The 150 hospital members of TORCH,
providing vital healthcare to over 3.2 million rural residents,
adopt the following issues as their legislative priorities for
the 80th Session of the Texas State Legislature.
UNINSURED / UNDERINSURED >>
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Support broad-based efforts to involve legislators,
providers, consumers and businesses in improving access to
equitable, high-quality healthcare and expanding essential
services to the vulnerable uninsured and underinsured
populations of Texas.
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Support legislation to allow rural hospitals to offer employment
contracts to physicians, exempting certain rural hospitals from
the existing Corporate Practice Act.
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Advocate for the preservation of access to services by
low-income Texans, and firmly oppose any further reductions
in reimbursement to rural providers. Reinstatement of HHSC
Appropriations Rider #18 is a high priority.
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| MEDICAID MANAGED
CARE >> |
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Work to shelter rural facilities from further discounts.
Reinstatement of HHSC Appropriations Rider #19 is a high
priority.
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| CHIP ELIGIBILITY >> |
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Advocate to restore eligibility, access to services and changes
in the asset test to increase the number of families receiving
benefits. |
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| TORT REFORM >> |
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Support the
continuation of the liability reform measures that were passed
in 2003 and efforts to limit exposure for rural hospitals and
other healthcare providers.
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| WORKER’S
COMPENSATION >> |
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Support changes allowing rural public hospitals to opt out and
further strengthen healthcare networks. |
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| ERS/TRS NETWORK >> |
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Work to ensure that rural hospitals can become in-network
providers for any state-contracted insurance product. |
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| TEXAS HEALTH
CARE INFORMATION COUNCIL >> |
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Advocate for the continuation of the current rural exemption and
the improvement in the reporting system.
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| PHYSICIAN
SELF-REFERRAL >> |
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Limit the practice of physician self-referral and unnecessary
duplication in rural areas.
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| TEXAS STATE
OFFICE OF RURAL HEALTH >> |
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Support and advocate for adequate resources for rural health
programs.
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| WORKFORCE >> |
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Support proposals to increase the number of skilled healthcare
providers/ professionals practicing in rural Texas.
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| HOSPITAL
AUTHORITY JOINT VENTURES >> |
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Support legislation to allow hospital authorities to create
joint venture initiatives.
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| HOSPITAL
DISTRICT TAX INCREASES >> |
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Support legislation to extend hospital district’s ability to
initiate limited tax increases to support healthcare without
seeking legislative approval.
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| FACILITY
CONSTRUCTION / RENOVATION >> |
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Seek to lift ‘hard bid’ restrictions to allow hospital districts
access to other options.
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More detailed
information can be found in the Texas Organization of Rural &
Community Hospitals’ 2007 Legislative Report. The full report is
available at
www.torchnet.org/Files/Legereport2007.pdf. |
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The
Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals is the
only hospital association dedicated exclusively to the needs
of rural and small community hospitals. Since its
inception in 1990, TORCH has steadily grown in members. All
general acute care hospitals with less than 150 beds may participate,
which allows TORCH to bridge the gap between the rural and
urban providers in Texas.
Indeed, there will be
additional issues on which TORCH intends to take a position
in accordance with the proposals submitted during the course
of the legislative session. TORCH has built strong relationships
with elected officials at the state and federal level, as
well as a reputation for providing accurate, useful information
for policymakers. As an advocate for rural and community hospitals,
we promise to demonstrate the effects of proposed legislation
on hospitals, their staff and their communities and to do
so in a manner that reflects our collective intention of making
Texas healthcare stronger. |
