "We must continue to work toward bringing healthcare to rural communities that don't have the access and availability afforded to more urban areas," said Sen. Thune in a recent press release.
Low Medicare reimbursement rates, coupled with largely elderly and low-income patient populations, means that rural hospitals often struggle to survive. By amending the Communications Act, Sen. Thune's legislation aims to allocate funding and promote healthcare access among rural communities via telecommunications and broadband services.
"For many South Dakotans, it is not as easy as jumping in the car and driving down to the local hospital for a checkup, which is why access to rural health care, including telemedicine, is such an important issue for South Dakota families," said Senator Thune.
Friday's committee passage will allow the bill to be reported to the full Senate for future consideration.
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