Rural Impact on the Road in D.C-2025 Health Policy Issues & Urgent Priorities Part 1

Guests:

• Joan Alker, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Children and Families, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy
• Gina Capra, Chief Education Officer, National Association of Community Health Centers
• Wade Erickson, CEO, Horizon Health
• Julie K. Wood, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Senior Vice President, Science and Clinic Strategy, American Academy of Family Physicians
• Roger Wells, PA-C, Lexington Regional Health Center
• Sarah Hohman, MPH, CRHCP, Director of Government Affairs, National Association of Rural Health Clinics
• John Henderson, CEO, Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals

In the first of our two-part episode on the Road in D.C., we’re going deep into Health Policy Issues & Urgent Priorities right out of the gates in 2025.

Michelle’s first conversation was recorded at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Policy Institute, where she sat down with Joan Alker, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. The two discuss the critical role Medicaid plays in small towns and rural America, the potential impact of proposed cuts to Medicaid on children, families, and those who are disabled, and the importance of advocacy to protect Medicaid funding and ensure access to healthcare for vulnerable populations.

Next, Michelle meets with Gina Capra, Chief Education Officer of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), from the NACHC Policy and Issues Forum, where they discuss pressing challenges faced by community health centers, including funding issues, workforce shortages, and the need for regulatory support. They discuss the importance of financial stability, the role of telehealth, and the critical nature of the 340B program in providing comprehensive care to underserved populations.

From there, Michelle was joined by Wade Erickson, CEO of Horizon Health. He discussed the vital role of federally qualified health centers in rural and frontier South Dakota, acknowledging the need for balancing budgets and imploring policymakers to understand the unique challenges they face in recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals and the importance of policy support for sustainability.

Next, Michelle sat down with Julie K. Wood, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Senior Vice President, Science and Clinic Strategy, American Academy of Family Physicians. They discussed the significant challenges physicians face, including prior authorization processes that hinder patient care and the importance of retaining enthusiasm among medical residents, especially in rural areas facing OB deserts. The discussion also highlights the need to build trust in primary care amidst political challenges and the importance of addressing social drivers of health through supportive policies.

We end this segment with a conversation between Michelle and Roger Wells, PA-C, from Lexington Regional Health Center. Roger sounds the alarm on the critical state of provider health and well-being, mainly focusing on devastating rates of burnout among healthcare providers. They discuss the implications of this burnout on patient care and the healthcare system, emphasizing the need for policy changes to support providers and ensure sustainable healthcare practices.

Lastly, Michelle concludes the episode with two conversations, both leaders working with hundreds of organizations that Medicaid cuts will dramatically impact. Sarah Hohman, MPH, CRHCP, Director of Government Affairs at the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, and John Henderson, CEO of Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals, give a succinct and insightful overview of the consequences for rural health clinics and hospitals and discuss strategies for advocates to take to their members of Congress.

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