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Congressmen Greg Walden (R-OR) and Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) co-chair the 182-member RURAL HEALTH CARE COALITION (RHCC), a bi-partisan coalition of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives committed to advancing rural priorities in health care policy. Since its inception, the RHCC has been a very active and effective force in Congress. It has been successful in establishing the Office of Rural Health Policy within the Department of Health and Human Services, establishing the Rural Health Transition Grant Program, and forming the Critical Access Hospital program.
The Coalition has built on its successes by maintaining and increasing appropriations funding for various rural health programs, improving access to physicians in rural America by passing legislation to continue the J1 Visa Waiver program, and providing additional improvements to rural health programs.
On April 27, Walden and Pomeroy held a press conference on Capitol Hill to announce the introduction of H.R. 5118, the Medicare Rural Provider Payment Extension Act, which would extend critical provisions relating to Medicare reimbursement/payment methods for rural health providers. Back in 2003 when Congress Passed the Medicare Modernization Act, they recognized the inequity of the Medicare payment system as it related to rural vs. urban reimbursements and included the most generous rural health payment plan in the Congress' history to help offset this discrepancy. The MMA made adjustments to Medicare reimbursement methods for such services as home care, ambulance services, lab work and general physician work to make payments more fair and reasonable, thus allowing rural health providers to stay in business and ensuring continued access to health care for rural Americans. H.R. 5118 was introduced with strong bipartisan support from Members throughout the United States, and Walden and Pomeroy will continue to work with their colleagues on the RHCC to advance this legislation through Congress.
The bill earned early support from key national organizations:
National Rural Health Association
American Hospital Association
American Osteopathic Association
National Association for Home Care and Hospice
Read Walden and Pomeroy's Release
Statement by Congressman Walden
Statement by Congressman Pomeroy
Quick Information on H.R. 5118
More Detailed Information on H.R. 5118
For more information on the RHCC, please contact one of the Co-Chairs of the coalition - Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) at (202) 225-6730 or Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) at (202) 225-2611.
MEMBERSHIP (as of 2/15/06):
| Republican Members (108) |
|
Democrat Members (74) |
| Greg Walden (OR), co-chair |
|
Earl Pomeroy (ND), co-chair |
| Robert Anderholdt (AL) |
|
Neil Abercrombie (HI) |
| Rodney Alexander (LA) |
|
Tom Allen (ME) |
| Richard Baker (LA) |
|
Brian Baird (WA) |
| J. Gresham Barrett (SC) |
|
Tammy Baldwin (WI) |
| Roscoe Bartlett (MD) |
|
Marion Berry (AR) |
| Joe Barton (TX) |
|
Sanford Bishop, Jr. (GA) |
| Charles Bass (NH) |
|
Dan Boren (OK) |
| Rob Bishop (UT) |
|
Leonard Boswell (IA) |
| Sherwood Boehlert (NY) |
|
Rick Boucher (VA) |
| Henry Bonilla (TX) |
|
Allen Boyd (FL) |
| John Boozman (AR) |
|
Dennis Cardoza (CA) |
| Jeb Bradley (NH) |
|
Ed Case (HI) |
| Kevin Brady (TX) |
|
Ben Chandler (KY) |
| Virginia Brown-Waite (FL) |
|
Donna Christensen (VI) |
| Dave Camp (MI) |
|
James Clyburn (SC) |
| Shelley Moore Capito (WV) |
|
Jim Cooper (TN) |
| Chris Chocola (IN) |
|
Jerry Costello (IL) |
| Tom Cole (OK) |
|
Robert "Bud" Cramer (AL) |
| Michael Conaway (TX) |
|
Arthur Davis (AL) |
| Barbara Cubin (WY) |
|
Danny Davis (IL) |
| Jo Ann Davis (VA) |
|
Lincoln Davis (TN) |
| Nathan Deal (GA) |
|
Peter DeFazio (OR) |
| John Doolittle (CA) |
|
William Delahunt (MA) |
| Thelma Drake (VA) |
|
Lloyd Doggett (TX) |
| Vernon Ehlers (MI) |
|
Chet Edwards (TX) |
| Jo Ann Emerson (MO) |
|
Bob Etheridge (NC) |
| Mark Foley (FL) |
|
Lane Evans (IL) |
| Jeff Fortenberry (NE) |
|
Eni Faleomavagea (Am. Samoa) |
| Jim Gibbons (NV) |
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Bart Gordon (TN) |
| Wayne Gilchrest (MD) |
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Alcee Hastings (FL) |
| Paul Gillmor (OH) |
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Stephanie Herseth (SD) |
| Virgil Goode, Jr. (VA) |
|
Maurice Hinchey (NY) |
| Bob Goodlatte (VA) |
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Ruben Hinojosa (TX) |
| Sam Graves (MO) |
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Darlene Hooley (OR) |
| Al Green (TX) |
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Shiela Jackson-Lee (TX) |
| Ralph Hall (TX) |
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Paul Kanjorski (PA) |
| Doc Hastings (WA) |
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Marcy Kaptur (OH) |
| Robin Hayes (NC) |
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Dale Kildee (MI) |
| J.D. Hayworth (AZ) |
|
Ron Kind (WI) |
| Joel Helfley (CO) |
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Rick Larsen (WA) |
| Wally Herger (CA) |
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John Lewis (GA) |
| Pete Hoekstra (MI) |
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Jim Marshall (GA) |
| John Hostettler (IN) |
|
Jim Matheson (UT) |
| Kenny Hulshof (MO) |
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Jim McDermott (WA) |
| Ernest Istook (OK) |
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James McGovern (MA) |
| William Jenkins (TN) |
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Mike McIntyre (NC) |
| Nany Johnson (CT) |
|
Michael McNulty (NY) |
| Timothy Johnson (IL) |
|
Michael Michaud (ME) |
| Walter Jones (NC) |
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Brad Miller (NC) |
| Mark Kennedy (MN) |
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Alan Mollohan (WV) |
| John Kline (MN) |
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John Murtha (PA) |
| Steve King (IA) |
|
James Oberstar (MN) |
| Jim Kolbe (AZ) |
|
John Olver (MA) |
| Ray LaHood (IL) |
|
Solomon Ortiz (TX) |
| Tom Latham (IA) |
|
Collin Peterson (MN) |
| Jim Leach (IA) |
|
Nick Rahall (WV) |
| Jerry Lewis (CA) |
|
Mike Ross (AR) |
| Ron Lewis (KY) |
|
Bernie Sanders (VT), Ind. |
| Frank Lucas (OK) |
|
Ike Skelton (MO) |
| Donald Manzullo (IL) |
|
Louise Slaughter (NY) |
| Jim McCrery (LA) |
|
Vic Snyder (AR) |
| John McHugh (NY) |
|
John Spratt (SC) |
| Buck McKeon (CA) |
|
Forrney Pete Stark (CA) |
| Cathy McMorris (WA) |
|
Ted Strickland (OH) |
| Jeff Miller (FL) |
|
Bart Stupak (MI) |
| Jerry Moran (KS) |
|
John Tanner TN) |
| Marilyn Musgrave (CO) |
|
Gene Taylor (MS) |
| Randy Neugebauer (TX) |
|
Bernie Thompson (MS) |
| Robert Ney (OH) |
|
Mike Thompson (CA) |
| Charlie Norwood (GA) |
|
Ed Towns (NY) |
| Devin Nunes (CA) |
|
Michael Turner (OH) |
| Jim Nussle (IA) |
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Tom Udall (NM) |
| Tom Osborne (NE) |
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Peter Visclosky (ID) |
| Butch Otter (ID) |
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| Michael Oxley (OH) |
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| Ron Paul (TX) |
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| Steve Pearce (NM) |
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| John Peterson (PA) |
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| Thomas Petri (WI) |
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| Charles "Chip" Pickering (MS) |
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| Adam Putnam (FL) |
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| Dennis Rehberg (MT) |
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| Rick Renzi (AZ) |
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| Harold Rogers (KY) |
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| Mike Rogers (MI) |
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| Paul Ryan (WI) |
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| Jim Ryun (KS) |
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| Don Sherwood (PA) |
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| John Shimkus (IL) |
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| Bill Shuster (PA) |
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| Mike Simpson (ID) |
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| Lamar Smith (TX) |
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| Cliff Stearns (FL) |
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| John Sweeney (NY) |
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| Charles Taylor (NC) |
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| Lee Terry (NE) |
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| Mac Thornberry (TX) |
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| Todd Tiahrt (KS) |
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| Fred Upton (MI) |
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| Jim Walsh (NY) |
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| Zach Wamp (TN) |
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| Jerry Weller (IL) |
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| Ed Whitfield (KY) |
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| Roger Wicker (MS) |
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| Heather Wilson (NM) |
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| Joe Wilson (SC) |
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| Don Young (AK) |
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