House Ways and Means Committee Seeks Broad Stakeholder Input on Addressing Chronic Disparities in Access to Health Care in Rural and Underserved Communities

  • by AGD Washington Advocacy Representative
  • Sep 13, 2023

On September 7, 2023, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) released an open letter to the health care community requesting comments and input on addressing disparities in access to health care. Specifically, the Committee is requesting proposals that can help, "turn the tide against the very real disparities in access to care that exist for millions of Americans - particularly those in rural and underserved communities." As part of the request for information (RFI), Chairman Smith highlights five key areas of interest: 

  1. Payment disparities between different geographic areas
  2. The long-term financial health of providers and facilities
  3. Payments for identical care provided in varying sites of service.
  4. Bringing new professionals into the health care workforce
  5. Innovative care models and technology to improve patient outcomes.

Chairman Smith's letter is available here. Responses to this RFI are due by October 5, 2023, at 5:00 PM EST.