Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

How Will Rural Americans Fare During Medicaid Unwinding? Experts Fear They’re on Their Own

KFF Health News Original

As states review their Medicaid rolls after the expiration of a pandemic-era prohibition against kicking recipients off the government insurance program, experts say the lack of help available to rural Americans in navigating insurance options puts them at greater risk of losing health coverage than people in metropolitan areas.

Mistrust and Polarization Steer Rural Governments to Reject Federal Public Health Funding

KFF Health News Original

As the covid-19 pandemic grinds on, Elko County, Nevada, still lacks a public health department. Yet its elected leaders rejected federal funds that could have helped it create one. Decisions like the one in Elko, and ones made by officials with other state and local governments, leave health experts concerned about whether the country’s public health infrastructure will be prepared to handle future health challenges.