VIDEO: Smith Recognizes National Rural Health Day

In recognition of National Rural Health Day, Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives this afternoon to bring attention to the challenges rural Americans face in maintaining access to quality health care.



Remarks:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the fifth annual National Rural Health Day.

The third Thursday in November is set aside each year by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health to recognize the unique health care needs of and challenges facing rural Americans and their communities.

These challenges include fewer health care providers and longer travel distances.

The hospitals serving rural communities continue to be burdened by arbitrary regulations such as physician supervision and 96-hour certification rules which we need to address.

This year, rural consumers in twelve states also face the challenge of finding a new insurance plan because the Consumer Oriented and Operated Plan, or co-op, created by Obamacare from which they purchased coverage has failed.

This includes 120,000 Nebraskans and Iowans who bought coverage through CoOportunity Health.

Consumers and taxpayers deserve to know what went wrong with the co-ops and whether the $2.4 billion in federal loans to this failing program will be repaid.

I will continue to fight for these answers, and I yield back.