Laurel Leader-Call
Sen. Hyde-Smith letter asks for relief for rural health-care providers
July 13, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) led a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services strongly encouraging the agency to quickly provide relief to rural health-care providers increasingly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The letter, signed by 49 members of Congress — including U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Reps. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) and Michael Guest (R-Miss.) — seeks a dedicated 20 percent Provider Relief Fund set aside for rural America.
“Rural health care was already in crisis prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation is only getting worse,” Hyde-Smith said. “Last year, rural hospital closures hit a record high, and 2020 is on pace to be even higher. So far this year, 12 rural hospitals have closed, with hundreds more on the brink.
“Given both the cancellation of elective procedures because of the pandemic and the recent spread of COVID-19 in rural America, rural providers have a desperate and immediate need for more funding. Therefore, we request you make this funding available quickly to provide relief to struggling rural health-care providers” the lawmakers wrote to HHS officials.
COVID-19 cases are growing 13 percent faster across rural America compared to the 9 percent national rate of growth. For two weeks running, rural counties have accounted for the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a seven-day period since the pandemic began. From June 17-24, rural counties had 23,366 new COVID-19 cases. The previous rural cases record was 19,022 new cases from the week of June 9-16.
The rise in cases across rural America represents a growing concern considering that the 60 million Americans living in rural areas generally have more health conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.