Mid City Times

Rep. Beth Van Duyne and Chairman Jason Smith have announced a field hearing on access to health care in America. The hearing, titled "Access to Health Care in America: Ensuring Resilient Emergency Medical Care," will be held at Global Medical Response in Denton, Texas on March 18, 2024, at 2:00 PM CT.

The purpose of the hearing is to address the issues of improving the quality and availability of health care in rural and underserved areas. According to Beth Van Duyne, many Americans in such areas lack sufficient access to care and pay excessive premiums for the services they receive.

Chairman Jason Smith highlighted the importance of the Ways and Means Committee in listening to Americans affected by structural and geographic barriers to timely emergency care. He mentioned that in the 118th Congress, the Committee has worked on strengthening lifelines for rural communities and protecting Americans from surprise medical bills through the No Surprises Act.

During the hearing, members of the Committee will explore various models of care delivery, such as community paramedicine, to ensure that existing models are improving care for underserved communities.

The field hearing invites members of the press to attend in person by RSVPing to JP Freire, Tim Foster, and Dylan Chandler. For those unable to attend, a livestream of the hearing will be available on the Ways and Means Committee YouTube channel, starting when the hearing commences.