Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Legislation and regulations

May 21, 2026 - Pre-publication notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services describing alternatives to modify the limit on the total payment rate and other requirements for State directed payments in Medicaid managed care. This rule also proposes to set a limit for certain targeted Medicaid payments in Medicaid fee-for-service. Includes rural considerations throughout. Comments on this proposed rule are due 60 days from publication of this notice in the Federal Register, which is scheduled for May 22, 2026.
May 20, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services containing methods to improve the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including payment parameters and provisions related to the HHS-operated risk adjustment and risk adjustment data validation (HHS-RADV) programs. Among other things, this rule also contains 2027 user fee rates for qualified health plans (QHPs) through Federally-facilitated Exchanges (FFEs) and State-based Exchanges on the Federal platform (SBE-FPs). This rule is effective July 20, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 19, 2026 - Congresswoman Kim Schrier of Washington, along with representatives Randy Feenstra of Iowa, Jill Tokuda of Hawaii, and Darin LaHood of Illinois have reintroduced the Rural Maternity Options for Medical Support Act. This legislation would allow Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to count labor and delivery beds separate from acute care rooms, allowing hospitals to offer these services without putting their CAH status in jeopardy.
Source: Office of Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA)
May 15, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing a 6-month nationwide moratorium on the Medicare enrollment of home health agencies. The moratorium takes effect on May 13, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 15, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing a 6-month nationwide moratorium on the Medicare enrollment of hospices. The moratorium takes effect on May 13, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 15, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) seeking comments on forms related to the VA Health Professional Scholarship Program (HPSP) and Visual Impairment and Orientation and Mobility Professionals Scholarship Program (VIOMPSP). The information collected is used for VA to determine an applicant's eligibility to receive a scholarship award and compliance with program requirements. Comments are due by July 14, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 13, 2026 - Notice of proposed rule from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on a proposal to amend regulations to establish certain fertility benefits as a new category of limited excepted benefits. Specifically, the agencies seek comments on the proposal to establish excepted fertility benefits as a new category of limited excepted benefits, the limits of the category itself, and the associated proposed conditions for such benefits to qualify as a limited excepted benefit set forth in this proposed rule. Comments are due by July 13, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 12, 2026 - Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) proposing to remove requirements from the Head Start Program Performance Standards to restore local flexibility to Head Start programs and improve access to quality services. Specifically, this NPRM proposes to remove requirements related to wages and benefits that the Administration believes are not in line with the plain language of the Head Start Act. Comments are due by June 11, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 12, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) amending the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) regulations. Among other things, this rule rescinds four requirements added to the CCDF regulations in the March 2024 final rule, including limiting family co-payments to 7 percent of family income, providing some direct services through grants or contracts, paying providers prospectively, and paying providers based on enrollment. This rule is effective July 13, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 11, 2026 - Notice of an interim final rule with request for comments from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) extending the web content and mobile application (app) accessibility compliance dates established in the May 9, 2024, final rule. The compliance date for recipients with 15 or more employees is extended to May 11, 2027. The compliance date for recipients with fewer than 15 employees is extended to May 10, 2028. This rule is effective May 7, 2026. Comments are due by July 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register