LRHA ADVOCACY
2025 ADVOCACY AGENDA
| Priority | Areas of Focus |
| Investing in a Strong Rural Health Infrastructure |
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| Building a Robust Rural Healthcare Workforce |
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| Addressing Rural Health Equity |
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View 2025 Advocacy Agenda and Related Bills
IN THE NEWS
June 25, 2025 - In Their Own Words: What Doctors, Nurses, Hospitals, and Other Providers Think About Republican Cuts to Health Care
June 28, 2025 - Medicaid cuts could devastate rural hospitals, a fragile lifeline in Louisiana
July 9, 2025 - Change is coming to rural health care in Acadiana but likely won't be felt for some time
Urge Congress to Authorize Vital Rural Health Programs
Several key rural health programs at the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) need to be authorized in statute or are up for reauthorization.
“Authorization” and “reauthorization” mean that programs need language in a statute in order to be established or continued. Generally, Congress must pass legislation to establish or continue programs, agencies, offices, or projects, and then Congress can fund these programs through the appropriations process. Find more information on authorizations here.
The following programs are of utmost importance for Congress to reauthorize in 2025 to in order to support rural communities’ access to care and sustain the rural health infrastructure, workforce, and services:
- Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Grant Program
- H.R. 3684, the Save America’s Rural Hospitals Act, reauthorizes the Flex program to help small rural Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) work on quality, financial, and performance improvement activities, as well as enhance emergency medical service (EMS) and access to care.
- Rural Health Outreach Services Programs
- S. 2301/H.R. 2493, the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act reauthorizes Outreach programs which expire at the end of 2025. The umbrella of Outreach programs improve rural health through community-driven initiatives focused on quality improvement, health care access, and coordination of care to foster sustainable solutions for chronic disease prevention and management in rural areas.
The following need an initial authorization in statute:
- Rural Residency Planning and Development Program (RRPD)
- The H.R. 3890, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act includes a provision to authorize the RRPD program. RRPD helps to expand the number of rural residency training programs in family medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, psychiatry, and obstetrics by providing startup funding to eligible entities. The pilot began in 2019 and such since shown strong outcomes by creating 54 new, accredited rural residency programs and 683 resident positions.
- Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)
- The RCORP Authorization Act (H.R. 9842 in the 118th Congress) authorizes RCORP to reduce the factors that result in substance use disorder and opioid use disorder morbidity and mortality in high-need rural communities through rural-specific prevention, treatment, recovery, and workforce development efforts.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Rural Public Health (ORH)
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MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
The Louisiana Rural Health Association is proud to amplify the voices of our members to promote and enhance the quality of rural health in Louisiana. Visit the Members Only Hub to learn how LRHA can support you in sharing your story and advocating for the needs of your facility and community at the state and federal level.
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
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COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES
LRHA is proud to participate and represent rural interests and needs on the following committees and task forces:
- Health Disparities in Rural Areas Task Force (HCR 44 - HCR 100 - HCR 87 - HCR 55)
- Louisiana Alzheimer's Coalition
- Louisiana Department of Health Review, Advise, and Inform Board
- Protecting Medicaid Coverage Roundtable
- Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line Advisory Board
- Whole Health Louisiana Steering Committee
- National Rural Health Association Government Affairs
Committee
- Louisiana Chronic Disease Collective
- Pennington Biomedical Greaux Healthy Advisory Committee