Inside the Mad Dash for $50 Billion in Rural Health Funding

Inside the mad dash for $50 billion in rural health funding

States are racing to win their slice of a new $50 billion rural health fund amid worries the program's lack of guardrails and rushed timeline could mean the providers who need the most help will get squeezed out by larger, politically connected health systems.  The One Big Beautiful Bill Act created the fund as a backstop for states that are set to lose nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid funding over the next decade.   “I think everyone would agree …

Concerns Over Fairness, Access Rise as States Compete for Slice of $50B Rural Health Fund

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Echo Kopplin wants South Dakota’s leaders to know that money from a new $50 billion federal rural health fund should help residents with limited transportation options. Kopplin, a physician assistant who works with seniors, low-income people, and mental health patients in the rural Black Hills, shared her thoughts at a meeting hosted by state officials. South Dakota’s leaders did a “good job of diving in” and asking questions …

POINT | Beware of Congress's rural hospital slush fund

Congress has handed hospital giants a new line of taxpayer-funded credit. This summer, Congress included a $50 billion “rural health fund” in the multi trillion-dollar One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The fund’s supporters are touting it as a lifeline for struggling community hospitals. But small-town emergency rooms will not be the primary beneficiaries. Instead, politically connected hospital systems that know how to game federal programs will clea…

Concerns Over Fairness, Access Rise as States Compete for Slice of $50B Rural Health Fund – RamaOnHealthcare

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Echo Kopplin wants South Dakota’s leaders to know that money from a new $50 billion federal rural health fund should help residents with limited transportation options.Kopplin, a physician assistant who works with seniors, low-income people, and mental health patients in the rural Black Hills, shared her thoughts at a meeting hosted [...]