GEORGIA RURAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION LEGISLATIVE AGENDA 2011

The Georgia Rural Health Association (GRHA) is the oldest state rural health association in the country. Founded in 1981, this nonprofit network of healthcare providers, educators, and individuals is united in its commitment to improve the health and healthcare services of rural Georgians. Of Georgia’s 159 counties, 109 are considered rural, and with a population of 1.7 million they differ greatly from the urban areas of the state. To help meet their unique healthcare needs, our 2011 Rural Georgia C.A.R.E.S. legislative agenda is as follows:

Completely Fund Enhanced Trauma Care Network– A top priority of the Georgia Rural Health Association is a dedicated funding stream for trauma care. Because of depleted resources, our state faces a crisis in providing trauma care to its citizens, particularly rural Georgians. With only 15 trauma centers in Georgia, millions are at least 2 hours away from receiving emergency care.  Completely funding an enhanced trauma care network with a stable revenue source would lead to not only improved healthcare, but economic development and jobs, for rural Georgia.

Adequately Provide for PeachCare for Kids and Medicaid – A large proportion of rural Georgians rely on PeachCare for Kids and Medicaid to meet their healthcare needs.  With Georgia facing a $1.2 to $2 billion budget shortfall this year, those critical programs are likely to face cuts which could cripple access to healthcare in rural Georgia. In particular, the Medicaid program has a direct impact on the financial stability of physicians and hospitals outside of urban areas. The Georgia Rural Health Association believes these programs should be funded adequately and supports an increase in the state’s tobacco tax to $1.00 per pack, specifically to pay for Medicaid reimbursement.

Rationally Implement Requirements of the New Healthcare Reform Law – Improving access to quality, affordable healthcare has always been of great importance to the Georgia Rural Health Association. The Affordable Care Act, (Federal Healthcare Reform Law) requires states to enact many of the law’s new requirements such as insurance exchanges. GRHA will support the establishment of a commission or task force to oversee implementation activity in a transparent fashion.

Energetically Protect the Georgia Rural Health Safety Net Program – GRHA supports the Georgia Rural Health Safety Net Program through the Georgia Department of Community Health and State Office of Rural Health. This is specifically for the development and sustainability of Georgia’s rural health care delivery system targeting Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), rural and Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), rural health networks and other essential components of the health care delivery system. Additionally, GRHA will work to ensure that the Department of Community Health, the newly transitioned Division of Public Health, and Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities services are adequately funded, and those services are sufficiently available to rural Georgians.

Strongly Support Efforts to Stabilize and Grow the Health Professions Workforce for Rural And Medically Underserved Communities - GRHA supports the recommendations of the TEAM Georgia group responding to the National Coalition of State Legislators, Primary Care Workforce Initiative.  These include:  creating a sustainable and integrated data collection system for health care providers; developing a tax credit for primary care physicians who serve as community based faculty for Georgia medical student rotations; funding a grant incentive program to develop primary care and / or rural training tracks in Georgia medical schools; and, creating provider recruitment marketing resources for rural communities to utilize when seeking to recruit new providers.