Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
2026 Annual Report of the Boards of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds
Report detailing the current state of the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) and Supplemental Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Funds. Discusses Medicare expenditures as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and makes short and long-range sustainability projections based on variable economic, demographic, and healthcare trends. Also explains the actuarial methods used to calculate the estimates. Includes information on Medicare payment policy updates since the 2025 report.
Additional links: Tables and Figures
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Board of Trustees, Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds
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Report detailing the current state of the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) and Supplemental Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Funds. Discusses Medicare expenditures as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and makes short and long-range sustainability projections based on variable economic, demographic, and healthcare trends. Also explains the actuarial methods used to calculate the estimates. Includes information on Medicare payment policy updates since the 2025 report.
Additional links: Tables and Figures
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Board of Trustees, Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds
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Pain in the Nation 2026: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths
Report focuses on alcohol, drug, and mortality statistics and trends, with a special feature on suicide and well-being in the United States. Includes data on substance use and mortality, with U.S. maps showing overdose and suicide rates, breakdowns according to metro versus nonmetro location, and state-by-state statistical trends. Provides policy recommendations to address substance use and offers examples from rural areas.
Author(s): Molly Warren, Lauren Battle
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Report focuses on alcohol, drug, and mortality statistics and trends, with a special feature on suicide and well-being in the United States. Includes data on substance use and mortality, with U.S. maps showing overdose and suicide rates, breakdowns according to metro versus nonmetro location, and state-by-state statistical trends. Provides policy recommendations to address substance use and offers examples from rural areas.
Author(s): Molly Warren, Lauren Battle
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Rural Housing: Weaknesses in Data Quality and Use Limit HUD's Ability to Assess Effectiveness of Service Coordinators
Provides an overview of service coordinators in rural federally assisted housing that link residents to healthcare, transportation, and other supportive services. Describes the availability and quality of data on these service coordinators and evidence of their effects on residents' well-being. Offers recommendations for collecting data on service coordinators and analyzing performance.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of service coordinators in rural federally assisted housing that link residents to healthcare, transportation, and other supportive services. Describes the availability and quality of data on these service coordinators and evidence of their effects on residents' well-being. Offers recommendations for collecting data on service coordinators and analyzing performance.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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State-Level Impacts of Key Medicaid Provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Explores the potential impacts of 12 healthcare provisions within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) on Medicaid and state budgets. Presents estimated impacts for each state provision-by-provision and overall. Includes analysis related to Medicaid determination, provider taxes, state-directed payments, work requirements, and the Rural Health Transformation Program.
Author(s): Preethi Rao, Lawrence Baker, Federico Girosi, et al.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Explores the potential impacts of 12 healthcare provisions within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) on Medicaid and state budgets. Presents estimated impacts for each state provision-by-provision and overall. Includes analysis related to Medicaid determination, provider taxes, state-directed payments, work requirements, and the Rural Health Transformation Program.
Author(s): Preethi Rao, Lawrence Baker, Federico Girosi, et al.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Rural Health Care Infrastructure: Trends and Considerations for the Future - Research Summary of America's Rural Future Symposium
Presents findings from a rural health symposium hosted by the Brookings-AEI Commission on U.S. Rural Prosperity in March 2026 examining the state of rural healthcare infrastructure, identifying rural healthcare policy challenges and opportunities, and strategies for service delivery innovations and strengthening the financial viability of rural healthcare systems.
Author(s): Anthony F. Pipa, Brent Orrell, Adam Aley, Raphaël Colard
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Brookings-AEI Commission on U.S. Rural Prosperity, The Brookings Institution
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Presents findings from a rural health symposium hosted by the Brookings-AEI Commission on U.S. Rural Prosperity in March 2026 examining the state of rural healthcare infrastructure, identifying rural healthcare policy challenges and opportunities, and strategies for service delivery innovations and strengthening the financial viability of rural healthcare systems.
Author(s): Anthony F. Pipa, Brent Orrell, Adam Aley, Raphaël Colard
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Brookings-AEI Commission on U.S. Rural Prosperity, The Brookings Institution
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Community Health Workers: An Overview
Discusses the roles of community health workers (CHWs) and provides evidence of their effectiveness. Focuses on Arkansas's plans for a CHW certification process and reimbursement pathway, and other policy considerations. Features state-level maps showing state approaches to funding mechanisms for CHWs.
Author(s): Elizabeth Montgomery, Jennifer Wessel
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Discusses the roles of community health workers (CHWs) and provides evidence of their effectiveness. Focuses on Arkansas's plans for a CHW certification process and reimbursement pathway, and other policy considerations. Features state-level maps showing state approaches to funding mechanisms for CHWs.
Author(s): Elizabeth Montgomery, Jennifer Wessel
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Nurse-Led Mobile Clinics to Improve Rural Health Access and Disaster Preparedness: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Texas Program
Examines the impact of nurse-led mobile clinics on healthcare access, continuity of care, and disaster preparedness in rural Texas. Provides a program evaluation of the mobile clinic model using mixed methods and describes mobile clinic structure, interprofessional education (IPE), disaster preparedness and response, rural health access, sustainability, and policy implications.
Author(s): Nicole Peters Kroll, Sharon L. Dormire, Kelly L. Wilson
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23(6), 702
Date: 05/2026
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Examines the impact of nurse-led mobile clinics on healthcare access, continuity of care, and disaster preparedness in rural Texas. Provides a program evaluation of the mobile clinic model using mixed methods and describes mobile clinic structure, interprofessional education (IPE), disaster preparedness and response, rural health access, sustainability, and policy implications.
Author(s): Nicole Peters Kroll, Sharon L. Dormire, Kelly L. Wilson
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23(6), 702
Date: 05/2026
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Uneven Ground: Local Public Funding Gaps Between Rural and Nonrural America
Reports on differences in public investment via local government in rural and urban communities, discussing factors including revenue gaps, people-based and place-based spending, persistent poverty, federal and state intergovernmental funding availability, and more. Details health and quality of life implications throughout. Free to download with contact information.
Additional links: Download Report
Author(s): Amanda Weinstein, Olivia Galloway, Adam Dewbury, et al.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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Reports on differences in public investment via local government in rural and urban communities, discussing factors including revenue gaps, people-based and place-based spending, persistent poverty, federal and state intergovernmental funding availability, and more. Details health and quality of life implications throughout. Free to download with contact information.
Additional links: Download Report
Author(s): Amanda Weinstein, Olivia Galloway, Adam Dewbury, et al.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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Billing of Distant Site Telehealth Services in Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
Presents instructions on how Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) should bill distant site telehealth services for services provided on or after October 1, 2026.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Presents instructions on how Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) should bill distant site telehealth services for services provided on or after October 1, 2026.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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When Ambulances Wait at the Emergency Department: Hospital Factors and Offload times in California
Analyzes ambulance patient offload time (APOT) between emergency medical services (EMS) and 310 emergency departments (ED) in California in 2022 to determine associations with hospital characteristics including rurality and number of ED treatment stations. The study data precedes a 2023 state law establishing statewide standards for APOT and so aims to offer baseline metrics for understanding policy impact.
Author(s): Esmeralda Melgoza, Madeline Fedmeier, Crystal Chen, Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez, Renee Y. Hsia
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(5)
Date: 05/2026
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Analyzes ambulance patient offload time (APOT) between emergency medical services (EMS) and 310 emergency departments (ED) in California in 2022 to determine associations with hospital characteristics including rurality and number of ED treatment stations. The study data precedes a 2023 state law establishing statewide standards for APOT and so aims to offer baseline metrics for understanding policy impact.
Author(s): Esmeralda Melgoza, Madeline Fedmeier, Crystal Chen, Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez, Renee Y. Hsia
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(5)
Date: 05/2026
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