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States must submit Rural Health Transformation Program progress reports to the federal government, but they aren鈥檛 required to proactively post those reports, or related information, publicly.
The $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program is set to flood rural America with new AI health tools. That鈥檚 despite little evidence on whether health-related AI can improve access to care and patient health in those communities.
吃瓜不打烊 is working to collect and post approved plans as more states respond to emails and public records requests for their documents.
Last year, the Trump administration announced a voluntary pledge by dozens of insurers to improve prior authorization, which often requires patients to seek approval before treatments. But prior authorization remains commonplace, and there's no evidence the government is trying to hold insurers to account.
States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund meant to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services.
Some Republican state lawmakers and state health associations are pushing back against spending plans under the Trump administration鈥檚 $50 billion federal rural health fund. Federal administrators already approved states鈥 plans, but in many cases, state lawmakers must greenlight spending.
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Dozens of health care organizations have asked the Trump administration to shield the doctors, nurses, and techs they need to fill shortages from the president鈥檚 new $100,000 visa fee for skilled foreign workers. So far, there鈥檚 no sign of a reprieve.
The Trump administration has championed its Rural Health Transformation Program as an investment in American families who have been left behind. But Native American tribes, whose communities have a significant presence in rural America and have some of the greatest health needs, are ineligible to apply directly for funding.
Proposals from states that have shared their applications to a new $50 billion rural health program include using drones to deliver medication, installing refrigerators to expand access to healthy produce, and bringing telehealth to libraries, day cares, and senior centers.
People on Medicaid deemed 鈥渕edically frail鈥 won鈥檛 need to meet new federal requirements that enrollees work 80 hours a month or perform another approved activity. But state officials are grappling with how to interpret who qualifies under the vague federal definition, which could affect millions.
People who maintained the nation鈥檚 land-based nuclear missile arsenal are coming down with similar cancers. The Air Force is wrapping up a large study of the health risks they may have faced.
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Independent and rural hospitals are collaborating with their neighbors to shore up their finances instead of joining larger health systems to stay afloat.
Some doctors and the groups that represent them say physicians鈥 extensive training leads to better emergency care, and that some hospitals are trying to save money by not hiring them. They support new laws in Indiana, Virginia, and South Carolina that require physicians to be on-site 24/7.
Veterans often face hurdles when they want the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay for care from clinics and hospitals outside the federal system. A bill in Congress, coupled with a major funding request from the Trump administration, could help clear the path for many rural veterans.
Native American tribes and health organizations are hosting clinics and calling patients to counteract low measles vaccination rates and limited access to health care as the disease spreads across the country.
A Colorado bill banning surprise billing for ambulance rides passed unanimously in both legislative chambers, only to be met with a veto from the governor. As more states pass such legislation, some are hitting the same snag 鈥 concerns about raising premiums.
The Indian Health Service was mostly spared in the federal government鈥檚 widespread staffing cuts, but tribal governments and organizations have lost funding elsewhere in the melee of federal health agency cuts.
Canada has seen a surge of American doctors seeking to move north in the months since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
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