I’m one of hundreds of thousands of rural Iowans proud to call farm country home. Over one third of our state is considered rural. Yet, too often, it’s difficult for rural Iowans to access the health care they need, close to where they live. Republicans are working to change that.
Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which President Donald Trump signed on July 4 last year, not only put money back in people’s pockets, it delivered historic funding to expand access to care in rural communities and improve health outcomes.
It’s called the Rural Health Transformation Fund, and it’s the largest investment in rural health in U.S. history. Not a single Democrat in Congress voted to support this funding.
The fund already is making a difference.
Under Gov. Kim Reynolds’ leadership, Iowa was the first state in the nation to begin awarding its federal funding. As a result, Iowans in Marshalltown looking for heart and cancer care soon won’t have to travel to Waterloo or Des Moines for treatment. In Anamosa, Jones Regional Medical Center is buying a new surgical robot with this money, expanding options for cancer patients and bringing more surgeons to the region. In Onawa, Burgess Health Center is buying an advanced mammography system that will help detect breast cancer sooner and save lives.
In Chariton, Iowans told me they’ll have access to an MRI machine at the Lucas County Health Center for the first time. And at the Pella Regional Health Center, they’re leveraging the fund to purchase a machine to improve local cancer care. Iowans near Mason City will have access to a new Robotic Bronchoscopy system that detects lung cancer sooner.
Over the next five years, Iowa will receive, at a minimum, $100 million annually from the fund. Our state already received $209 million this year.
Because of this federal investment, young mothers needing prenatal care will be able to access clinics and telemedicine in up to five different locations in rural Iowa from the Des Moines Center of Excellence in Maternal Fetal Medicine. A grandfather in Jasper County who’s fighting cancer can get advanced procedures and high-quality scans at the Newton Medical Center as decades-old equipment is being replaced.
Iowans also will have access to more health care professionals because of this federal investment.
As a senior member and former chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, I advocate for rural health care on behalf of Iowans. I helped lead the charge to get the Rural Health Transformation Fund passed into law, and I’ll make sure Iowa receives the support it deserves.
During my 99 county meetings this year, I’ve heard story after story from health care professionals who are putting this money to work for their patients. More communities will benefit in the years ahead.