Rep. Lisa McClain: Rural Michiganders deserve first-class healthcare

WASHINGTON — House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) published an op-ed in The Detroit News , highlighting how President Trump and House Republicans are investing in rural healthcare and bringing more doctors, technology, and care closer to families across Michigan. “Despite every Democrat in Congress voting to kill these reforms, the Rural Health Transformation Program is providing unprecedented levels of new funding to states for a range of uses designed to make rural healthcare more effective and sustainable for years to come,” Chairwoman McClain said. “The president and Republicans fought to give Michigan the tools to bring better care closer to home and build a rural healthcare system that can serve these communities for generations.” Read the full piece below: — — For a pregnant woman in Luce County, going into labor can mean a 67-mile trip to the nearest hospital. In Schoolcraft County, it’s over 60 miles; in Ontonagon County, 55. Childbirth can begin long before a mother ever reaches the hospital doors. Michigan has lost at least 11 hospital labor-and-delivery units since 2010, nine of which were in rural counties. The loss of those delivery rooms shows how quickly distance and scarcity can hollow out rural Michigan healthcare. Many of those communities can have good doctors and capable hospitals and still struggle because specialized care is located hours away. President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress addressed the crisis with the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program. It gives states flexible funding to expand their healthcare workforce, modernize technology and bring more care closer to patients. Michigan received more than $173 million in the program's first year, giving rural communities new tools to deliver better care closer to home. A hospital can only serve a community if it has enough medical professionals to provide care. We started by directing nearly $45 million to Michigan’s rural healthcare workforce so communities can retain providers and expand rural medical training where it's needed most. Our goal was to build pathways for young Michiganders to train for healthcare careers and serve the communities where they grew up. Even when the right provider is within reach, rural patients can still lose an entire day traveling to a routine appointment. That is why Republicans ensured more than $41 million goes toward bringing care closer to patients through programs such as transportation assistance, mobile services and expanded care for older residents. An older Michigander recovering from a hospital stay may be eligible to receive high-quality, coordinated care at home instead of having to make another exhausting trip. In Michigan’s Thumb, Tuscola County will use this program to put a travel immunization nurse and weekly mobile clinics on the road so residents in underserved areas can receive preventive care closer to home. Long distances between home and provider become even more consequential for patients living with diabetes or hypertension, where missed follow-up visits can turn a manageable condition into an emergency. New regional partnerships, including a hub serving the Upper Peninsula, are designed to help patients manage those conditions no matter how far they live from their care team. Better follow-up and remote monitoring can give rural doctors more opportunities to catch warning signs early. Cutting-edge technology has made telemedicine a vital tool for physicians treating rural patients. Trump recently directed a $25 million investment to Michigan, including more than $16 million for rural digital systems and telehealth-related technology. More than $9 million targeted for improving internet access and connectivity for rural Michiganders. The Rural Health Transformation Program also made it easier for qualifying health plans to cover telehealth before the deductible without costing patients their Health Savings Account eligibility. We did not write one plan and impose it on every rural community in America. We crafted the Rural Health Transformation Program so states could develop strategies based on their unique needs. The program is designed around improvements that can survive beyond its five-year funding window. Despite every Democrat in Congress voting to kill these reforms, the Rural Health Transformation Program is providing unprecedented levels of new funding to states for a range of uses designed to make rural healthcare more effective and sustainable for years to come. A young mother in the Upper Peninsula may still face a long drive when it is time to deliver her baby. No law can make Michigan smaller. But we can make healthcare more accessible in rural communities and use modern technologies to make those miles matter less. Rural Michiganders should not receive second-class healthcare because of their ZIP code. The president and Republicans fought to give Michigan the tools to bring better care closer to home and build a rural healthcare system that can serve these communities for generations.