The White House recently released its fiscal year 2020 budget, which would be devastating for the rural health safety net and includes funding cuts to vital rural health programs at Health & Human Services (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), the National Institute of Health, and the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). The budget would also affect the 340B program, the White House’s HIV/AIDS initiative, and rural opioid crisis and substance use disorder response.
Though just a small piece of federal spending, rural health safety nets are essential for the future of rural communities. As the conversation for FY20 funding continues, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) will update members with analysis of proposals from both Congress and the White House. To learn more, view NRHA’s FY20 requests and the NRHA recent letter to the House Appropriations Committee, and plan now to attend NRHA’s Annual Rural Health Conference, where the association’s Government Affairs team will discuss the rural impact of the federal budget, legislation, and policy updates May 7-10 in Atlanta, Ga.
