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LRHA ADVOCACY

VIEW LRHA ADVOCACY PROGRAM OVERVIEW

2025 ADVOCACY AGENDA

Priority   Areas of Focus
Investing in a Strong Rural Health Infrastructure
  • Support sufficient funding and efficient cashflow for rural safety net providers
  • Maintain and modernize rural provider designations and protections 
Building a Robust Rural Healthcare Workforce
  • Support efforts to recruit and retain workforce at rural healthcare facilities
  • Support investment in education and training of the future healthcare workforce
 Addressing Rural Health Equity
  • Promote and support activities that increase access to primary healthcare, maternal healthcare, and mental health services in rural areas
  • Increase the availability of telehealth services for individuals in rural communities
  • Ensure continued federal focus on the unique challenges of rural healthcare


View 2025 Advocacy Agenda and Related Bills

Urge Congress to Invest in Rural Health

Now, more than ever, it is critical that Congress fully funds the rural health safety net and protects core rural programs against the President's draft budget proposal. In FY 2026, NRHA is urging Members of Congress to support the following requests to improve rural health care access and affordability: 

  • Reauthorize the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program and fund at $75m to support small rural hospital-based health care access for rural communities through working with Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), emergency medical service (EMS), clinics, and health professionals. 
  • Fund the State Offices of Rural Health at $15m.
  • Increase the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Hospital Technical Assistance program to $5m. 
  • Expand the rural capacity for physician training by supporting the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program to fund at $14m. 
  • Enhance the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) by expanding funding to $155m. 
  • Invest in the Rural Health Outreach Services programs at $109m to support rural, community-driven initiatives that improve access to care, enhance care coordination, and foster sustainable solutions to chronic disease prevention and management.  
  • Increase funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Rural Health at $10m. 
  • Invest in primary care through $1.858 billion for community health centers.
  • Fund the National Health Service Corps at $130 million to alleviate rural workforce shortages.
  • Fund the Teaching Health Center GME program at $320 million.
  • Several additional programs play a role in delivering care and strengthening rural health infrastructure. These include: 
    • $43.673 million for Oral Health Training Programs. 
    • $48 million for the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth. 
    • $12.238 million for the 340B Drug Pricing Program and the Office of Pharmacy Affairs. 
    • Rural broadband and infrastructure are also foundational to sustaining rural care delivery. To that end, NRHA requests $1.95 billion for the USDA Community Facilities Program, $112.4 million for the ReConnect Broadband Program, and $10 million for the Rural Partners Network. 

Please find the NRHA FY 2026 appropriations request table here. You can view NRHA’s letter to congressional leadership with the FY 2026 appropriations requests here. We encourage you to advocate on behalf of these requests by using the pre-drafted text . As always, feel free to add your personalized voice to the pre-drafted text to ensure your elected officials understand the unique needs of your community! 

View HRSA Fact Sheet - Louisiana Funding

Contact Your Senators and Representatives

Urge Congress to Not Make Drastic Cuts to Medicaid

Congress is making progress towards a budget reconciliation package to advance the President's domestic agenda. Health-related proposals, particularly within the Medicaid program, are being discussed as potential offsets for other policies. Recently, both the House and Senate advanced their fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget resolutions, which call for trillions in spending cuts that could potentially impact Medicaid and other key health care programs.  

As we know, Medicaid is not just a healthcare program-it plays a significant role in sustaining the viability of rural healthcare systems, including hospitals, clinics, and community health centers. 

NRHA had developed resources regarding the rural implications of potential Medicaid cuts and how to best advocate to protect Medicaid.

For more information on the rural impact of proposed Medicaid cuts, view NRHA's one-pager fact sheet 

For more information on how reforms of Medicaid spending can impact rural Louisiana, view the 2023 Rural Medicaid coverage by county, the 2024 Medicaid Enrollment Data, Percent of Total Population, by state or Congressional District, and KFF's Maps on State-by-State Estimates from Eliminating the Medicaid Expansion Federal Match Rates .



MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!


National Rural Health Association Grassroots Advocacy


The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has a number of resources available to help you actively and easily participate in national advocacy efforts.  NRHA's three main advocacy priority areas include: 1) addressing rural declining life expectancy and rural equity, 2) reducing rural health care workforce shortages and 3) investing in a strong rural safety net.  Visit their Advocacy page to view advocacy guides, policy "leave behinds" documents, and current campaigns that you can support today! 


OTHER LRHA ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES


  • January 2025 | LRHA provided information and feedback from our rural providers to inform the NRHA response to the OIG Report titled "Medicare Could Save Billions With Comparable Access for Enrollees if Critical Access Hospital Payments for Swing-Bed Services Were Similar to Those of the Fee-For-Service Prospective Payment System"
  • January 2025 | LRHA submitted letters to elected officials urging them to help maintain federal funding, without interruption, for core rural health programs during any review and/or freeze of federal funding by the incoming Administration.
  • February 2025 | LRHA led Louisiana rural health leaders in meetings with federal legislative offices during NRHA Rural Health Policy Institute. LRHA then provided additional follow up information on the needs and challenges of rural providers to all offices, including providing additional information on high-priority needs to Speaker Mike Johnson's office.
  • February 2025 | LRHA contacted federal lawmakers to urge the protection of Medicaid funding.
  • March 2025 | LRHA began meeting with Louisiana rural health stakeholders to prepare for state legislative session.
  • April 2025 | LRHA contacted federal lawmakers to urge the protection of rural health program funding in response to proposed HHS budget.

COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES


LRHA is proud to participate and represent rural interests and needs on the following committees and task forces:

About the Association

Our Values

  • Integrity: We value transparency, build trust, and represent the interest of our collective membership.
  • Connection: We believe communication and relationships are critical for supporting our members.
  • Unity: We know that we can collectively impact lives of rural Louisianans through collaboration, representation, and advocacy.
  • Culture: We embody diversity, equity, and inclusion as we serve all in Rural Louisiana and leverage cultural assets as Healthcare Provider and community champions.
  • Action: We demonstrate our role as a rural health leader by serving with compassion, and embracing innovation in addressing the unique challenges of Rural Louisiana.


Contacts

Denae Hebert, Executive Director 

dhebert@lrha.org

985-369-3813

133 Highway 402 / P.O. Box 387 

Napoleonville, LA 70390 

 

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