Fargo ND. – Although Congress is still working on health care reform legislation and it is far from final, rural North Dakota may be at the center of what some believe is the crowning achievement of the Obama Administration’s first year in office. Virginia Wolking, rural organizer with the Center for Rural Affairs, says the lack of health care services in rural areas has led to more serious and chronic medical conditions for many small town residents. She say one problem is that there are too few places for new doctors to learn the ropes.

“It is one of the big issues that, even if somebody wanted to practice in a rural area for their residency, there just are not enough slots for them. And research shows that when someone comes to a rural area to do their residency, they end up staying there, so that’s a really positive thing. ”

Wolking says she is sometimes discouraged by the politics around health care reform, but she thinks the benefits to people outweigh the benefits to corporations, if the outcome is that most people will be insured.

“More rural people are uninsured than people in urban areas, and people who are uninsured receive fewer preventive services. That’s part of why having 95 percent of people covered by insurance is so important, so that people can get the preventive care that they need.”

Critics continue to point out the costs involved, but Wolking says that while the House and Senate bills are being combined there’s a chance to work out the best possible compromise.