Sarah Jane Tribble

THANK YOU to the hundreds of attendees who tuned in to our virtual seminar featuring experts Kevin Bennett of @sc.edu, LDI's Paula Chatterjee, @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social of @kffhealthnews.org. & @dgorenstein.bsky.social of @tradeoffs.org.

Video recap drops next week!
https://bit.ly/4964AXd

Our story has a map/database of state applications to the Rural Health Transformation Program! Proposals include using drones to deliver meds, installing produce refrigerators, + bringing telehealth to libraries+senior centers.

W/ @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

As I type this, states should be in budget negotiations with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services over their RHT (Rural Health Transformation) program ideas, per the notice of funding opportunity.

Deadline for state award announcements: Dec. 31

NEWS: Before it cuts $900 billion-plus from Medicaid, Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" sends $50 billion to states for rural health care.

Who wants the money and what they'd do with it is less than transparent. But @ajzionts.bsky.social + @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social are on the case.

Concerns over fairness, access rise as states compete for slice of $50 billion rural health fund Amid public forums and local cries for help, states are also talking with large health systems, technology companies, and others amid intensifying competition for shares of a $50 billion fund to impro...

Everybody wants a piece of the $50 billion rural health transformation pie. But who is in the room talking to states? My latest from @kffhealthnews.org w/ @ajzionts.bsky.social

www.cbsnews.com/news/states-...

States jostle over $50 billion rural health fund as Trump's Medicaid cuts trigger scramble States are battling for their piece of $50 billion in federal rural health funding, but it's not just hospitals vying for the money. Tech startups and policy demands are raising the stakes as Medicaid...

States are vying for a share of $50B in federal rural health funding. But "if what we end up with is we have a wearable for every rural patient, I don't think that's transformational," says @ruralhealth.bsky.social 's Brock Slabach.

www.cbsnews.com/news/states-...

Trump Called Digital Equity Act ‘Racist.’ Now Internet Money for Rural Americans Is Gone. - KFF Health News President Donald Trump called the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional, racist, and illegal. Then the $2.75 billion program for rural and underserved communities to gain internet access disappeared.

"You could see lives change," says @samhelmick.bsky.social for the American Library Association @librarypolicy.bsky.social.

Helmick talked with me about $2.75 Digital Equity Act funding that was scrapped after Trump tweeted it was "unconstitutional."

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Love that @alabamareflector.com picked up my latest. Shout out to @rchapoco.bsky.social , who is covering broadband at the local level. And to former Reflector staffer @alander.bsky.social who treated me to an unforgettable lunch in Montgomery while I was reporting my Dead Zone series

States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit - KFF Health News North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new ...

NEW: Trump's signature legislation is cutting $1 trillion from Medicaid. But even before those cuts hits, states are slashing their programs.

It's already making it harder for one North Carolina mom to find care for her disabled son
w/ @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social

States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit - KFF Health News North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new ...

"We are hurting ourselves in North Carolina way ahead of the game, way before we need to do this," NC's former Chief Medical Officer told me.

Reporting w/ @realbrambo.bsky.social for @kffhealthnews.org

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Deep staff cuts at a little-known federal agency pose trouble for droves of local health programs The workforce of a federal agency that oversees billions in grants for primary health care, AIDS/HIV, maternal and child health services, and workforce training has been slashed, sparking fears of wha...

"All we're doing is keeping the lights on," said a former employee of the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.

www.cbsnews.com/news/staff-c...

$50B Rural Health ‘Slush Fund’ Faces Questions, Skepticism YouTube video by KFF Health News

We @kffhealthnews.org want to know more.
youtube.com/shorts/Lb69S...

So much fun reporting this story. And there is so much more to be discovered.

Medicaid Cuts in Trump's Bill Could Strain Rural Hospitals YouTube video by KFF Health News

I shared my reporting with @cnn.com.

youtube.com/shorts/HEOd3...

An op-ed from The Aspen Institute's Health Strategy Group. Signed by the co-chairs - one a Democrat, the other a Republican.

www.usnews.com/opinion/arti...

Such a great place to think about big ideas for #ruralhealth.

Trump Team’s Reworking Delays Billions in Broadband Build-Out - KFF Health News A Trump administration reworking of a $42 billion broadband expansion program will trigger delays as millions of rural Americans wait for promised connections and the telehealth services they bring.

What is happening with $42 billion in federal broadband money? The word "chaos" was used by one expert.

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

In a ‘Dead Zone,’ Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach YouTube video by KFF Health News

Want to understand why news today around a $42.5 billion broadband program matters?

@kffhealthnews.org has a video: youtu.be/ozfN49rHhjY?...

In Rural America, a Weak Signal Can Mean Worse Health On The Dose podcast, journalist Sarah Jane Tribble explains how limited broadband access is worsening chronic illness in many rural communities.

While I have interviewed a lot of doctors, I don't think I've ever had one interview me! Thx @joelbervell.bsky.social for the insightful chat about rural health and broadband connectivity.

www.commonwealthfund.org/publications...

In a ‘Dead Zone,’ Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach YouTube video by KFF Health News

The battle continues. Sens. Schumer, Cantwell, Luján sent a letter to Trump's administration last week demanding the immediate release of $42 billion.

Nearly 3 million people live sicker & die earlier in more than 200 U.S. counties (@KFFHealthNews.org) @michellerathman.bsky.social  @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social discuss "Dead Zones," NTCA's Josh Seidemann shares how providers are working to close connectivity gaps.

Thank you for being a joy to work with @hannahnorman.bsky.social.

Flawed Federal Programs Maroon Rural Americans in Telehealth Blackouts - KFF Health News Taxpayers — through federal infrastructure programs — have paid billions of dollars to internet companies to hook up rural Americans. Some communities have nothing to show for it, leaving medically vu...

Would the 68-year-old stroke survivor use telehealth if she could? Yes.

But she can't. Our latest "Dead Zone" story out of West Virginia explains why.

Tagging my partners @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social @hollyhacker.bsky.social

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Tomorrow, our "Dead Zone" investigation continues. This time @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social and I take you to West Virginia to meet Ada Carol Adkins. We look at why it's taking so long to get connectivity despite billions in federal infrastructure dollars.

@investigatetv.com
@kffhealthnews.org

Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care - KFF Health News Technological gaps handicap rural hospitals as billions in federal funding to modernize infrastructure lags. The reliance on outdated technology and piecemeal systems challenge staffs and erode patien...

While a federal $42 billion broadband program faces uncertainty, we visited a rural hospital waiting for a fast-enough connection.

NEW TODAY: Our latest w/ @kffhealthnews.org @investigatetv.com, @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Tomorrow: We continue our “Dead Zone” series. In collaboration with @kffhealthnews.org, we highlight how lack of high speed internet is impacting our rural hospitals. An issue that leaves people already battling chronic illnesses at a disadvantage. @investigatetv.com @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social

Millions in US Live in Places Where Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach - KFF Health News Nearly 3 million Americans live sicker, shorter lives in the hundreds of rural counties where doctor shortages are the worst and poor internet connections mean little or no access to telehealth servic...

Reposting the first installment of our Dead Zone series. Note quotes from recent subcommittee hearings on BEAD:

Rural internet program on hold as Musk’s satellites get new consideration The new administration has frozen a $42 billion plan to get broadband into rural areas as it shifts toward satellite service from Elon Musk’s Starlink and Jeff Bezos’s Kuiper.

As a reporter investigating rural access, this
@wapo article on BEAD strikes me as an important report to ensure we remember the process of what's happening.

Farmers in Trump country were counting on clean energy grants. Then the government moved the goalposts. Thousands of farmers and small rural businesses remain in limbo as USDA demands grant rewrites favoring fossil fuels over renewables.

“I don’t know what they expect me to switch to.”

Rural impact story with a byline from former Charlotte Observer colleague Ames Alexander. #rural

With Few Dentists and Fluoride Under Siege, Rural America Risks New Surge of Tooth Decay - KFF Health News The anti-fluoride movement has more momentum than ever. In rural counties with few dentists, tooth decay could surge to levels that have not been seen in decades, experts warn.

Leave it to @kffhealthnews.org to be ahead of the news this week with an analysis on fluoride use and dental shortages. #ruralhealth
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...