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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Legislation and regulations

Oct 8, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Indian Health Service (IHS) removing language in the Code of Federal Regulations that refers to an outdated process for determining what the IHS will charge for care to non-IHS beneficiaries. This rule is effective December 7, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 8, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Indian Health Service (IHS) removing regulations appearing in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that duplicate other regulations in the CFR, have never been implemented, and were referred to as "suspended" in a 1999 Federal Register Notice. This rule is effective December 7, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 6, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of the Treasury, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Department of Labor (DOL), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) amending regulations under the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code regarding price transparency reporting requirements for non-grandfathered group health plans and health insurance issuers offering non-grandfathered group and individual health insurance coverage. These final rules aim to improve the standardization, accuracy, and accessibility of public pricing disclosures in line with the goals of Executive Order 14221. These regulations are effective December 7, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 6, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Department of Commerce and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. Department of Transportation removing regulations related to the 911 Grant Program because the program is no longer active and there have been no new appropriations to revive or extend it. Authorization for the program expired on October 1, 2022, and the Public Safety Trust Fund that funded the program was not extended past fiscal year 2022. All projects funded by the program have been closed out and no open grants or applications exist. This rule is effective October 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 6, 2026 - Announces new bipartisan legislation creating a process for redistributing unused housing vouchers to tribal communities in need of additional vouchers in the Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing demonstration program. The program offers support and rental assistance to homeless Native American veterans. Also describes previous legislation addressing needs for tribal communities and veterans.
Source: Office of Representative Eli Crane
Oct 5, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Census Bureau extending the comment period for the September 10, 2026, proposed rule. Comments are now due November 2, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 5, 2026 - Describes bipartisan legislation to extend the reporting deadline for Indian Health Service (IHS) patients who seek emergency care from non-IHS facilities. The bill would increase the deadline from 72 hours to 15 days for most patients. Older adults and people with disabilities would continue to have a 30-day deadline as the current law allows.
Source: Office of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Oct 2, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implementing the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing Model (GLOBE Model), a new Medicare payment model under section 1115A of the Social Security Act. The GLOBE Model would test whether a payment model that uses an alternative method for calculating Part B inflation rebate amounts for certain separately payable Part B drugs and biological products reduces costs for Original Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries and the Medicare program while preserving quality of care. This rule also summarizes and responds to comments received on the December 23, 2025, proposed rule, including the potential impact of this model on small rural hospitals. These regulations are effective November 30, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 2, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) seeking comments on a demonstration project proposed by Nebraska that would test changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that may improve the delivery of SNAP benefits to raise levels of nutrition among eligible households. If approved, Nebraska would amend the SNAP definition of food for purchase to exclude "soda, soft drinks, and energy drinks" with a proposed implementation date of December 1, 2026, and exclude "candy" with a proposed implementation date of March 1, 2027. Nebraska's full request is available on the FNA website. Comments are due by November 2, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 1, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services making technical corrections to the July 31, 2026, final rule. This correction is effective October 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register