WASHINGTON, March 21, 2012 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today discussed how the Affordable Care Act is building a stronger health system in rural communities and providing better care for farm families and the agricultural community.

"No one should have to go without health care because of where they live, and for too long, rural Americans have been getting the short end of the health care stick." said Vilsack. "The Affordable Care Act is helping millions of young people access health care, strengthening Medicare, and training thousands of new doctors to serve rural areas to give middle-class families the health security they deserve."

Two years ago, President Obama signed the Act into law and today the law is giving Americans more freedom in their health care choices, lowering costs, and improving the quality of care.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act:

• 2.5 million more young adults have health insurance on their parent's plan.
• 3.6 million seniors with Medicare in 2011 alone saved an average of $600 on the cost of their prescription drugs. And everyone on Medicare can get preventive services like mammograms for free.
• Insurance companies must spend at least 80% of your premium dollars on health care and quality improvements and not overhead, and cannot raise your premiums by 10% or more with no accountability.
• It's illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage to children because of a pre-existing condition. And in 2014, discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition will be illegal.

As chair of the White House Rural Council, Secretary Vilsack is working to ensure that rural Americans are aware of the many ways the new health care law helps them. Specifically, rural families will see improved access to care, new options for those with pre-existing conditions, coverage for young adults so they can take local jobs and contribute to their rural economies, and reduced insurance barriers to emergency services.

Here are a few components of how the law is helping rural families:

• Encourages thousands of new primary care doctors and nurses to practice in rural communities and increases payments to rural health providers.
• Removes insurance barriers to emergency services. Rural citizens can seek care from a hospital outside their health plan's network when there is no time to travel to a hospital that is farther away.
• Gives options for those with pre-existing conditions and forbids insurers from using an unintentional error in your application to cancel your coverage when you get sick.
• Gives seniors freedom to get the care they need, including free preventive care, lower cost prescription drugs, and Medicare they can count on.
• Gives farm families the flexibility to keep children on their parent's health insurance until they are 26. Having health insurance allows young people to remain locally and contribute to their rural economies.

This FACT SHEET has more about how the Affordable Care Act helps Rural America.

In 2012, as part of a series of recommendations from the White House Rural Council, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor signed a memorandum of understanding to connect community colleges and technical colleges that support rural communities with the materials and resources they need to support the training of Health Information Technology (HIT) professionals that work in rural hospitals and clinics. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the needed HIT workforce will increase by 20 percent by 2016.

Also due to efforts by the White House Rural Council, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between USDA Rural Development and Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve collaboration and strengthen the healthcare infrastructure in rural communities. This MOU will connect rural hospitals and clinicians to existing capital loan programs that enable them to purchase software and hardware to implement HIT.

Over the last three years, USDA has worked within existing programs to invest in rural healthcare, providing funding to improve nearly 600 rural health facilities serving more than 11 million Americans. Our programs have funded equipment - like CT scans, MRIs, ultra sound and lab equipment. Since 1974, more than 40% of USDA Rural Development's Community Facilities Programs' portfolio has been invested in rural health care facilities. Over 3 years, USDA has also awarded grants and loans to help rural health facilities serving 730 counties expand opportunities - though telemedicine - to provide advanced diagnosis for patients or to consult with colleagues at other hospitals.

The Affordable Care Act is giving rural Americans more freedom in their health care choices, lowering costs, and improving the quality of care. Learn more about the new law and how to take advantage of these benefits by visiting www.healthcare.gov.

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AMES, Iowa, March 1, 2012–Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will lead an agricultural trade mission to China at the end of March to strengthen partnerships between U.S. and Chinese businesses and enhance job growth in the United States. The trade mission is expected to be USDA's largest to date, with more than 40 U.S. agribusinesses and representatives from six State Departments of Agriculture set to accompany Acting Under Secretary Michael Scuse to Chengdu and Shanghai, two of China's largest cities.

In 2011, China moved into the top spot as the number one market for U.S. agricultural goods, purchasing $20 billion in U.S. agricultural exports. U.S. farm exports to China supported more than 160,000 American jobs in 2011.

"This trade mission, USDA's largest to date, offers American businesses the opportunity to position themselves to enter or expand their presence in China, one of our strongest trading partners," said Vilsack. "China and the United States share a special relationship, and we embrace this opportunity to continue our in-depth dialogue on issues of mutual concern. At the same time, we want to ensure that our American farmers, ranchers and producers continue to be recognized across China and the Asia Pacific as reliable suppliers of the highest-quality food and agricultural products."

Last month, Vilsack hosted China's Vice President Xi Jinping and Agriculture Minister Han Changfu at the first U.S.-China Agricultural Symposium in Des Moines. The agriculture ministers signed a Plan of Strategic Cooperation that will guide the two countries' agricultural relationship for the next five years. The plan focuses on agricultural science, trade and education, and looks to deepen cooperation through technical exchanges and strengthen coordination in key priority areas, including food security and emerging technologies.

Scuse will lead the trade mission to China from March 23-28, beginning in Chengdu, one of the most important economic, transportation, and communication centers in western China and home of USDA's newest Agricultural Trade Office. Participants will then travel on to Shanghai, a hub of global commerce and the most populous city in the world. The goal of the mission is to provide U.S. participants with first-hand market information, access to government decision makers, and one-on-one meetings with business contacts, potential agents, distributers, and importers so they can position themselves to enter or expand their presence in China.

While in China, Scuse will meet with Chinese government and agricultural officials and U.S. agribusiness, and will visit agricultural production and development sites. Ambassador Islam Siddiqui, Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, will also join Scuse to open the USA Pavilion at the Food Ingredients China Trade Show in Shanghai on March 28.

The Obama Administration, with Agriculture Secretary Vilsack's leadership, has aggressively worked to expand export opportunities and reduce barriers to trade, helping to push agricultural exports to record levels in 2011 and beyond. U.S. agriculture is currently experiencing one of its best periods in history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and resourcefulness of our producers and agribusinesses. Today, net farm income is at record levels while debt has been cut in half since the 1980s. Overall, American agriculture supports 1 in 12 jobs in the United States and provides American consumers with 83 percent of the food we consume, while maintaining affordability and choice. Strong agricultural exports contribute to a positive U.S. trade balance, create jobs, boost economic growth and support President Obama's National Export Initiative goal of doubling all U.S. exports by the end of 2014.

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DES MOINES, IOWA, February 16, 2012 -Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today addressed the opening session of the US-China Agriculture Symposium:

"Thank you all for being here. It's an honor to welcome Vice President Xi back to Iowa and the entire Chinese delegation, including my dear and old friend Minister Han.

"I also want to acknowledge Governor Branstad, Lieutenant Governor Reynolds, Secretary Bill Northey and the many other honored guests and dignitaries joining us here today. Thanks as well to Ambassador Ken Quinn who has graciously offered this beautiful facility for this important gathering.

"Vice President Xi, we are honored and proud that our good hospitality encouraged you to return. I appreciated your kind remarks about Iowa the other night at Vice President Biden's home. I believe there is perhaps no better place to showcase the strengths of American agriculture and American values.

"This symposium is a historic event. It is a real opportunity to strengthen an already-vibrant cooperative relationship built on mutual benefits and mutual trust between our two great nations. One of the strongest links in that relationship is centered on agriculture. Which will be further strengthened with the signing of our Strategic Cooperation Agreement.

"We are the world's two largest agricultural producers and strong collaborators in agricultural research and education. Our great trade relationship benefits the citizens of both of our nations.

"Every day our nations and the livelihoods of our citizens grow more connected. I look forward to strengthening that bond in the years ahead.

"What's more, our two great nations - and our great agricultural economies - have a tremendous capacity to build a better world. I appreciate Minister Han's enthusiastic willingness to co-host and sponsor this symposium focused on food security, food safety, and sustainability, he and I, along with Vice President Xi understand the importance of building strong and lasting relationships between American and Chinese businesses. So, there are many reasons why we meet here and now.

"First, we have responsibility and opportunity to work together to address the causes of global hunger that affect more than 925 million people.

"Current population trends mean we must increase agricultural production by 70% by 2050 to feed more than 9 billion people. I look forward to strengthening partnerships with China to support agricultural productivity in nations where far too many millions go hungry. The expertise, technical know-how, research and combined will of our two nations can go a long way to filling empty stomachs and improve incomes and economies around the world.

"It is fitting, then, that we are meeting at the headquarters of the World Food Prize. The prize was the brainchild of Dr. Norman Borlaug, an Iowa native who saved tens of millions of lives by dedicating himself to the problems of food production and eradicating hunger.

"Two great Chinese men have been recognized with this prestigious prize for helping feed millions of Chinese citizens and people around the world.

"The impact of Dr. Borlaug's work - and the work of all those who have received this honor - should serve as our inspiration as we discuss how our nations can more effectively collaborate to increase the availability and use of sustainably produced food.

"Food security is only one of the important issues to be addressed today.

"We will also have opportunities to collaborate and partner on food safety: ensuring the health of our citizens through the implementation of best practices, advanced by laws and regulations based on science.

"We will talk about sustainable agriculture to leave for future generations healthy soils, ample water, and abundant wildlife. As we improve agricultural production to meet the demands of a growing world, we will also pursue stewardship practices that better conserve and preserve our natural resources.

"Finally, this symposium will help Chinese and American businesses to develop relationships that are integral to opening doors for new opportunities. Those relationships will assure that when difficulties arise, as they sometimes do, we will continue to dialogue until solutions are found.

"The rapid development of China-U.S. agricultural cooperation and trade has provided tremendous benefits the people of both countries. We want to continue building those cooperative relationships and public-private partnerships.

"Vice President Xi, Minister Han and I want to facilitate more investments by business interests in China and America. Our interest in each other's countries can only help to build a lasting friendship and relationship.

"It is now my privilege and honor to introduce my good and old friend Minister Han of China. He will make remarks and introduce our next honored guest, Vice President Xi.

"Minister Han and I got to know each other on my visit to China last November. During that visit, and since that time, we have had productive conversations about issues of mutual interest.

"Most fundamentally, we share a vision that America and China will collaborate more and more in the future to benefit our nations and agriculture around the world.

"This symposium is a forum for the U.S. and China to work together as true partners on agriculture for the benefit of our citizens and to address global challenges. As we do, we will help promote the healthy and steady development of a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit"

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