Health News Federal Funding Cuts Could Impact Already Fragile Rural Health Care

Examining the impact of federal funding cuts on rural healthcare facilities

Already strapped rural hospitals and clinics nationwide face some dire financial decisions. More than 100 facilities have closed their doors in recent years or consolidated. Read More

Colorado seeks at least $500 million in rural health funding from federal Republicans’ megabill

Colorado health officials are seeking at least $500 million in health care funding over five years for rural communities, as cuts to Medicaid and other safety-net services are set to take hold. The ... Read More

States compete for $50 billion in rural health funding

The five-year Rural Health Transformation Program was approved by Congress in a law – the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – that also drastically cuts Medicaid spending, on which rural providers heavily ... Read More

‘Stretched thin’: Medicaid cuts threaten Delawareans’ access to health care in rural areas

Delaware has a plan to transform health care in the state’s rural areas, but is dealing with billions in federal funding cuts. Read More

Funding battle threatens New York’s rural hospitals

Federal and state lawmakers are at odds over two rural hospitals in New York that are struggling to access funds needed to stay open, with both sides accusing each other of withholding funds and ... Read More

Wisconsin is asking for $1B for rural health care. Here's what it could include.

The money would come from the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion fund included in the "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act. Read More

California bets a billionaire tax could fix healthcare

California is testing a simple but explosive idea: tap a small slice of billionaire wealth to shore up a healthcare system strained by rising costs and federal cuts. The proposal would hit a tiny ... Read More

What to know about the impacts Medicaid cuts are having on rural health care

FRANCONIA, N.H. (AP) — The closing of a health center in rural New Hampshire has raised concerns that the projected cuts in Medicaid are already taking a toll. Last month, a site of the Ammonoosuc ... Read More

Iowa seeks $1 billion from new federal rural health fund amid Medicaid cuts

Surrounded by state lawmakers and health care providers, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs her bill to address the state's health care workforce shortage and increase accessibility to rural health care ... Read More

Rural health care at risk as Georgia prepares for 2026 legislative session

New data shows Georgia has 30 Critical Access Hospitals and three Rural Emergency Hospitals, meaning many patients in rural areas already face long drives for urgent care. Read More

What to know about the impacts Medicaid cuts are having on rural health care

Medicaid cuts are being blamed for the closure of a community health center in New Hampshire’s White Mountains FRANCONIA, N.H. -- The closing of a health center in rural New Hampshire has raised ... Read More

What to know about the impacts Medicaid cuts are having on rural health care

Fall foliage colors the scene near the Community Church, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Sugar Hill, N.H., a rural area where the closure of a community health center is leaving residents without nearby ... Read More