Welch Meets with Health Care Leaders in Bennington to Discuss Future of Rural Health Care, Improving Access to Affordable Care Statewide

BENNINGTON, VT – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, this week hosted a roundtable on rural health care innovation, featuring local health care leaders, medical experts, and community members. The Senator discussed challenges faced by health care providers and patients in Vermont.  

While at the Bennington Firehouse, he highlighted the Emergency Medical Services

Reimbursement for On-scene Care and Support (EMS ROCS) Act, his legislation that would require the government to pay for vital EMS services provided to individuals on Medicare.  

“The state of health care in rural America is more than concerning: communities lack access to critical services they need, insurance costs are skyrocketing, and people are suffering. President Trump’s reckless tax bill, which was signed one year ago this week, made it even more expensive to live in rural America and pushed affordable care further out of reach through cuts to Medicaid funding and our state’s rural hospitals and clinics,” said Senator Welch. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to sit down with Bennington’s leading health care experts to hear about innovative changes that will improve and expand access to health care services in our rural communities. I’ll take their insight to Washington and continue to fight to improve access to care in rural America.” 

Senator Welch is a champion for rural health care, and has worked across the aisle to lead legislation to improve access to care, including the Rural Hospital Support Act, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act, Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program Act, Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act, Multigenerational Home Caregiver Credit Act, and the CONNECT  for Health Act.