Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Legislation and regulations
Calendar Year (CY) 2015 Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) Updates: Payment Rate Increases for RHCs and FQHCs Billing Under the All-Inclusive Rate System (AIR), and Urban and Rural Designations for FQHCs Billing Under the AIR
Provides updates for RHCs and FQHCs that are submitting claims to Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for services to Medicare beneficiaries.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Provides updates for RHCs and FQHCs that are submitting claims to Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for services to Medicare beneficiaries.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Markup of H.R. 8261, H.R. 7931, H.R. 8245, H.R. 8244, H.R. 8235, and H.R. 8246
Recording of a May 8, 2024, House Ways and Means Committee markup of six bills regarding rural health. Legislation covers the extension of telehealth flexibilities, location requirements for Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas, the rural nursing home and physician workforce, and Rural Emergency Hospital eligibility.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
view details
Recording of a May 8, 2024, House Ways and Means Committee markup of six bills regarding rural health. Legislation covers the extension of telehealth flexibilities, location requirements for Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas, the rural nursing home and physician workforce, and Rural Emergency Hospital eligibility.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
view details
Medicare Part D Enrollee Vaccine Use After Elimination of Cost Sharing for Recommended Vaccines in 2023
A report from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Research Series that provides data on Medicare Part D enrollees who received vaccinations after the IRA legislated in 2023 that adult vaccinations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) would be provided at no cost. Includes data breakdowns of total and type of vaccinations received and Medicare Part D enrollee demographic characteristics, such as state and urban versus rural/unknown location.
Author(s): Bisma A. Sayed, Yevgeniy Feyman, Kristen L. King, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
A report from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Research Series that provides data on Medicare Part D enrollees who received vaccinations after the IRA legislated in 2023 that adult vaccinations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) would be provided at no cost. Includes data breakdowns of total and type of vaccinations received and Medicare Part D enrollee demographic characteristics, such as state and urban versus rural/unknown location.
Author(s): Bisma A. Sayed, Yevgeniy Feyman, Kristen L. King, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
The 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334): Summary and Side-by-Side Comparison
Analyzes the 2018 Farm Bill by comparing House and Senate versions of the bill and the previous 2014 bill. Includes important rural provisions addressing substance abuse treatment, telemedicine funding, broadband access, and rural hospital loans.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
Analyzes the 2018 Farm Bill by comparing House and Senate versions of the bill and the previous 2014 bill. Includes important rural provisions addressing substance abuse treatment, telemedicine funding, broadband access, and rural hospital loans.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
Fatal Overdoses Among Vermont Residents
Offers data on overdose deaths in Vermont through 2023 including drug types, manner of death, trends over time, demographic characteristics, and policy measures. Includes county-level data in Appendix 1 and 2.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
view details
Offers data on overdose deaths in Vermont through 2023 including drug types, manner of death, trends over time, demographic characteristics, and policy measures. Includes county-level data in Appendix 1 and 2.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
view details
SBA's Rural Activities
Describes the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) programs targeting rural small businesses. Discusses how SBA coordinates with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on rural small business issues, the history of the SBA Office of Rural Affairs, and considerations for Congress.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
Describes the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) programs targeting rural small businesses. Discusses how SBA coordinates with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on rural small business issues, the history of the SBA Office of Rural Affairs, and considerations for Congress.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting Final Rule (CMS 3442-F)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule for minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities. Details three core staffing proposals: 1) minimum nurse staffing standards; 2) a requirement to have an RN onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and 3) enhanced facility assessment requirements. Outlines a staggered implementation approach, including a later implementation date for rural facilities, and hardship exemption qualification requirements. Also describes Medicaid payment transparency reporting provisions for nursing and intermediate care facilities related to the percentage of Medicaid funds spent on compensation to direct care workers and support staff.
Additional links: External FAQs
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule for minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities. Details three core staffing proposals: 1) minimum nurse staffing standards; 2) a requirement to have an RN onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and 3) enhanced facility assessment requirements. Outlines a staggered implementation approach, including a later implementation date for rural facilities, and hardship exemption qualification requirements. Also describes Medicaid payment transparency reporting provisions for nursing and intermediate care facilities related to the percentage of Medicaid funds spent on compensation to direct care workers and support staff.
Additional links: External FAQs
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
With Current Staffing Levels, About 1 in 5 Nursing Facilities Would Meet Fully-Implemented Minimum Staffing Standards in the Final Rule
Describes a proposed federal standard for nursing home nurse staffing levels and analyzes current nursing home staffing levels, noting the percentage of facilities that will meet the proposed staffing level requirements when fully implemented.
Author(s): Priya Chidambaram, Alice Burns, Tricia Neuman, Robin Rudowitz
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details
Describes a proposed federal standard for nursing home nurse staffing levels and analyzes current nursing home staffing levels, noting the percentage of facilities that will meet the proposed staffing level requirements when fully implemented.
Author(s): Priya Chidambaram, Alice Burns, Tricia Neuman, Robin Rudowitz
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details
Health Subcommittee Hearing: "Legislative Proposals to Support Patient Access to Telehealth Services"
Recording of an April 10, 2024, House Energy & Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health, hearing on legislative proposals that would support patients' access to telehealth services. Discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic-era regulatory flexibilities on telehealth use and access to care.
Additional links: Ateev Mehrotra, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Testimony, Hearing Memorandum
Date: 04/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health
view details
Recording of an April 10, 2024, House Energy & Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health, hearing on legislative proposals that would support patients' access to telehealth services. Discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic-era regulatory flexibilities on telehealth use and access to care.
Additional links: Ateev Mehrotra, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Testimony, Hearing Memorandum
Date: 04/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health
view details
Medicare Payment for Rural or Geographically Isolated Hospitals
Displays data on Medicare payment adjustments for Sole Community Hospitals, Medicare-Dependent Hospitals, Low-Volume Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals. Includes information on the number of qualifying hospitals by state and eligibility criteria.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
Displays data on Medicare payment adjustments for Sole Community Hospitals, Medicare-Dependent Hospitals, Low-Volume Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals. Includes information on the number of qualifying hospitals by state and eligibility criteria.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details