Texas lawmakers discuss rural hospitals

AUSTIN, Texas — Rural hospitals remain a focus for Texas lawmakers as the Texas House Public Health Committee reviews the implementation of major health care legislation passed during the last legislative session.

According to the Texas Hospital Association, Texas is home to 147 rural hospitals that serve a larger share of older and sicker patients, as well as more Medicaid and Medicare recipients, than hospitals in metropolitan areas. Those demographics create significant challenges for health care providers in rural communities.

The association reports that 21 rural hospitals have closed over the past decade. Other facilities have eliminated services, including labor and delivery departments, leaving some pregnant women in rural Texas hours away from birth care.

One measure aimed at addressing those concerns is House Bill 18, which provides additional financial support for rural maternity care. The legislation increases payments associated with childbirth services in rural hospitals.

“That rural hospital is also going to get a $1500 payment. I mean, they’re going to get the regular reimbursement rate associated with providing those services, but because it’s also a delivery in a rural hospital, they’re going to also get an extra 15-hundred dollars,” a witness told lawmakers.

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Only 40 percent of rural hospitals continue to provide labor and delivery services. House Bill 18 was among several bills approved to strengthen the availability and quality of health care across rural Texas, which covers approximately 85 percent of the state’s land mass.

Committee members also heard testimony on efforts to expand telehealth access and recruit health care workers to rural communities. Witnesses highlighted partnerships between hospitals, clinics, and academic institutions for training and residency programs, as well as loan forgiveness programs designed to encourage clinicians to practice in rural areas.

Lawmakers also discussed broadband access and its role in telehealth services. Testimony indicated that many rural Texans continue to rely on libraries and senior centers to access telehealth resources because broadband service remains limited in some areas.