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By Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks
On July 3rd, the eve of our nation’s 249th Birthday, the House passed the Working Families Tax Cut, historic legislation that prevented the single largest tax hike on working and middle-class Iowans in history, rooted out waste, fraud, and abuse from Medicaid, and provided seniors with a $6,000 tax deduction, parents with a $2,200 Child Tax Credit, and No Tax on Tips and No Tax on Overtime. I was proud to support this bill and deliver relief to Iowans and Americans everywhere.
Another one of the key provisions signed into law as part of historic piece of legislation is the creation of a Rural Health Transformation Program, the largest investment in rural healthcare history. This Program allocates $50 billion to stabilize and strengthen rural hospitals and help medical providers deliver quality care. Yet Democrats have been against the Working Families Tax Cut and the Rural Health Transformation Program since the bill has been written and are still actively trying to gut the fund and reduce money for our rural hospitals, reducing the efficiency of your healthcare programs and putting politics above patients.
The Rural Health Transformation Program aims to make rural America healthy again by advancing disease prevention, behavioral health, and innovative care models that help improve outcomes and communication among providers. The first-of-its-kind $50 billion Rural Health Transformation program is spread over a 5-year period and promotes sustainable access and long-term stability allowing hospitals to continue to improve after the program ends.
The program focuses on the quality of healthcare in rural communities by strengthening recruitment and retention of healthcare workers in rural communities and hiring based on merit instead of DEI policies. It also promotes technological innovation through access to digital health tools by rural facilities, providers, and patients. Tools and funding that the Democrats are actively trying to block.
The Rural Health Transformation Program directly supports hospitals in Iowa and across the country. As a physician, I understand the importance of strengthening rural hospitals, supporting providers, and expanding access to care for communities in Iowa.
I will continue to fight for this critical program, for rural health access, and for the lifeline our rural communities need. This program will Make Rural America Healthy again!