Harris’ plan to expand rural health care could have an impact in Maine

The Harris campaign unveiled several rural health policy proposals this week that public health experts say could have an impact in Maine.

Yvonne Jonk, director of the Maine Health Research Center at the University of Southern Maine, said the focus on rural health care is welcome because of the challenges many residents face in accessing care. of health.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, is facing former President Donald Trump in the November election, and both candidates have tried to appeal to rural voters who could be key to victory in several battleground states. . Trump has strong support in many rural areas across the country, including Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, while Harris and his running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, they worked to interfere with those voters.

The Harris campaign presented a series of policy proposals on Tuesday including investment in rural ambulance services, funding for rural hospitals, incentives for health care workers, payment changes for independent pharmacies and expanding telephone services.

Rural hospitals across the state and in Maine have closed or reduced services, and rural ambulance providers are having a hard time making ends meet.

Jonk’s research on critical issues facing rural ambulance providers was cited by the Harris campaign.

“EMS services are not considered part of the health care field,” Jonk said. “They are not compensated for the amount of work they do. They are reimbursed only when they take patients to the hospital. It is not a financially sustainable model. ”

Jonk said for example, if paramedics respond to a 911 call, perform CPR and resuscitate a patient, but the patient refuses to be taken to a hospital, EMS service would not be reimbursed.

Harris’ proposal calls for increased reimbursement rates for EMS providers.

Also, rural hospitals would be strengthened by strengthening the name of a rural emergency hospital that would bring more money, according to the campaign. No details were given as to how this would be accomplished.

Responding on behalf of the Trump campaign, Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said Harris “is back at it again lying about plans to make health care spending and the general affordable for rural residents.

“Former (President) Trump will fight to get Americans the best prices in the world for drugs that are manufactured at the highest standards by making them right here in the USA,” Kelly said in a written statement.

Harris’ plan will also increase scholarships, loan forgiveness and training grants to start incentives that encourage recent health care graduates to work in rural areas. The goal is to add 10,000 health workers to rural areas across the country.

Programs already exist to help promote rural health workers, but programs need to be stronger to attract more workers to rural areas, Jonk said.

“These are modest goals, but achievable,” Jonk said.

For independent pharmacists, who make up more than 75% of pharmacies in rural areas, Harris’ plan calls for better reimbursement rates by regulating drug benefit managers. Pharmacy benefit managers are middlemen who manage prescription drug benefits for health insurance companies.

Amelia Arnold, vice president of operations for Community Pharmacy, an independent chain with eight locations in Maine, including Gorham and Saco, said there needs to be a “meaningful change” for pharmaceuticals regardless of who wins the presidency.

Arnold said that for many medications, “we are reimbursed less than the cost of the medication.”

“I’m glad that pharmaceuticals are being considered as an important part of care, because we’re on the last leg,” said Arnold. “Every day, many times a day, we lose money when we fill a prescription.”

Harris’ campaign says his plan will reverse the closure of independent pharmacies, and increase the number of independents by 15%.

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