The U.S. House Appropriations Committee recently advanced a bill that includes provisions authored by U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler intended to shore up the finances of rural health clinics in Southwest Washington.
Many rural health clinics are facing a staggering backlog of back payments that have put their ability to serve their communities in jeopardy. A press release from Herrera Beutler blamed the payment problems on, “a faulty Medicaid reimbursement system,” that was implemented in 2009. The outstanding payments are hundreds of thousands of dollars in total.
The provisions penned by Herrera Beutler call for the Federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to work cohesively with the state in order to find a path forward and reduce the financial burden on rural health clinics.
Currently, Washington is requiring rural health clinics to make back payments on services that were offered years ago. That lingering burden has put many of the 118 rural health clinics, including 18 in Southwest Washington, at risk of shuttering their doors.
Rural health clinics are often the primary health care option for people in outlying communities. They are designed to provide high quality and low cost care to underserved areas. Some of the clinics that have been most directly affected by the controversial payment structure are those that provide services to children who are covered by Medicaid.
“Rural health clinics are the primary source of health care for many people who live in rural communities like Ilwaco or Goldendale. Unfortunately, the financial burden imposed by this flawed system is threatening to shutter these clinics and reduce access for seniors, children and families in our rural towns. In fact, there are already clinics around the state that have had to shut their doors,” said Herrera Beutler in a press release.
