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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Legislation and regulations

Mar 12, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical corrections to the November 5, 2025, final rule. This correction is effective March 12, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 12, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Indian Health Service (IHS) announcing the Catastrophic Health Emergency Fund (CHEF) threshold for fiscal year 2026. The purpose of the CHEF is to meet the extraordinary medical costs associated with the treatment of victims of disasters or catastrophic illnesses who are within the responsibility of IHS.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 12, 2026 - Describes state-level legislation in Mississippi creating a pilot program that changes certificate of needs (CON) laws. The program would loosen CON regulations for small communities with extra exemptions for the Mississippi Delta. Discusses the potential impact on rural hospitals.
Source: Mississippi Today
Mar 10, 2026 - Describes the maternal healthcare workforce distribution in North Carolina and health disparities for rural residents where there are workforce shortages. Notes that recent policy measures aiming to increase rural access with certified nurse midwives has not fully addressed the shortage. Discusses the potential for doulas to fill the gap.
Source: NC Newsline
Mar 5, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is seeking comments on proposed revisions to an information collection titled "Civil Rights and Conscience Complaint and Health Information Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Complaint." The revisions omit certain questions to reduce the burden on the complainant, clarify terms, update statutory and regulatory authorities, and conform the forms to E.O. 14168 on "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government" and the court order in Texas v. Becerra, No. 6:24-CV-211-JDK, 2024 WL 4490621, at *2 (E.D. Tex. Aug. 30, 2024). Comments are due by April 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 2, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on an information collection titled "Medicare Enrollment Application for Physician and Non-Physician Practitioners." The Form CMS-855I is the enrollment application submitted by physicians and non-physician practitioners to ensure the applicant has the necessary credentials to provide the healthcare services for which they intend to bill Medicare. Comments are due by April 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 27, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing a 6-month nationwide moratorium on the Medicare enrollment of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) supplier medical supply companies. The moratorium takes effect on February 27, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 26, 2026 - Describes state-level legislation and community initiatives in Virginia to improve access to care for maternal mental health issues and cervical cancer screening. Discusses efforts to include rural residents to specialty care through telehealth.
Source: Cardinal News
Feb 26, 2026 - Announces a bipartisan bill that would create a new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital designation called an "In Character" Critical Access Hospital. The new designation would ensure hospitals already designated as CAHs do not lose their designation and directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide administration for the designation.
Source: Office of Representative Glenn Thompson
Feb 25, 2026 - Notice 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) extending the comment period for the December 23, 2025, proposed rule titled "Transparency in Coverage." Comments are now due March 2, 2026.
Source: Federal Register