Rural Health

The bill would provide $25 million aimed at helping physicians, physician assistants and APRNs set up practices in rural communities and increase Medicaid payments for “critical access” hospitals.

The Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up Senate President Ben Albritton's priority "rural renaissance" bill next week, possibly sending it before the full chamber after the session starts in January.

The 138-page bill would provide $25 million for a new program aimed at helping physicians, physician assistants and APRNs set up practices in rural communities.

Amid concerns over fairness and access, all 50 states submitted applications with their priorities and potential innovations that CMS hopes will “right-size the health care system.”

Local governments received millions for addiction treatment, recovery and prevention. Their 2024 spending was sometimes surprising or controversial. A KFF database documents 10,500+ decisions.

The Trump administration’s cuts of public funds to state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of where someone lives, a KFF Health News analysis shows.

The bill would provide coverage to Florida Farm Bureau members that would not be subject to the same state and federal regulations as health insurance.

A legislative effort to expand access to prenatal care in rural Oregon with mobile clinics was scuttled because those clinics would have provided abortions in rural areas.

The Legislature sent at least 27 healthcare bills to the governor.

The measure stems from a federal law that allowed the designation of rural emergency hospitals and made them eligible for Medicare payments.

These hospitals receive more than $3 million in federal money a year., but the catch is there are zero inpatient beds. .The Florida Legislature recently passed a bill that to create a category of “rural emergency hospitals" and help keep facilities open.

The measure stems from a federal law that allowed the designation of rural emergency hospitals and made them eligible for Medicare payments.