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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Policy

May 8, 2026 - Opinion piece discussing effects of healthcare provider shortages in rural Ohio. Ohio Senate Bill 258 would would allow Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to practice without the physician collaboration requirement currently in place, and might help alleviate shortages in rural and underserved areas.
Source: Ohio Capital Journal
May 8, 2026 - Pre-publication 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
May 7, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comment on proposed revisions to an information collection titled "Beneficiary and Family Centered Data Collection." The information collected is used to assess beneficiary overall and specific experiences with the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care (BFCC) Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs). Comments are due by July 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 7, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) finalizing updates to the criteria for determining Maternity Care Target Areas (MCTAs), geographic areas within Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) that have a shortage of maternity care health professionals. This rule also summarizes and responds to comments received on the February 3, 2026, proposed rule. Updates to Maternity Care Health Professional Target Areas will be implemented beginning August 15, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 7, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is accepting applications for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program for fiscal year 2026. DLT grant funds support the use of telecommunications-enabled information, audio and video equipment, and related advanced technologies by students, teachers, medical professionals, and rural residents. Program guidance and application forms are available on USDA's website.
Source: Federal Register
Related funding: Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program Grants
May 5, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seeking comments on an information collection request titled "Message Testing for Tobacco Communication Activities (MTTCA)." MTTCA is designed to collect information about adult smokers' and nonsmokers' attitudes and perceptions towards tobacco, and to pretest draft messages and materials for clarity, salience, appeal, and persuasiveness. Comments are due July 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 4, 2026 - Ohio Senator Jon Husted and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly recently introduced the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act, which would create a pilot program to deliver food boxes directly to underserved seniors. The Federal Commodity Supplemental Food Program currently offers monthly food assistance to qualifying seniors, but some people lack transportation to distribution sites.
Source: News 5 Cleveland
May 4, 2026 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking comments on a proposed information collection project titled "National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) 2027-2029." Information collected through the NYTS is used to identify trends in youth tobacco use over time, and to inform the development of public education campaigns, policies and rules, and compliance and enforcement programs for tobacco products. Comments are due by July 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 1, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on a new information collection titled "Generic Clearance for the Collection of Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Respondent "Pulse" Feedback." The MCBS Pulse will establish a proactive, data-driven process that will enable CMS to accomplish three goals: 1) enhancing operational efficiency by enabling decision-makers to obtain time-sensitive data points not available from other sources to inform program planning and development; 2) adding early design phase questionnaire testing capabilities by collecting rapid turnaround feedback on nascent questionnaire concepts; and 3) gathering directional feedback from beneficiaries on emerging concerns for exploratory purposes and early-stage issue identification. Comments are due by June 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 1, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Education amending the regulations for the federal student loan programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to implement changes outlined the July 4, 2025, Working Families Tax Cuts Act (Public Law 119-21). Among other things, these changes include establishing new loan limits for graduate students, professional students, and parents; phasing out the Graduate PLUS (Grad PLUS) Program; and establishing a new income-driven repayment plan known as the Repayment Assistance Plan. This final rule is effective July 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register