Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

Pennsylvania Ranks 20th in 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book; State Partnership for Children Urges Federal Focus on Supporting Thriving Kids and Families

Pennsylvania ranks 20th in child well-being, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids are faring in post-pandemic America. The data show Pennsylvania leaders — particularly its congressional delegation — must do more to protect critical safety net programs that help children thrive.

In the Data Book’s economic well-being domain, which examines child poverty among other indicators, Pennsylvania ranks 22nd. In 2023, approximately 16%, or 404,000 of the state’s children, lived in poverty (defined as yearly income below $30,900 for a family of two adults and two children).

According to the Data Book, Pennsylvania ranks 20th in the health domain, with 147,000 uninsured children in the commonwealth. In every community across Pennsylvania, Medicaid plays a significant role in keeping kids covered and healthy. As families grapple with the rising costs of everyday expenses, it’s more important than ever that they have access to high-quality, affordable health care for both physical and mental health.

Congress is considering the largest cuts to Medicaid in the program’s history, which would jeopardize coverage for more than 1.2 million children (39% of the state’s child population) who rely on it. This includes children with special health care needs, those living in the foster care system, children in rural areas, children from military families, and those in low-income working families.

Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budgets and afford nutritious food essential to health and well-being, is also on the chopping block as Congress considers massive federal cuts to the program. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, 24% of all Pennsylvania children and young adults under 21 (or nearly 760,000) are enrolled in SNAP.

Each year, the Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in four domains — economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors — and ranks the states according to how children are faring overall.

In its 36th year of publication, the KIDS COUNT® Data Book provides reliable statewide numbers to help leaders see where progress is being made, where greater support is needed and which strategies are making a difference. Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children encourages lawmakers and officials to use this detailed information to unite across party lines and respond with initiatives that invest in young people. By offering a local road map, the Data Book equips policymakers, advocates and communities with the information they need to make decisions that help kids and young people thrive.

The 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book is available at www.aecf.org/databook and Pennsylvania’s data profile can be found here.

CMS Fraud Defense Operations Center: Permanent Launch and Pilot Fact Sheet

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is making the Fraud Defense Operations Center (FDOC) pilot a permanent approach to crush fraud. Following a successful pilot that saved $105M thus far, the FDOC seeks to integrate cross-functional expertise through a specialized team of data analysts, investigators, health policy experts, legal advisors, and law enforcement. The pilot ended is now becoming permanent.

CMS is committed to crushing fraud, waste, and abuse to protect Americans enrolled in our programs from being victimized by healthcare fraud. The FDOC will assist the Agency to take swift action to take down bad actors, prevent payments from going to criminal operatives, and  change wasteful or abusive policies.

From just March 31 – May 1, 2025, the pilot saved $105M, and will continue to help quickly identify and end fraud, waste, and abuse. This work will help detect, stop, and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse; safeguard Americans; protect taxpayer dollars; and leverage technology to stay ahead of bad actors. To learn more, view the newly released fact sheet on the pilot’s achievements.

Join us and stay up to date on the progress to crush fraud by visiting our website at cms.gov/fraud.

New Report: State-Level Interstate Medical Licensure Policies for Telehealth from 2018-2022: Assessing Changes Before and After the Public Health Emergency

State medical licensure requirements are often cited as a barrier to adopting telehealth due to the administrative steps needed to obtain licensure for provision of out-of-state telehealth services (OOS-TH). State-level policies to address these barriers include licensure compacts (e.g., the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact [IMLC]) or adoption of limited telehealth licenses. The IMLC – conceptualized in 2013 – is the most common approach. States and territories authorize participation in the IMLC through state legislation, and eligible physicians obtain licenses in participating states through expedited information-sharing. Many states relaxed licensure restrictions during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). This brief seeks to classify the changes in telehealth-related policies pertaining to physician medical licensure for use of OOS-TH that occurred between 2018 and 2022.

Among findings are that 23 states were part of the IMLC prior to 2018 and 14 states joined between 2018 and 2022. Between July 2022 and October 2022, most of those 47 states further relaxed their telehealth licensure policies (distinct from their participation in the IMLC) by accepting an OOS medical license for a physician in good standing from another state or establishing an expedited approval process for an OOS provider.

Please click here to read the brief.

Rural Telehealth Research Center
Rural Telehealth Research Center, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, 1008 RCP, Iowa City, IA 52242
Email: rtrc-inquiry@uiowa.edu
www.ruraltelehealth.org

Check Out Data on the Pennsylvania Human Services Agency’s Dashboards and Reports

Did you know you can check out all of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) data and reports in one place? Check out the DHS Data Dashboards and Reports page for Medicaid data by county, legislative district, and more. The page also includes data for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Report topics include child welfare, county block grant funds, early childhood education, developmental programs, long-term care, Medicaid, mental health, personal care homes, and the Office of Long Term Living.

Click here to view the webpage.

Laurel Health Celebrates Opening of Clinic in La Porte, PA

On June 11, 2025, Laurel Health held a special event to celebrate the founding of the Sullivan County Laurel Health Center with local and state leaders; the health center provides family medicine and dental services at 217 King St. in Laporte, PA. Following remarks by James Nobles, Laurel Health CEO, Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, and Dr. Debra Bogen, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, attendees enjoyed guided facility tours and refreshments.

Learn more here: tinyurl.com/Sullivan-LHC-Celebration

New Report Examines Preventing Medical Debt Among Rural Residents 

Medical debt, which includes unpaid bills, loans, and other debt incurred from health care expenses, affects roughly 15% of adults in the U.S. This is despite more than 90% of U.S. adults having some form of health insurance. Medical debt is an important social driver of health, with disproportionate impacts for populations already experiencing greater health risks. Overall, rural residents report more problems paying medical bills and are more likely to be unable to pay their medical bills altogether in comparison to urban residents. This case series from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examines how two rural hospitals aim to reduce medical debt for their patient populations and address barriers to medical debt relief.

HRSA Loan Repayment Programs Open for Applications

HRSA has three loan repayment programs open to support working health professionals: They include:

(1) The Faculty Loan Repayment Program providing up to $40,000 in health professional student loan repayment to faculty who serve two years at an eligible health professions school. Application deadline: July 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET;

(2)  The Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program (STAR LRP) providing up to $250,000 for a six-year, full-time service commitment. Behavioral health clinicians, support workers, clinical support staff, and individuals trained in substance use disorders are eligible to apply through July 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET; and

(3) The Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program providing up to $100,000 in exchange for a three-year, full-time service commitment. Clinicians providing pediatric medical or surgical care or child and adolescent mental and behavioral health care are eligible. Application deadline: July 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Click here for more information.

Learning Series on Obstetric Readiness Begins June 25

The five-part series is geared toward obstetric readiness for emergency medical services and emergency departments in rural and under-resourced communities, identifying opportunities for collaboration between EMS, hospital EDs, and community networks of support. The series includes recommendations specifically for rural EMS and EDs, with innovative strategies such as telehealth and mobile care units.  Register now to attend any or all of the sessions, each 75 minutes long via Zoom, taking place from June 25 to August 13.  In the first session, experts will summarize the challenges to obstetric care in rural communities and identify community resources to support pregnant and postpartum patients.

The series is hosted by the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) with funding administered by HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau.  It builds on previous HRSA-funded work, the AIM Obstetric Emergency Readiness Resource Kit. To find the series in the headline link, look for Obstetric Readiness Summer Sprint 2025.

Report: GOP Budget Bill Could Put 338 Rural Hospitals at Risk of Closure

From Becker’s Hospital Review

Proposed healthcare cuts in Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” could place 338 financially struggling rural hospitals at risk of closure, according to the data from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The data was prepared following a request from Senate Democrats, who released the findings June 12.

The 338 hospitals either experienced three consecutive years of negative total margins, served the highest share of Medicaid patients, or both.

“Substantial cuts to Medicaid or Medicare payments could increase the number of unprofitable rural hospitals and elevate their risk of financial distress,” the Shep Center researchers said. “In response, hospitals may be forced to reduce service lines, convert to a different type of health care facility, or close altogether.”

The states with the highest number of hospitals at risk are Kentucky (35), Louisiana (33), California (28) and Oklahoma (21).

Here is the breakdown of at-risk rural hospitals by state:

  • Kentucky – 35
  • Louisiana – 33
  • California – 28
  • Oklahoma – 21
  • New Mexico – 15
  • Texas – 15
  • Washington – 14
  • Indiana – 12
  • New York – 11
  • Ohio – 11
  • Illinois – 9
  • Tennessee – 9
  • Mississippi – 8
  • Montana – 8
  • West Virginia – 7
  • Colorado – 6
  • Hawaii – 6
  • Kansas – 6
  • Virginia – 6
  • Alabama – 5
  • Alaska – 5
  • Arizona – 5
  • North Carolina – 5
  • Pennsylvania – 5
  • South Carolina – 5
  • Georgia – 4
  • Michigan – 4
  • Missouri – 4
  • Oregon – 4
  • Wisconsin – 3
  • Idaho – 3
  • North Dakota – 3
  • Utah – 3
  • Iowa – 2
  • Maine – 2
  • Minnesota – 2
  • Nebraska – 2
  • Nevada – 2
  • South Dakota – 2
  • Wyoming – 2
  •  Arkansas – 1
  •  Connecticut – 1
  •  Delaware – 1
  •  Florida – 1
  •  Massachusetts – 1
  •  New Hampshire – 1