National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C.            Vol. 31, No. 5 * March 15, 1999

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Rural Action Caucus hears from Capitol Hill

By Jeri Marxman
NACo Fellow

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More than 150 county officials participated in the second meeting of the Rural Action Caucus, on Feb. 28. The meeting was held in conjunction with NACo’s Legislative Conference.

During the session, members reaffirmed their support for legislation to improve rural health care delivery and improved access to airline service for airports serving smaller communities.
Kerry Ates, legislative assistant and counsel in the office of West Virginia Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D), explained the problem: "Airports serving small and medium-sized communities don’t offer enough flights, and the costs are sometimes very high. Without adequate service, economic development in these smaller communities is threatened because businesses require access to airline service to ship products, access manufactured parts, increase sales and many more business functions."

NACo actively supports the Small Community Aviation Program, which would establish a four-year pilot aviation development program for small communities. This program passed in the Senate, and Ates is hopeful that a similar program will be included in the House bill.

Nursing homes are struggling to stay afloat in the aftermath of changes in reimbursement rates brought about by the 1997 Balanced Budget Agreement.

And, as rural populations continue to age, their health care needs continually expand.

NACo supports legislation to improve health care delivery. Specifics include making funding of the geographic blend for Medicare+Choice reimbursements a top priority in the allocation process. NACo will also support legislation to create incentives for practitioners serving in rural areas. Other initiatives would broaden Medicare reimbursement for all state-licensed mental health professionals, and extend Medicare reimbursement for tele-medicine to all rural areas.

Steve Berry, legislative assistant from the office of Rep. Jim Nussle (R-Iowa), discussed these and other concerns with Rural Caucus members. Nussle will co-sponsor a bill that will address many of NACo’s issues. Berry speculated that the bill will be introduced before the end of April.

Wayne Myers, M.D. director of the Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, related health care to economic development. "Each health care dollar spent locally turns over several times, producing more jobs and a higher standard of living in the community."

Updates on these issues will be provided through County News and special mailings to members of the Rural Action Caucus.

To be added to the mailing list, contact Jeri Marxman, NACo extension fellow, 202/942-4255: jmarxman@naco.org.