WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell today named Senator Pat Roberts Co-Chairman of the Senate Rural Health Caucus following the death of Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY), the Caucus’ previous Co-Chairman and great personal friend of Senator Roberts.

"I am honored to follow in the footsteps of Senator Craig Thomas, my dear friend, and will continue working in behalf of our nation’s rural communities," Senator Roberts said. "Improving access to quality health care is essential to preserving our rural way of life."

Senator Roberts has been a member of the Caucus since coming to the Senate and was a member of the House Rural Health Caucus during his time as U.S. Congressman from Kansas’ Big First District. Roberts is a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and is a member of the Senate Committee on Finance which has jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid.

Roberts’ Chairmanship continues a proud tradition of Kansas leadership on the Caucus. Senator Bob Dole (R-KS) was Co-Chairman prior to Senator Thomas. First District U.S. Congressman Jerry Moran (R-KS) is a current member and former Co-Chairman of the House Caucus.

"As a longtime advocate for improving rural health care initiatives in both Kansas and the United States, Senator Pat Roberts is a natural choice to lead this important caucus,"said Senator McConnell. "Congress must ensure that all Americans have access to top quality health services, particularly in rural areas. Pat Roberts is well suited to ensure that health care providers have the resources they need to provide the best care to patients throughout the country."

"I understand the unique needs that face our rural communities and support programs that help rural patients and providers," Roberts said. "As a member of the HELP and Finance Committees, I am working to ensure our Kansas hospitals, home health providers, doctors, nurses and other health care providers in rural areas have the necessary resources they need to provide quality health care. I am also working to ensure a strong Medicare program for our seniors in rural communities who rely on these services. In addition, each year, I, along with several of my colleagues, send a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee to request additional funding for rural health care programs."

 

Already this year, Senator Roberts and members of the Caucus introduced critical rural health care legislation, named in honor of Senator Thomas, to help shoulder the financial burden rural health care providers have when caring for small communities.

The Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (R-HoPE) Act of 2007, makes changes to Medicare regulations for rural hospitals and providers recognizing the difficulty in achieving the same economies of scale as large urban facilities. These changes include changes to lab, ambulance, home health care, hospice and rural clinic Medicare reimbursements. For more on the bill, please visit Senator Roberts’ website.

In March, the Congress approved and President Bush signed into law, a bill Senator Roberts introduced with U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) to help develop and strengthen statewide trauma care systems.

"Traumatic injury such as from a car or farm accident is the leading cause of death for people aged 1 to 44 years," Roberts said ."Trauma care is especially critical in rural areas where the death rate from unintentional injury is more than 50 percent higher than in urban areas. Saving the life of any trauma victim requires constant attention to maintaining and coordinating organized systems of trauma care in every community in every state."

Also in March, Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) led a strong bipartisan effort to send a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on behalf of community and retail pharmacists to address a recently proposed rule which threatens to restrict access to prescription drugs for millions of Medicaid beneficiaries. The letter was signed by 46 Senators.

"American families rely on their pharmacists, and this short-sighted proposal will create significant economic hardships for our local pharmacies, which ultimately threatens patient access to their needed drugs," Senator Roberts said. "This rule particularly affects rural areas, and I am taking a stand against it to help our Kansas pharmacists."

Earlier this month, Senator Roberts joined Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) in introducing a bill to preserve access to home medical equipment in rural areas.

"Seniors in rural areas rely on our home health providers to provide high quality care at an affordable price, and it is critical that we preserve patient access to this high quality care. Unfortunately, the competitive bidding program currently being implemented for Medicare home health equipment threatens patient access and could put many of our small ‘mom and pop’ home health providers out of business," Senator Roberts said.

"Seniors in rural areas rely on our home health providers to provide high quality care at an affordable price, and it is critical that we preserve patient access to this high quality care. Unfortunately, the competitive bidding program currently being implemented for Medicare home health equipment threatens patient access and could put many of our small ‘mom and pop’ home health providers out of business," Senator Roberts said.

In 2001, Senator Roberts was recognized for his years of work in protecting and improving rural health care by the National Rural Health Association, which awarded him their top honor, the 2000 Legislative Award.

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) is the Co-Chairman of the Senate Rural Health Caucus.