releases: https://sinema.house.gov/latest-news/sinema-duffy-introduce-plan-to-improve-health-care-lower-costs-in-rural-az/
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://sinema.house.gov/latest-news/sinema-duffy-introduce-plan-to-improve-health-care-lower-costs-in-rural-az/ | Sinema, Duffy Introduce Plan to Improve Health Care, Lower Costs in Rural AZ | 2018-09-07 | 2018 | 2018-09 | Democrat | House | AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | S001191 | sinema.house.gov | legacy | Rural Arizonans would have greater access to quality, affordable health care under a new bill introduced by Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) and Congressman Sean Duffy (WI-07). Their bipartisan legislation, the ACCESS Rural America Act, cuts through red tape to encourage investment in high speed broadband internet for rural communities in Arizona. Bringing broadband to rural communities can lower health care costs for patients and providers, offer patients greater access to specialists and medical services unavailable in rural areas, and provide more timely care, among other benefits. Every Arizona family, no matter where they live, deserves access to quality, affordable care, said Congresswoman Sinema. Arizonans should be able to get the care they need without having to take time off work, drive for hours, and pay a small fortune. By expanding high-speed internet in rural areas, we're helping Arizonans receive better care in their own communities. Our bill cuts red tape holding back investment in rural broadband and improves access to health care that Arizonans can count on and afford. Health care providers depend on broadband access to power telehealth programs, which they use to deliver health care services and information remotely. Telehealth programs have been shown to improve health outcomes and lower costs in rural areas. Modern healthcare relies on broadband access - for medical records, electronic prescribing, telehealth services, and enhanced patient safety. High speed telecom is essential for North Country to provide primary care, behavioral health, and pharmacy services in places like St. Johns, Round Valley, Ash Fork, and the Grand Canyon. Rural communities often don't have the population size to attract telecom investment, which is why Congresswoman Sinema's ACCESS Rural America Act will help expand broadband infrastructure in communities like ours, helping community health centers all across the state improve the care we offer to Arizona families. - Anne Newland, MD, MPH, CEO, North Country Healthcare Many of our rural residents in Arizona lack reliable access to high speed internet. Congresswoman Sinema understands the importance of high speed internet for health care providers and patients in rural areas. High-speed internet access is crucial to achieve high quality and reliable telemedicine, which includes real-time' services between a rural site and a central hub for consultation and diagnostic purposes, as well as virtual care and integration of home devices into the overall care spectrum. As telemedicine' becomes a traditional part of medicine', we look forward to working with Congresswoman Sinema to break down the digital divide' and ensure our rural healthcare partners have the technology they need to provide the highest-quality care to their patients. - Anthony Dunnigan, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer, Maricopa Integrated Health System Despite notable benefits, many Arizona communities struggle with broadband access. Almost 900,000 Arizonans have limited or no access to high-speed internet. In some tribal areas, broadband is only available to five percent of the population. Here in Arizona, we know that quality, affordable broadband access for rural Arizonans is a game-changer in the digital age, helping provide better health care, more jobs, and greater opportunity for rural areas. Congresswoman Sinema gets that, and she's helping to make sure rural Arizonans have the tools to succeed. I'm proud to support her ACCESS Rural America Act, a bipartisan solution that helps relieve burdens on small, rural broadband providers and better enables these providers to serve their communities. - Rhonda Maun, CEO of Consortia Consulting, which works with Arizona broadband companies to build and maintain rural broadband infrastructure Sinema and Duffy's legislation seeks to bring high-speed internet to rural, remote, or high-cost areas by removing unnecessary regulations on companies making broadband investments in those areas. The targeted regulatory relief will help attract private capital needed to expand broadband access to more rural communities in Arizona. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |