Pictured (L-R)–Sen. Chuck Grassley and MRHC CEO Linn Block
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley highlighted some of the challenges facing rural health care providers during a Monday visit to Manning Regional Healthcare Center (MRHC). Grassley finished his 43rd consecutive year of visiting all 99 Iowa counties and says he always makes an effort to visit at least a few rural hospitals.
Grassley says rural hospitals are a critical part of the long-term success of the communities that host them, and the federal government must do everything in its power to ensure facilities like MRHC, Stewart Memorial Community Hospital (SMCH), St. Anthony Regional Hospital, and others remain viable. According to Grassley, one of the most common complaints is the low reimbursement rate from Medicare/Medicaid patients. He says part of the problem is Iowa’s low cost of delivery compared to many other states.
In MRHC’s case, nearly 60 percent of their patients are enrolled in either Medicaid or Medicare. Like many areas of the economy, labor shortages are also plaguing the healthcare industry, particularly in nursing. Grassley says some hospitals have been forced to look outside the local labor pool to fill that gap.
Grassley adds workforce is a nationwide problem. Recent data shows an estimated six million Americans are unemployed, but nearly nine million available jobs are waiting to be filled. Grassley finished his 43rd annual 99-county tour on Tuesday in Ida County.
