Rural Dispatch: August 2025
As Measles Exploded, Officials in Texas Looked to CDC Scientists. Under Trump, No One Answered.
Amy Maxmen
Trump officials sowed fear and confusion among CDC scientists, slowing their response to the measles outbreak in West Texas. Cases surged and sparked new outbreaks across the U.S. and Mexico. Together, these linked outbreaks have sickened more than 4,500 and killed at least 16 in the U.S. and Mexico.
Native Americans Want To Avoid Past Medicaid Enrollment Snafus as Work Requirements Loom
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
As states prepare to implement changes to Medicaid required by President Donald Trump’s recent tax-and-spending law, tribal leaders say they are concerned Native American enrollees could lose their coverage, despite exemptions made by Congress.
Optum Rx Invokes Open Meetings Law To Fight Kentucky Counties on Opioid Suits
Aneri Pattani
In a Goliath-versus-David fight, UnitedHealth Group’s pharmacy benefit manager, Optum Rx, has filed lawsuits in five counties to stop them from including the company in national opioid litigation.
Guns, Race, and Profit: The Pain of America’s Other Epidemic
Fred Clasen-Kelly and Renuka Rayasam
Firearm violence is killing Americans at the scale of a public health epidemic. The suffering is concentrated in Black neighborhoods damaged by segregation, disinvestment, hate crimes, and other forms of racial discrimination.
‘A Fear Pandemic’: Immigration Raids Push Patients Into Telehealth
Christine Mai-Duc
With intensified immigration enforcement in California, community clinics serving Latino and immigrant populations say they’ve noticed an increase in appointment cancellations and telehealth usage. But, as the covid-19 pandemic showed, accessing the necessary technology can be a challenge and virtual appointments can take a person’s health care only so far.
Medicaid Cuts Could Have Vast Ripple Effects in This Rural Colorado Community
John Daley, Colorado Public Radio
In rural Colorado and across rural America, Medicaid is a lifeline, especially for people who wouldn’t otherwise have easy access to health care. That includes low-income seniors who need supplemental coverage in addition to Medicare, and people of all ages with disabilities.
Experts Say Rural Emergency Rooms Are Increasingly Run Without Doctors
Arielle Zionts
Some doctors and the groups that represent them say physicians’ 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.
Inside the CDC, Shooting Adds to Trauma as Workers Describe Projects, Careers in Limbo
Andy Miller, Healthbeat and Rebecca Grapevine, Healthbeat
Fired-then-reinstated workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worry about the future of public health amid proposed agency downsizing.
Tribal Groups Assert Sovereignty as Feds Crack Down on Gender-Affirming Care
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
Native American groups declare that tribal sovereignty trumps state and federal efforts to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for two-spirit and LGBTQ+ tribal citizens. Tribes are analyzing the risk of opposing Trump’s policies, advocates say.
A Tourist Ended Up With a Wild Bat in Her Mouth — And Nearly $21,000 in Medical Bills
Tony Leys
Health insurance generally doesn’t cover treatment for injuries sustained shortly before a customer buys a policy. A Massachusetts woman found that out the hard way.
Deep Staff Cuts at a Little-Known Federal Agency Pose Trouble for Droves of Local Health Programs
Sarah Jane Tribble and Henry Larweh
The workforce of a federal agency that oversees billions in grants for primary health care, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health services, and workforce training has been slashed, sparking fears of what’s to come.
Journalists Distill $50B Rural Health Fund and Newsmaking Diagnoses
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
As California’s Behavioral Health Workforce Buckles, Help Is Years Away
Christine Mai-Duc
California has put a greater focus on behavioral health workers, but a huge spike in demand, an aging workforce, and employee burnout continue to hamper mental health and substance use treatment. The state is tapping Medicaid funds to train, recruit, and retain workers, but it will be a long time before the impacts are evident.
Congress Looks To Ease Restrictions on Veterans’ Use of Non-VA Clinics and Hospitals
Tony Leys
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.
Even in States That Fought Obamacare, Trump’s New Law Poses Health Consequences
Daniel Chang and Sam Whitehead
GOP lawmakers in 10 states have refused for a decade to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. But when President Donald Trump got another whack at Obamacare, these holdout states went unrewarded.
Watch: Millions of Americans Live Where Telehealth Is Out of Reach
Sarah Jane Tribble and Holly K. Hacker and Caresse Jackman, InvestigateTV
In this video report, InvestigateTV and KFF Health News take viewers to Alabama, Idaho, and West Virginia to explore how gaps in internet connectivity and telehealth access cause residents to live sicker and die younger on average than their peers in well-connected regions.