Bringing More Doctors and Nurses to Rural Communities

Where you live should never be a barrier to accessing quality health care. However, many of our rural communities don’t have enough doctors and nurses to provide essential care for the local residents who need it. Approximately 61% of federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas are in rural communities, including in Michigan.

This week, I teamed up with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to introduce a new bill that will address these critical shortages and expand access to care by incentivizing health care professionals to serve rural communities.

The Resources for Essential Access to Community Health (REACH) Act would provide a tax credit of up to $10,000 for primary care physicians (including OB-GYNs), mental health professionals, nurses, and medical residents who work in rural areas.

This bipartisan legislation builds on the historic Rural Health Transformation Program we passed into law last year to lower costs and expand access to health care in rural communities. Michigan will be receiving $173 million through this program to boost rural health care across our state.

By lowering costs and attracting doctors and nurses to our communities, the REACH Act will continue these efforts and make health care more affordable and accessible for families in rural mid-Michigan.