National Rural Health Day, 2024

Proclamation 10863 of November 20, 2024

National Rural Health Day, 2024

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In America, health care should be a right, not a
privilege--no matter a person's zip code. On National
Rural Health Day, we show gratitude to all the health
professionals providing incredible care to the more
than 60 million people who live in rural America. And
we recommit to ensuring that rural communities have
access to affordable, quality health care.

Too many people living in rural communities worry about
whether they can access and afford health care when
they need it. Rural Americans often have fewer health
care providers within reach, although they are more
likely to be older and have disabilities. Since 2010,
over 150 rural hospitals have closed down or stopped
providing in-patient care, putting a strain on local
economies and leaving families without a reliable
source of health care.

I came into office determined to invest in rural
America--and that includes investing in rural hospitals
and health care. My American Rescue Plan delivered $8.5
billion to rural healthcare providers. This funding was
essential during the pandemic, helping to keep
hospitals and clinics operational when they were most
needed. My Administration also launched a Rural
Emergency Hospital designation to provide a new option
to some struggling hospitals, and the Department of
Health and Human Services has provided tens of millions
of dollars to expand health services and provide
assistance to hospitals facing financial distress. We
made historic investments of over $4 billion that can
be used to deliver telehealth to increase access to
health care services in rural and remote areas. The
Department of Health and Human Services also updated
regulations under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
to reduce discrimination in health care against people
with disabilities, including those living in rural
communities.

Investing in the future of rural health care also means
training the next generation of providers. That is why
the Rural Emergency Hospital funds also provide funds
to train health care professionals to serve rural
communities, addressing both current and future needs.
Programs like the National Health Service Corps support
more than 3,700 rural behavioral health clinicians with
scholarships and loan repayment to meet the growing
needs of these communities. My Administration also
launched new programs to support the training of more
nurse midwives and more nurse practitioners with a
focus on maternal health in underserved and rural
areas. And our investments in the Delta region support
community-based organizations as they expand access to
and coordinate health services in rural communities in
the South.

My Administration has also worked to lower the cost of
health care for every American. We expanded coverage
under the Affordable Care Act, reducing health
insurance premiums and saving millions of families an
average of $800 per year. My Inflation Reduction Act
finally beat Big Pharma, empowering Medicare to
negotiate lower drug prices for the first time in
American history. Medicare can now negotiate prices
with major manufacturers that treat everything from
blood clots to cancer. It also capped the cost of
insulin at $35 per month for people with Medicare. At
the same

time, we are requiring drug companies to reimburse
Medicare if they raise prices higher than the rate of
inflation--saving seniors up to $618 on medication.

My Administration has also been working to tackle the
health challenges impacting rural communities--from
improving maternal health care to addressing the mental
health crisis and beating the opioid epidemic. We
released a Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health
Crisis.

We have expanded evidence-based home visiting services
and programs like Healthy Start, which support families
across the country, including in rural areas. We have
invested $535 million in rural areas to expand programs
that provide prevention, treatment, and recovery
services for mental health and substance use disorders.
Under our leadership, opioid overdose deaths are
decreasing for the first time in years. We have
provided tens of millions of dollars through the
Department of Agriculture's Farm and Ranch Stress
Assistance Network to connect vulnerable agricultural
producers and their families with increased access to
supportive services where they live and work. And we
released a national strategy to end hunger and reduce
diet-related diseases by 2030, which includes a pathway
to providing free, healthy school meals for all
children.

Through the Biden Cancer Moonshot, we have also been
working hard to prevent cancer in rural communities,
detect it early so it may be easier to treat, and
connect people with world-class care, no matter where
they live. Tobacco is still the number one preventable
cause of cancer in this country and we have expanded
efforts to help people in rural America quit smoking--
so they may never face a cancer diagnosis in the first
place. We have increased access to cancer screenings,
making them free and widely available to virtually
everyone in our Nation. And we have linked cancer
screening in rural areas with treatment from centers
with expertise, making sure high-quality care is
accessible to all.

Across the country, American communities are writing
the greatest comeback story our Nation has ever known--
creating and pursuing opportunities in their hometowns
and putting shovels in the ground while restoring pride
in their communities, in America, and in one another.
We must continue expanding access to affordable health
care for every American. On National Rural Health Day,
we recommit to ensuring every rural American has the
resources they need to stay healthy, care for their
well-being, and thrive.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 21,
2024, as National Rural Health Day. I call upon the
people of the United States to reaffirm our dedication
to the health and well-being of rural America.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
ninth.