Tracking State Rural Health Transformation Plans
KFF Health News is working to collect and post approved plans as more states respond to emails and public records requests for their documents.
Rural Health
KFF Health News covers the health issues facing people who live in America’s rural reaches.
821-840 of 846 results
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Training New Doctors Right Where They’re Needed
Eight teaching centers in California aim to train and retain doctors in medically underserved areas such as California’s Central Valley. They are among 57 such institutions across the country that may soon receive a boost in funding from Congress.
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The Orphan Drug Machine
Without Price Breaks, Rural Hospitals Struggle To Stock Costly, Lifesaving Drugs
A federal drug program blocks rural hospitals from getting discounts on rare-disease drugs, forcing staff to cut back on supplies of lifesaving medicines.
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Repeal & Replace Watch
Rural Californians Want Price Relief From GOP Health Bill, But Unlikely To Get It
In far northern Lassen and Modoc counties, residents say Obamacare premiums are unaffordable. But under the proposed Senate bill, insurance premiums would increase even more.
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Repeal & Replace Watch
Deep Cuts To Medicaid Put Rural Hospitals In The Crosshairs
Since 2010, at least 79 rural hospitals have closed across the country, and nearly 700 more are at risk of closing. The Republican repeal of the health law could hasten their demise.
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GOP Medicaid Cuts Hit Rural America Hardest, Report Finds
Medicaid covers more children and adults in rural counties and small towns than in urban areas and rural America would be affected most by changes in Medicaid.
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Rural Shoppers Face Slim Choices, Steep Premiums On Exchanges
The larger an area’s population, the more likely insurers will compete in that market, according to an Urban Institute analysis.
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Rural Doctors’ Training May Be In Jeopardy
A program designed to address the shortage of doctors in rural and poor urban areas could be in peril unless Congress acts.
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In Remote Idaho, A Tiny Facility Lights The Way For Stressed Rural Hospitals
In a region where bears outnumber people, a small medical facility sets a modern example for rural hospitals on life support.
By Anna Gorman -
Repeal & Replace Watch
Once Nearly Buried By Medical Bills, Farmer Braces For Insurance Drought
Barton County, Mo., is Trump country. And this rural area has big problems when it comes to health care. One farmer says he has a lot to lose under the Republican replacement plan.
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ACA Repeal Threatens A Black Lung Provision Popular In Coal Country
The Affordable Care Act simplified and speeded up the complex process that allows coal miners who have black lung to get special benefits. Many in coal country want this reform to stay if the rest of the law is repealed.
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As Obamacare Repeal Heats Up, Newly Insured North Carolinians Fret
More than half a million people in North Carolina buy health insurance on healthcare.gov. Many are confused what will happen to their coverage as Republicans work to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but they still are signing up for 2017 plans.
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Repeal & Replace Watch
Even In Trump Country, Rural Hospitals Brace For Damage From Health Law’s Repeal
The Affordable Care Act, which President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal, threw a number of life-savers to rural hospitals, which are vital but financially troubled centers. And its full repeal, without a comparable and viable replacement, could signal their death knell.
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Repeal & Replace Watch
Obamacare Boosted Community Health Centers’ Reach. Now What?
Two studies quantify gains made as a result of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion and fuel concerns about how GOP plans to repeal and replace it might undermine these advances.
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Tighter Prescribing Rules: An Anti-Abuse Strategy That Could Hurt Patients In Pain
Responding to a national epidemic, many state Medicaid programs are making the coverage rules for these opioid-based medicines tougher so that physicians will think twice before prescribing them. But some worry that legitimate pain patients could suffer.
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New Law Will Expand Mental Health Services For Low-Income Californians
Legislation recently signed by Gov. Brown will allow about 1,000 clinics statewide to bill Medi-Cal for treatment by marriage and family counselors, deepening the pool of mental health providers.
By Anna Gorman -
Video Chat? In Rural Areas Combating Drug Addiction, A New Way To Connect With Help
The federal government is supporting efforts to test whether telemedicine strategies can be used to treat Appalachia’s painkiller addiction crisis.
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Obamacare Expansion A Bumpy Ride For Rural Health Clinics
A Northern California clinic network is overwhelmed with Medi-Cal patients after the Affordable Care Act rollout.
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Back From The Brink, A Rural Texas Hospital Shines
One family's tragedy inspired a radical change at a struggling rural hospital in Texas.
By Sarah Varney -
Hospital Closures Rattle Small Towns
More than 50 shuttered rural hospitals mean a loss of jobs and other commerce for municipalities and uncertain care for residents.
By Sarah Varney -
Medicine’s Power Couples: A Challenge In Recruiting Physicians To Rural Areas
A research letter published in JAMA suggests that physicians increasingly marry people who match them in terms of educational levels and career pursuits, making it more difficult to attract them to small-town practices.