[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19638]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE ENHANCED OPTIONS FOR RURAL HEALTH CARE ACT

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                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 25, 2006

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, September 21, I introduced the 
Enhanced Options for Health Care Act (H.R. 6154). This legislation 
allows critical access hospitals to use beds designated for critical 
access use, but currently not being used for that purpose, for assisted 
living services financed by private payments.
  This bill will help improve the financial status of small rural 
hospitals and extend the health care options available to people living 
in rural areas without increasing federal expenditures. Currently, fear 
that rural hospitals will lose critical access status if beds 
designated for critical access are used for another purpose is causing 
rural hospitals to allow beds not needed for a critical access purpose 
to remain unused. This deprives rural hospitals of a much-needed 
revenue stream and deprives residents of rural areas of access to 
needed health care services.
  My colleagues may be interested to know that the idea for this bill 
comes from Marcella Henke, an administrator of Jackson County Hospital, 
a critical access hospital in my congressional district. Ms. Henke 
conceived of this idea as a way to meet the increasing demand for 
assisted living services in rural areas and provide hospitals with a 
profitable way use beds not being used for critical access purposes. I 
urge my colleagues to embrace this practical way of strengthening rural 
health care without increasing federal expenditures by cosponsoring the 
Enhanced Options for Rural Health Care Act (H.R. 6154).

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