The National Rural Health Association’s (NRHA) Rural Health Fellows Program is a yearlong, intensive training program that develops leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America. The goal of the fellows program is to educate and develop a network of diverse rural leaders that will step forward to serve in key positions in the association, affiliated advocacy groups, and local and state legislative bodies with health equity as a main focus.

Each year, NRHA selects 10 to 15 highly motivated individuals who have proven their dedication to improving the health of rural Americans through their educational or professional experience.

The submission period for 2024 Rural Health Fellows applications is now open. For more information, contact Ally Zimmerman.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is making investments that will create new and better markets for agricultural producers and food businesses in 19 states across rural America.

“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are standing up for America’s farmers and ranchers by expanding processing capacity, creating fairer markets, more revenue streams and market opportunities which help bring down food costs for families at the grocery store,” Secretary Vilsack said. “We are partnering with entrepreneurs in rural areas to build brighter futures, connect business owners to new markets and create good jobs for generations to come. These investments reflect the goals of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild our economy from the bottom up and middle out and make our communities more resilient.”

USDA is making investments worth $320 million to strengthen food supply chains and create more opportunities for producers and entrepreneurs in 19 states: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

To learn more, read the full news release.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration announced it has completely eliminated a backlog of Medicaid provider enrollment and revalidation applications, paving the way for more health care providers to become part of the Medicaid program, and giving Medicaid recipients more options for care. As of January 2023, there was a backlog of more than 35,000 provider applications and revalidation applications that were more than 30 days old. By federal law, organizations are not able to offer care to patients under the Medicaid program unless they are enrolled providers. In addition, the Department of Human Services must revalidate Medicaid service providers every five years.

Any backlogs in processing applications means that providers who want to offer services to Medicaid recipients cannot do so until their applications are approved.

Click here to read the press release.

The No Surprises Act protects people covered under group and individual health plans from receiving surprise medical bills when they receive most emergency services, non-emergency services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, and services from out-of-network air ambulance service providers. It also establishes an independent dispute resolution process for payment disputes between plans and providers, and provides new dispute resolution opportunities for uninsured and self-pay individuals when they receive a medical bill that is substantially greater than the good faith estimate they get from the provider.

Unexpected medical bills are a significant source of stress, frustration, and confusion for people in the United States. The No Surprises Act gives them new rights to prevent, navigate, and find resolutions to many of these “surprise” bills.

To help consumers understand their rights, consumer-friendly web pages are now available for people with easy-to-read information and actionable guidance. The webpages’ design and content were informed by human-centered design research and user testing with patients, caregivers, patient advocates, and others.

The webpage aims to be inclusive and accessible by:

• Meeting Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA)
• Providing all information in both English and Spanish
• Using plain language and clean design
• Centering the human experience with diverse and colorful illustrations
• Building the site to be responsive to different devices, including mobile phones and tablets
• Offering clear and multiple pathways for people to learn about their rights

When people visit the consumer website, they’ll be guided through:

• Understanding their rights under the No Surprises Act, including out-of-network billing protections and good faith estimates for future care
• Identifying actions they can take to exercise their rights and find a resolution if they receive an unexpected medical bill, using a Q&A tool that asks about their situation
• Submitting a complaint if they think their provider, facility, or insurance company didn’t follow the rules of the No Surprises Act through an optimized process and redesigned form
• Disputing a bill if they are uninsured or didn’t use insurance and they were charged more than their good faith estimate
• Finding guides that will help them navigate medical billing questions, as well as learning how to connect with the No Surprises Help Desk

Resources:

•  No Surprises Act Consumer Webpage: https://www.cms.gov/medical-bill-rights as well as en Español: https://www.cms.gov/derechos-facturas-medicas
• New Protections for Consumers: https://www.cms.gov/medical-bill-rights/know-your-rights
  Payment Dispute Webpage: https://www.cms.gov/medical-bill-rights/help/dispute-a-bill
• Submit a Complaint: https://www.cms.gov/medical-bill-rights/help/submit-a-complaint
• Find an Action Plan: https://www.cms.gov/medical-bill-rights/help/plan
• Resources for providers can still be found at: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises

NEW: CMS UNWINDING ANNOUNCEMENTS

CMS is committed to maximizing the number of people with affordable, high-quality coverage. We want to make sure people stay covered whether that’s through Medicaid, Medicare, the Marketplace, or employer-sponsored coverage. This work is all hands-on-deck and will continue to be. These announcements and resources below will help you reach Medicaid enrollees and help them complete their renewals and help connect them to other coverage as appropriate.

• CMS Press Release: HHS Takes Additional Action to Keep People Covered as States Resume Medicaid, CHIP Renewals
• Secretary Letter to Governors: This letter discusses HHS’ role in monitoring progress and enforcing compliance as well as flexibilities available for states to help ensure the process runs smoothly.
• Strategies to Prevent Procedural Terminations: This document describes multiple strategies states are encouraged to adopt to streamline renewals during the Unwinding period, minimize terminations for procedural reasons, and quickly reenroll eligible families who have lost coverage. It also highlights several new strategies CMS has recently made available to states.
• All Hands On-Deck: This fact sheet includes an update on Unwinding and strategies to help keep people covered.

PARTNER CALL TO ACTION

We are calling on states, members of Congress, the health care industry, community organizations, advocacy coalitions, and other public and private partners to do everything in their power to help people stay covered. Read more: All Hands On Deck: What YOU Can Do

NEW: MEDICAID.GOV UPDATES AND PARTNER RESOURCES

The Outreach and Educational Resources Page on Medicaid.gov/Unwinding has been updated to make it easier for partners to locate resources. Each resource includes recommendations on how they can be used to educate people about Medicaid and CHIP renewals. With the website update, you can find new resources for kids and families, fraud/scams, and educational videos included below.

Messaging and Resources for Kids and Families

• Post Card for Kids with Medicaid or CHIP (English and Spanish)
• Fillable Post Card for Kids with Medicaid or CHIP (English and Spanish)
• Post Card for Renewing Kids’ Medicaid or CHIP (English and Spanish)
• Fillable Post Card for Renewing Kids’ Medicaid or CHIP (English and Spanish)

Resources on Fraud/Scams

• Customizable Scam Alert Messages (English and Spanish)
• Social Media (English)

Educational Videos

Note: These videos can be used through February 22, 2024 and they cannot be used as PSAs.

Don’t Wait! Update! Get Ready to Renew Your Medicaid or CHIP Coverage (:30 Seconds):

• https://youtu.be/MFaBCH-hVB8 (English)
• https://youtu.be/atBHw_GD1ls (Español/Spanish)

Don’t Wait! Update! Get Ready to Renew Your Medicaid or CHIP Coverage (:15 Seconds):

• https://youtu.be/d5CAlr8PGl8 (English)
• https://youtu.be/cWj_5clH1Rc (Español/Spanish)

Don’t Wait! Update! Get Ready to Renew Your Medicaid or CHIP Coverage (:06 Seconds):

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn3EjrxokxQ (English)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2zziuthgjA (Español/Spanish)

UPCOMING PARTNER WEBINARS

HHS and CMS continue to host a series of monthly webinars on Medicaid and CHIP Continuous Enrollment Unwinding to educate partners. Topics covered during the webinar vary each month. Webinars take place the fourth Wednesday of each month from 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET. Register for upcoming webinars through September 2023 here.

Recordings, transcripts, and slides from past webinars can be found on the CMS National Stakeholder Calls webpage.

Across the United States, rural communities are transforming. Whether they’re lifting up local entrepreneurs, embracing art and beauty, or leaning into outdoor recreation to attract tourists, there are numerous examples of positive change. To share these stories, Tony Pipa hit the road and spoke with the people that are making it all happen.

Listen to the complete first season of Reimagine Rural wherever you get your podcast.

Looking for more?

Stories from the listeners. Only eight episodes of Reimagine Rural were planned, but we heard from so many listeners across the country that we had to release another one. Listen to a bonus episode with more stories of community revitalization.

Policy lessons and surprises. In this recap blog post, Tony Pipa shares some of the key takeaways from his conversations with local leaders, investors, and small-business owners.