Individuals who live in rural areas of Virginia are often at a disadvantage in terms of gaining access to health care.  As a Virginian with family roots in the most rural parts of Southwest Virginia, I understand the need to improve the availability of proper health care services and facilities.  I have supported additional funding for Community Health Centers (CHCs), which provide comprehensive primary health care in medically under-served areas.  CHCs provide high-quality health care to vulnerable populations at a lower cost than private providers.  More than 200,000 Virginians are served by CHCs in Chincoteague and the Eastern Shore, Hampton Roads, Southside, Central and Southwest Virginia.  CHCs generate over $22.25 million in outside grants and non-patient revenues in these areas, contributing to the local economy.  

I cosponsored the Health Care Safety Net Act of 2007, legislation to authorize funding for fiscal years 2008 through 2012 for health centers in medically underserved communities.  This bill prioritizes access to comprehensive primary and preventive care services, and targets resources to communities with the most significant health care needs.

As the son of an Air Force Officer, father of a Marine, and a Marine combat veteran myself, I understand the need to provide proper health care for our nation’s veterans, regardless of where they reside. I am pleased that the Veterans Health Administration maintains three VA Medical Centers, two outpatient clinics, and 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics across the Commonwealth, providing services to Virginia’s veterans.  As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, I have consistently promoted measures, such as the Rural Veterans Healthcare Improvement Act, that help veterans in rural areas access VA health care and reimburse them for long distance travel to VA medical facilities.

I also cosigned bipartisan letters to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, expressing concern regarding proposed regulations that would restrict beneficiary access to critical hospital services in rural and urban areas, and supporting an inflation adjustment to Medicare payments to home health and hospice agencies.

On May 24, 2010, I joined 31 of my Senate Colleagues on a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure sufficient rural representation on the National Health Care Workforce Commission and the Independent Payment Advisory Board created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  Both of these entities will provide recommendations in health care delivery and outcomes, and in building and maintaining a health care workforce, especially important for rural areas.