Legislative Priorities

Rural Hospital Closures

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TORCH State Legislative Priorities - 2025 (89th legislative session)

1. Funding:
   1. Enhanced hospital Medicaid rates in base budget
   2. Rural L&D Payment Enhancement - $1,500/delivery appropriation
   3. Rural Hospital Grants - $50m for APM
   4. Workforce - physician & nurse loan repayment funding for rural
   5. Telepsych Renewal - $5-7m - continued support for rural telehealth psych consult network (and possibly add CISD & workplace violence module)
   6. Level Trauma Funding - with possible addition of trauma designation expenses as qualifying for rural hospital grants

1. 340b – state legislation should protect drug discounts for qualifying hospitals and bar drug makers from imposing restrictions that limit partnerships between hospitals and contract pharmacies.
2. Defend tax-exempt status for non-profit hospitals
3. Support legislation to make Medicaid MCO's subject to prompt pay statute, limit recoupment window to 6 months, and allow hospitals to escalate payment issues to independent third party.
4. Assist effort by counties to seek appropriations for rural EMS
5. Monitor activity related to facility fees and freestanding ED's

Click here for a one-page handout of TORCH's legislative priorities.

2025 Rural Texas Maternal Health Rescue Plan
The Rural Texas Maternal Health Assembly respectfully urges the 89th Legislature to enact a modern rural maternal health rescue initiative, centered on consensus-driven reforms that will promote a high-quality, enduring rural maternal health care system that fosters healthy families, sustains strong communities, and promotes economic prosperity today and for future generations.

Click here for the Rural Texas Maternal Health Issue Brief.
Click here for a copy of the 2025 Rural Texas Maternal Health Rescue Plan.
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For detail on these rural hospital issues and other concerns of Texas rural hospitals, please click here.