Sen. Tim Kaine introduces bill to improve healthcare access in rural America

The Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act is bipartisan legislation to reauthorize programs to improve access to healthcare in rural communities.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the legislation with Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Tina Smith of Minnesota and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.

“Across Virginia and throughout the U.S., rural communities often face unique challenges that lead to reduced or even nonexistent access to lifesaving medical care. Republicans in Congress just passed a bill to pay for tax cuts for the uber-wealthy at the expense of everyday Americans, and our rural health providers are now grappling with severe budget cuts that could force them to close their doors. Now more than ever, I urge my colleagues to join us in lifting up our rural communities by passing this bipartisan legislation to reauthorize key federal grants that support their access to health care,” Kaine said.

The introduction comes shortly after President Donald Trump signed the Republican budget megabill that will devastate hospitals, health care access and Medicaid coverage in rural communities. Kaine strongly opposed and voted against the legislation. Rural communities face unique challenges in accessing lifesaving medical services, including geographic isolation, workforce shortages, transportation barriers, facility closures and inadequate insurance coverage.

Barriers result in unmet health care needs, which translate into a 43 percent higher mortality rate for rural residents compared to their urban and suburban counterparts. To combat the gaps, the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act reauthorizes the following three programs under the Public Health Service Act through Fiscal Year 2030 (FY30):

• Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grants to fund projects that improve the delivery of health care services in rural communities through community engagement and evidence-based models;
• Rural Health Network Development Grants to support integrated health care networks that collaborate to achieve efficiencies, expand access to, coordinate, and improve quality of health care in rural communities; and
• Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Grants to support the planning and implementation of quality improvement activities for rural primary care providers or providers of health care services, like critical access hospitals, rural health clinics or a network of providers serving rural communities.

As a member of the Senate HELP Committee, Kaine has long advocated for improved health care access and health infrastructure in rural communities. In February, he introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Support Act to prevent rural hospital closures by extending and modernizing critical Medicare programs. In 2024, he introduced the Primary Care Team Education Centers Act to support the education and clinical training of new primary care professionals and address the health workforce shortage across America, including in rural communities.