Buttegieg and Warren release rural health policies - Entrepreneur Generations

Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttegieg and Elizabeth Warren have released new rural
health policy proposals.

Pete Buttegieg

Buttegieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would aim to access to rural health services, address the opioid epidemic and lower rural maternal mortality rates. He "proposes to expand access to health care in rural areas by implementing a 'Medicare for All Who Want It' approach and increasing federal subsidies for plans sold through the Obamacare exchanges. He aims to beef up the health workforce through loan forgiveness programs and proposes increasing Medicare reimbursement rates specifically for providers in underserved communities," Brianna Ehley reports for Politico.

His plan seeks to increase the number of rural health care workers by expanding a program that forgives federal student loans for people who work in certain high-need areas. Right now it only applies to people employed by government or non-profits, but Buttegieg would expand that to for-profit rural hospitals and practices. He also wants to increase the time foreign doctors may serve in the U.S. if they commit to working in underserved or rural areas. And, he says his plan will enforce laws that require insurers to cover mental health treatment at the same level as other medical care to increase access to addiction and mental health treatment, Ehley reports.

Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Warren's policy would boost the Federal Trade Commission's authority to block mergers and other anti-competitive actions from hospitals. She "also proposes strengthening FTC oversight of health care organizations in general, including requiring all mergers involving health care centers be reported to the FTC. Warren also proposes authorizing the FTC to review non-profit hospitals for anticompetitive behavior, updating Department of Justice guidance on vertical mergers, and cracking down on vertically integrated health care companies 'that are raising costs without improving the quality of care,'" Chelsea Cirruzzo reports for InsideHealthPolicy.

Warren also wants to increase funding for rural community health centers and birthing centers, expand the National Health Service Corps repayment program, increase funding for the Indian Health Service loan repayment program, and improve transportation to hospitals. She would establish an Office of Broadband Access to oversee broadband buildout in rural areas to increase access to telehealth. "Warren also proposes to increase funding to combat the opioid crisis by investing $100 billion over 10 years, with $2.7 billion going to the hardest hit areas and $800 million towards tribal communities," Cirruzzo reports.

The Daily Yonder has published a comprehensive list of all Democratic presidential candidates' rural policy proposals, which they intend to update. Click here to read it.

The Rural Blog reports major statements by presidential candidates about rural policy.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2yVgjWQ Buttegieg and Warren release rural health policies - Entrepreneur Generations

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