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Rural Health
News by Topic: Policy

Oct 28, 2026 - Notice of a final rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) making deregulatory actions related to health information technology standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria and certification programs for health information technology. Summarizes and responds to comments received in response to the December 29, 2025, proposed rule. This final rule is effective December 28, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 28, 2026 - Pre-publication notice from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announcing that it will hold an open meeting on October 29, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Agenda items include a discussion of notices of proposed rulemaking that would seek comment on proposals for implementing the Rural Broadband Protection Act (RBPA) and would modernize the FCC's accessibility rules to keep pace with the rapidly changing communications landscape, promote innovation, better match consumer expectations, and remove barriers to accessibility. The meeting can be viewed on the FCC website.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 27, 2026 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding requirements outlined in the Working Families Tax Cut (WFTC) legislation related to health insurance exchange eligibility and verification. This proposed rule also includes updates to provisions affecting inconsistency periods, inconsistency verification procedures, and annual eligibility redeterminations and eligibility redeterminations during the plan year. This rule also proposes expanding enrollment methods during the verification process and establishing new coverage effective dates. Comments are due November 27, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 26, 2026 - The Census Bureau is seeking comments on proposed revisions to the High-Frequency Surveys Program/Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS). HTOPS, a progression from the Household Pulse Survey, is an experimental data product designed to measure household trends and outlooks, understand changes in household conditions, and respond to emerging data needs while maintaining a flexible platform for experimentation and methodological research. Comments are due by December 28, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 23, 2026 - Notice from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeking comments on an information collection request titled "National Practitioner Data Bank for Adverse Information on Physicians and Other Health Care Practitioners—45 CFR part 60 Regulations and Forms, OMB No. 0906-0081—Revision." The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) aims to improve the quality of healthcare by encouraging hospitals, state licensing boards, professional societies, and other eligible entities providing healthcare services to identify and discipline those who engage in unprofessional behavior, and to restrict the ability of incompetent healthcare practitioners, providers, or suppliers to move from state to state without disclosure or discovery of previous damaging or incompetent performance. Comments are due by November 23, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 22, 2026 - Executive Order from the Office of the President directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Women's Health Division within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Among other things, the Women's Health Division, in coordination with the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, will increase the scientific review of women's health conditions in all phases of life that remain understudied or insufficiently understood; promote innovation and advanced research technologies to accelerate time to diagnosis and improve access to high-quality prevention, treatment, specialized healthcare services, personalized medicine, and coordinated care delivery for women's health conditions; and facilitate translation of scientific discoveries into clinical practice and public health implementation across federal, state, and local jurisdictions. This Executive Order also establishes the White House Women's Health Task Force, which will ensure that the federal government pursues a comprehensive approach to women's health that recognizes evolving health needs throughout the lifespan and will support necessary policy and regulatory reforms to ensure timely and stage-specific prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care for women.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 22, 2026 - Discusses new proposed New Jersey legislation that would establish micro-hospitals to support hospital access in rural communities. The legislation would allow hospitals to offer fewer services that are underutilized. Notes other states that have opened micro-hospitals.
Source: New Jersey Monitor
Oct 21, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on a new matching program between CMS and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that would identify beneficiaries enrolled in both Medicare and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) healthcare. The matching program will be used to identify and recover duplicate payments; improve payment accuracy; and identify potential fraud, waste, and abuse. Comments are due by November 20, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 21, 2026 - Describes challenges with emergency medical services (EMS) provision in rural Vermont, discussing patients using EMS for primary care and low reimbursement rates. Notes possible policy measures to address EMS challenges.
Source: VTDigger
Oct 21, 2026 - Notice from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) seeking comments on an information collection titled "Data Security Requirements for Accessing Confidential Data (OMB Control Number: 0930-0396)—Extension" regarding the use of and processing of applications in the standard application process (SAP) Portal to request confidential data from the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Comments are due November 20, 2026.
Source: Federal Register