The U.S. Senate has passed a continuing resolution (CR), 65-27. This CR will continue to fund the federal government until March 11, 2022.
With passage of the CR, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) expects Congress to fully fund the fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget before March 11. In NRHA’s February letter to Congressional Leadership, we encouraged Congress to fully fund the rural health safety net. Items include:
- Fully funding the Rural Maternity Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) program.
- Reauthorizing and increasing funding for the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program. NRHA encourages funding to include technical assistance support for providers interested in applying for the new Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation.
NRHA expects the funding package to be an Omnibus package, meaning it will include non-appropriation related provisions. NRHA urges Congress to use this opportunity to provide support to rural providers continuing to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Items includes:
- Extending relief from Medicare sequestration for the remainder of 2022.
- Continuing telehealth provisions beyond the duration of the public health emergency.
- Reinstating uncapped reimbursement for provider-based rural health clinics in exchange for voluntary inclusion in a quality reporting program.