- Weathering the Storm Together: Community Resiliency Hubs Hold the Promise of Local Self-Sufficiency and Supportive Mutual Aid
- Virginia Tech Researchers Bring Rural Families into the Nation's Largest Study of Early Brain and Child Development
- Expanding Access to Cancer Care for Rural Veterans
- VA: Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee, Notice of Meeting
- Scaling Rural Wellness with Clever Collaboration
- Stroudwater Associates Enhances Rural Healthcare Dashboard with New Data to Support State Rural Transformation Grant Applications
- Harvest Season Is Here: Busy Times Call for Increased Focus on Safety and Health
- HHS Dispatches More Than 70 Public Health Service Officers to Strengthen Care in Tribal Communities
- Wisconsin Rural Hospitals Team up to Form Network
- CMS Launches Landmark $50 Billion Rural Health Transformation Program
- American Heart Association Provides Blood Pressure Kits at Southeast Arkansas Regional Libraries to Support Rural Health
- Broadening Access to Minimally Invasive Surgery Could Narrow Rural-Urban Health Gaps
- Instead of Selling, Some Rural Hospitals Band Together To Survive
- Help Line Gives Pediatricians Crucial Mental Health Information to Help Kids, Families
- Rural Health: A Strategic Opportunity for Governors
Pennsylvania Data Center Releases Reports
Research Brief Highlights Updated ADI
The Area Deprivation Index (ADI) from the Neighborhood Atlas has been updated with the American Community Survey’s 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates. The ADI ranks block groups nationwide from least to most disadvantaged using education, employment, income, poverty, and housing data, and is widely used to study the social determinants of health.
Our latest brief examines how Pennsylvania’s block groups compare, measuring the share of each county’s population living in the bottom and top 30 percent of national rankings.
Key Findings from the Report:
- About 34.4 percent of Pennsylvania’s population lived in the most disadvantaged block groups. Twenty counties had at least 75 percent of their population in these areas.
- About 14.4 percent of Pennsylvania’s population lived in the least disadvantaged block groups. Two-thirds of counties had no residents in these areas.
Read the full Pennsylvania ADI brief.
Households Without Air Conditioning
The Local Air Conditioning Estimates (LACE) dataset shows how many households have air conditioning (AC), from the national level down to individual neighborhoods. Approximately 5.7 percent of households in Pennsylvania live without AC.
Most counties with a high share of households without AC are located in the northern tier of Pennsylvania, with the highest percentage found in Cameron (32.0%).
Counties where nearly all households have AC are primarily clustered in the southeastern and south-central regions of the state, including York and Chester, which are tied for the lowest share without AC (0.3%).
Visit the interactive map for more data.
A Road Trip Across the Vacation Economy
The Census Bureau rang in the summer with a travel statistics road map. Take a look at the vacation economy road trip.
Wealth of Households: 2024
A brief examining household wealth in 2024 using the 2025 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Read more about household wealth in 2024.
Net International Migration Down in Every State, Most Counties
Net international migration declined in every state and 90 percent of U.S. counties between 2024 and 2025. Explore the net international migration data.
New Report: Effects of Type 1 Diabetes on Periodontal Well-Being in Pregnancy
A new study published in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene examined the effects of Type 1 diabetes on periodontal well-being in pregnancy.
The cross-sectional study, “Periodontal Status of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Healthy Pregnant Women: A Case-Control Pilot Study,” found that pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes exhibited significantly more and larger deep bleeding periodontal wounds compared to healthy pregnant women.
Analysis Examines Denials of Prior Authorization Requests Across Markets and By Insurer
Insurers denied at least 1 in 8 standard requests for prior authorization in 2025 across three major markets – Medicare Advantage (12%), Medicaid managed care (14%), and the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces (18%), finds a new KFF analysis of publicly available data.
Insurers require prior authorization for certain procedures and treatments as a way to reduce unnecessary care and contain costs. The practice has received increased attention in recent years as it can lead to delays or denials in receiving care and creates administrative burdens for patients and providers.
KFF’s analysis examines data about insurers’ prior authorization use that plans are required to post publicly as part of a 2024 final rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services aimed at streamlining and automating the prior authorization process. The analysis assessed data from 14 large insurers with the largest enrollment in each market.
Among Medicare Advantage insurers, the denial rate for standard requests ranged from 5% for Elevance to 17% for United Health Group. In Medicaid Managed Care, the range went from 2% for L.A. Care Health Plan to 23% for Independence Health Group. In the ACA Marketplace, the range went from 3% for GuideWell to 25% for Centene.
Other findings include:
- When prior authorization denials are appealed, the original decision is often overturned across the three markets – two-thirds (67%) of the time in the Medicare Advantage market, nearly half (47%) of the time for Medicaid managed care, and 43% of the time in the ACA Marketplaces.
- Median response times in all markets were about one day for standard prior authorization requests. For expedited requests, the typical response time was half a day for Medicare Advantage and about a day for Medicaid managed care and the ACA Marketplace. The short median response times may stem from the growing use of artificial intelligence and electronic systems to help process requests.
The analysis also highlights several limitations in the publicly reported data that reduce their usefulness for consumers.
Survey Shows Financial Struggles for Small Businesses in Philadelphia Federal Reserve Region
Small businesses drive local economies, yet those in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania faced major financial difficulties in 2025, according to the Fed’s Small Business Credit Survey.
Below are some key findings:
- Most firms in the three states described their financial condition as poor or fair. Debt levels held relatively steady, with over one-third of firms seeking loans or credit lines.
- Small businesses in the region continued to face challenges with rising costs, paying operating expenses, and weak sales. Nearly half reported issues with uneven cash flows and tariff-related costs.
- New Jersey firms are struggling compared with Pennsylvania firms. They were more likely to report poor or fair financial health, dip into personal funds to stay afloat, and face challenges with operating expenses and weak sales.
Interact with survey data and learn more about regional trends in this article.
States with the Biggest Potential Reductions in Medicaid Payments to Hospitals Include California, Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana, Arizona and Michigan
An estimated $60 billion in federal Medicaid spending in 37 states (including the District of Columbia) would likely exceed new federal limits on state directed payments for hospital services once fully implemented, a new KFF analysis finds.
The 2025 reconciliation law made major changes to Medicaid eligibility and financing, including new limits on how much states can direct Medicaid managed-care organizations to pay for certain services, including hospital care.
The eight states with the biggest potential reductions in Medicaid payments to hospitals account for half of the total: California ($7.4 billion), Illinois ($4.0 billion), Kentucky ($3.9 billion), Texas ($3.5 billion), North Carolina ($3.4 billion), Louisiana ($3.3 billion), Arizona ($3.0 billion) and Michigan ($2.6 billion).
In the past, states were allowed to direct managed care plans to pay hospitals and other providers up to the average commercial rates for such services. Once implemented, the new law limits such payments in most states to Medicare payment rates, which typically are substantially lower than commercial rates. In the 10 states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, payments are capped just above Medicare rates.
The Trump administration in June 2025 issued a proposed rule to implement the change but has not yet finalized those regulations. The analysis assesses the scope of federal funding for hospital services that could be affected once the new limits are fully in place, including insights into how the magnitude of the changes will vary by state.
The estimates do not project actual revenue losses for hospitals annually, which would be affected by other coverage changes, provider tax changes as well as state responses to the new limits.
States with state directed payments that exceed the new limit could take a range of actions in response, including increasing base payment rates for hospital services, though their ability to do so may be limited by other new restrictions on financing mechanisms, such as provider taxes. Hospitals’ ability to absorb reduced payment rates also varies and could pose particular challenges for hospitals with low operating margins, including many rural hospitals and hospitals with relatively large numbers of Medicaid patients.
New Report: Rural Pennsylvania Rise in Uncompensated Care
The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment’s (PHC4) Financial Analysis 2025 – Rural Hospitals report, displays information specific to Pennsylvania general acute care (GAC) hospitals located in rural counties. Supplementary to PHC4’s Financial Analysis, this is the most recent addition to this annual series of financial reporting from PHC4.
In Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), 63 GAC hospitals (41% of the statewide total) were located in rural counties. Of these 63 rural hospitals, 17 (27%) reported operating losses during FY25 based on their operating margins. The average net patient revenue for these hospitals operating at a loss was $72 million in FY25.
- Uncompensated Care: The statewide foregone dollar value of uncompensated care (including bad debt and charity care) for rural hospitals increased 9.1%, rising from $176 million in FY24 to $192 million in FY25. The ratio of uncompensated care to net patient revenue grew from 1.65% in FY24 to 1.67% in FY25.
- Net Patient Revenue: The revenue earned by rural hospitals for patient care increased by 8.0% during FY25 from $10.7 billion in FY24 to $11.5 billion in FY25. The $11.5 billion statewide net patient revenue in FY25 accounted for 95.2% of total operating revenue among rural hospitals.
- Operating Margin: Statewide operating income for rural hospitals increased from $851 million in FY24 to $1.05 billion in FY25. As a result, the statewide average operating margin increased by 1.11 percentage points, rising from 7.59% in FY24 to 8.70% in FY25. This was driven by total operating revenue rising to $12.1 billion and operating expenses increasing to $11 billion during FY25. In the same time period, 27% of rural hospitals posted a negative operating margin, 8% had operating margins between 0%-4%, and the remaining 65% achieved operating margins above 4%.
- Total Margin: The statewide total margin for rural hospitals improved by 1.82 percentage points, rising from 9.79% in FY24 to 11.61% in FY25. During FY25, 24% of Pennsylvania rural hospitals posted a negative total margin, 10% had total margins between 0%-4%, and the remaining 66% achieved total margins above 4%.
The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) is an independent council formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. PHC4 continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered. For more information, visit phc4.org.
New Measles Dashboard Tracks Cases in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) launched a new online dashboard to keep Pennsylvania families and communities informed about the number of people with measles in the Commonwealth, including case details on county, age, and hospitalizations.
The new dashboard is updated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons with the latest data. In addition to the number of cases per county, the dashboard includes demographic data, hospitalization rate, and vaccination status of the cases.
DOH continues hosting pop-up measles vaccine clinics in counties where cases are confirmed, providing more than 800 doses to residents in impacted counties. DOH, and its many partners are working to increase access to vaccines and improve the information available across the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvania Health Alert Network Migrates to New Platform
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is announcing that the Pennsylvania Health Alert Network (PA-HAN) will be moving to a new platform on September 8, 2026.
As a result of this migration and to prevent users from missing any health alerts, we are asking PA-HAN users to register with the new platform by August 28. Users will still have an opportunity to register after this date, but we are encouraging early registration to ensure no messages are missed. If you do not register using the above link, you will not receive future health alert network messages after the September 8, transition date.
If you have questions about the PA-HAN system or the registration process, please reach out to pahanhealth@pa.gov or 717-787-3350.
Pennsylvania Announces Pennsylvania’s RHTP Advisory Council
After reviewing nominations for individuals from across the Commonwealth, the Department of Human Services announced the Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP) Advisory Council.
The Advisory Council will provide subject matter expertise to the Rural Care Collaboratives (RCCs) in the six initiative areas. Eric Kiehl, PACHCs Director of Policy and Partnership is representing Community Health Centers (CHC) on the Council. Member input is intended to inform and enhance the RCC regional plans to ensure planned projects have the best chance of mitigating the prioritized regional health needs and will be sustainable.
Get involved with your local RCC by completing the RHTP RCC Nomination Form. The RCCs will develop regional plans and priorities for the RHTP. If you already completed the nomination form to join an RCC, you do not need to complete the form again. RCCs will begin forming this fall.
U.S. Census Bureau Provides Research Updates
A Road Trip Across the Vacation Economy
The Census Bureau rang in the summer with a travel statistics road map. Take a look at the vacation economy road trip.
Wealth of Households: 2024
A brief examining household wealth in 2024 using the 2025 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Read more about household wealth in 2024.
Net International Migration Down in Every State, Most Counties
Net international migration declined in every state and 90 percent of U.S. counties between 2024 and 2025. Explore the net international migration data.