Rural Dispatch: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026
Clinics Sour on CMS After Agency Scraps 10-Year Primary Care Program Only Months In
Andrew Jones
A planned 10-year federal program called Making Care Primary was supposed to help primary care doctors by easing administrative burdens, allowing them to focus on improving patients’ health. A year after the Trump administration eliminated the program, federal officials created an alternative plan that favors companies.
Hospitals Fighting Measles Confront a Challenge: Few Doctors Have Seen It Before
Andrew Jones
As the number of cases grows to about 1,000 in the Carolinas, health care workers who’ve never seen the vaccine-preventable disease can get caught by surprise.
State Lawmakers Seek Restraints on Wage Garnishment for Medical Debt
Rae Ellen Bichell
At least eight states are considering legislation to curtail wage garnishment over unpaid medical bills, as health care costs rise and more people become underinsured.
Wyoming Wants To Make Its Five-Year Federal Rural Health Funding Last ‘Forever’
Arielle Zionts
State officials believe they’ve found a way to extend the life of federal Rural Health Transformation Program money Wyoming is receiving as part of last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — by investing most of it.
Louisville Found PFAS in Drinking Water. The Trump Administration Wouldn’t Require Any Action.
Morgan Watkins, Louisville Public Media
After detecting a sudden spike in PFAS in its drinking water, the city traced it upstream along the Ohio River to a factory in West Virginia. But the EPA has relaxed Biden-era plans to regulate PFAS levels. So what happens next?
Blurry Line Between Medical and Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill
Tony Leys
A Wisconsin retiree with glaucoma needed her eyes examined. Her Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare listed her optometrist’s clinic as in-network, but she learned the hard way that a clinic can be in-network and out-of-network at the same time.
End of Enhanced Obamacare Subsidies Puts Tribal Health Lifeline at Risk
Katheryn Houghton and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
Tribal insurance programs give Native Americans access to affordable health care when the Indian Health Service falls short. Those plans are threatened by the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
This Ballad Hospital, Flooded by Hurricane Helene, Will Be Rebuilt for $44M in a Flood Plain
Brett Kelman
Ballad Health, the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, plans to rebuild Unicoi County Hospital on land that two climate modeling companies say is at risk of flooding.
Alabama’s ‘Pretty Cool’ Plan for Robots in Maternity Care Sparks Debate
Sarah Jane Tribble
Alabama, a state with one of the nation’s highest infant mortality rates, is betting on robots to help fix its maternal care crisis. But the state’s plan for telerobotic ultrasounds in rural areas has raised doubts.
Obamacare Sign-Ups Drop, but the Extent Won’t Be Clear for Months
Julie Appleby
Experts say Affordable Care Act sign-up data won’t be clear until people who were enrolled have paid — or haven't paid — their new, often much higher, premiums.
Nevada Debuts Public Option Amid Tumultuous Federal Changes to Health Care
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
The state recently became the third to offer a public option health plan through its Affordable Care Act marketplace. But researchers said it’s unlikely to fill the gaps left by sweeping changes at the federal level.