8legs: U.s. house committee on ways and means hearing on rural health care access and affordability

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ECU Health CEO Dr. Michael Waldrum testifies before U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means on rural health care access, affordability

Waldrum pressed for targeted policy solutions to address rural health care access and affordability before the U.S. House Committee.
He described ECU Health as a nonprofit system serving 1.4 million people across 29 eastern North Carolina counties.
He described a regional hub-and-spoke model to sustain access in rural communities.
Waldrum warned that profit-driven systems exiting rural markets leave safety nets to nonprofit providers.
He urged Congress to design approaches that consider the needs of rural residents and avoid disadvantaging them.
Waldrum emphasized ongoing pressures like older, sicker patient populations and workforce shortages.
He noted that if eastern North Carolina were its own state, it would rank among the poorest and sickest in the nation.
He highlighted ECU Health's mission-driven work and challenges faced by rural safety-net providers.
He called on policymakers to support rural safety nets to preserve access and lower costs.
Waldrum urged solutions that strengthen access and affordability for rural communities.

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