[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9089]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCING THE ENHANCED OPTIONS FOR RURAL HEALTH CARE ACT

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                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 17, 2007

  Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I raise to introduce the Enhanced Options 
for Rural Health Care Act. 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 to 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.

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