WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senate colleagues in a bipartisan letter urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider the needs of rural hospitals and hospitals with high percentages of Medicaid and Medicare patients as HHS distributes the $100 billion healthcare fund included in the CARES Act.
“Last year rural hospitals closures hit a record high, and 2020 is on pace to be even higher. So far this year we have had eight rural hospitals close, with several more on the brink. About 60 million people, nearly one in five Americans, live in rural areas and depend on their local hospitals for care,” wrote Senator Rosen. “About 60 million people, nearly one in five Americans, live in rural areas and depend on their local hospitals for care. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, rural hospitals were already operating on shoestring budgets, and with the cancellation of elective procedures, have a desperate and immediate need for more funding. Therefore, we request you make this funding available immediately to provide relief to our struggling health care providers.”
Read Senator Rosen’s full letter here.