Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C-Mohawk Valley and the Adirondacks) held a press conference at the Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, at 2 p.m. to introduce his rural health care bill, Assembly Bill A.9137. This proposal will help expand health care access and improve affordability throughout rural communities statewide. Smullen says this proposal emerged in response to shocking statistics highlighted in an August 2025 report from the Office of the New York State Comptroller.

The report examined health care professional shortages in 16 rural counties in New York state and found alarming shortfalls in primary care, pediatric, obstetrician and gynecologist (OBGYN) doctors, dentists and mental health practitioners. In fact, several counties had no pediatricians or OBGYNs at all. According to the report:

• Ten of the 16 rural counties have shortage designations for primary care, dental and mental health, and all 16 counties have shortage designations for at least two of these fields of medicine;
• On average, there are only four primary care physicians for every 10,000 people in the 16 rural counties of New York state, a ratio that is less than half of the state and the country;
• On average, the 16 rural counties have 0.5 pediatricians for every 10,000 people, less than one-fifth of the state ratio and one-third of the country;
• On average, the OBGYN-to-10,000-population ratio of the 16 rural counties is 0.4, meaning there is only one OBGYN for every 23,000 people;
• On average, the 16 rural counties’ dentist-to-10,000-population ratio is less than half of the state ratio, and there are no dentists in Hamilton County; and
• On average, the 16 counties’ mental health practitioner-to-10,000-population ratio is less than half that of the state.

The full August 2025 report can be found here. (https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/reports/pdf/rural-health-shortages.pdf)

“These statistics showcase a staggering lack of health care access for New Yorkers living in rural areas of our state,” said Smullen. “It is clear there is an immediate need for us to address this urgent and growing problem.

“My proposal will help expand health care access and improve affordability throughout rural communities statewide by maintaining rather than increasing telehealth reimbursement rates, as well as providing loan relief and tax credits to health care providers to incentivize them to work in currently underserved rural areas. It is our duty to always act in our constituents’ best interest, and safeguarding their health and well-being needs to be a top priority. Taking away the uncertainty surrounding telehealth reimbursement rates and having New Yorkers’ backs when it comes to expanding access to affordable health care are common-sense measures we can take now.

“This is a quality-of-life issue that, if left unaddressed, could not only drive more families out of state but also leave many to suffer, forced to deal with serious health problems alone. This is dangerous and unacceptable, and New York families deserve so much better. I urge my colleagues across the aisle in the New York State Assembly and Senate to sign onto this important piece of legislation. Addressing these affordability and access issues statewide is a bipartisan issue and is a matter of rural equity.”