[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 194 (Tuesday, November 18, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H4763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL RURAL HEALTH DAY

  (Mr. BERGMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, in small towns and communities across 
America, rural hospitals are critical lifelines. They provide emergency 
care, support seniors and veterans, deliver behavioral health services, 
assist mothers who are giving birth, supply pharmacy services, and 
serve as major local employers.
  Yet, many rural hospitals are under serious strain. Nearly half are 
operating at negative margins. Since 2010, more than 150 rural 
hospitals have cut inpatient services or closed their doors 
permanently, including some in northern Michigan and the Upper 
Peninsula.
  These closures aren't happening because communities don't need care 
but because the financial reality of providing it in rural America 
keeps getting tougher.
  When a rural hospital closes, families face hours-long drives in 
emergency situations, expectant mothers lose access to obstetric care, 
and seniors suffering from a heart attack or a stroke may arrive too 
late.
  As we mark National Rural Health Day this week, we must renew and 
strengthen our commitment to rural hospitals by ensuring fair 
reimbursement, strengthening telehealth and infrastructure, and 
preserving access to critical resources like the 340B drug program, a 
key revenue stream for rural hospitals.
  Rural hospitals must not only survive but thrive. We need to keep 
that because it is not about ZIP Codes.

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