- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
CMS-Driven Partnership for Quality Measurement Seeks Rural Experts for Multiple Committees
– Nominate by May 15. The Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) seeks expertise for the Endorsement & Maintenance committee and for Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review. Members of the PQM can be patients, patient advocates, clinicians, quality measure experts, or any other interested party providing feedback on quality measures being considered for programs implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Learn more about responsibilities and time commitments and nominate yourself or someone else by May 15.
Are HCC Risk Scores a Reliable Health Status Indicator Across Rural and Urban Areas?
This brief from the ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center examines differences in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) risk scores between rural and urban Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries across four common chronic conditions: hypertension, diabetes, depression, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. HCC coding is a risk assessment tool developed by CMS to estimate future health care costs.
Share of US Adults Who Are “Unable to Afford or Access Quality Health Care” Reaches Record High
According to a recent Gallup poll, the number of U.S. adults unable to afford or access quality health care has risen by 3 percentage points since 2021, reaching a record high of 11%, or about 29 million people. The steepest increases were seen among low-income and minority groups: Hispanic adults rose 8 points to 18%, Black adults rose 5 points to 14%, and those earning under $24,000 annually rose 11 points to 25%. Over the same period, the share of adults considered “cost secure” dropped significantly, especially among Hispanic adults (down 17 points to 34%) and Black adults (down 13 points to 41%). These shifts underscore the widening gap in health care access and affordability since 2021 – and the important role of CHCs.
Need Data on Medicaid and SNAP?
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services publishes data on Medicaid and SNAP enrollees by county and congressional district. As of February 2025, PA had 3,009,860 individuals accessing Medicaid which is 23.17% of the population. In 2015, Pennsylvania implemented Medicaid Expansion, part of the Affordable Care Act that allows low-income people to obtain health care coverage. The SNAP data includes an interactive map by county and age group. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Center found that for every $1 issued in federal SNAP benefits, it helps grow our economy by $1.54 Click here to access the PA Department of Human Services Dashboard.
Provider Groups Calling for Congress to Bolster Visa Waivers
More than three dozen healthcare associations and organizations wrote a letter calling on House and Senate leaders for action on a bill bolstering foreign-born physician recruitment to underserved areas. The letters speak to the Conrad 30 Waiver program and support a pair of bills introduced last month that would increase the number of waivers allotted per state, among other “common sense changes.” Read more.
Providing Oral Health Care in Rural Areas
This distance from places like dental offices and grocery stores makes it challenging for patients in rural areas to have good oral health. Dr. Jessica Robertson, DMD, shares patients are only coming to town once a month to get their groceries. So, their perishables will be done and over within the first two weeks. And then the next two weeks are just ultra-processed foods, which are high in sugar and salt. Read more about Dr. Robertson’s efforts to improve oral health in rural areas Voices from the Field.
Final Recommendation Statement: Primary Care Behavioral Counseling Interventions to Support Breastfeeding
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on primary care behavioral counseling interventions to support breastfeeding in JAMA. Clinicians can help improve the health of babies by providing interventions that support breastfeeding. Visit the April 8 online issue of JAMA to view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians.
HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau Update: Special Bulletin
On April 7, 2025, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) shared an update with the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) and HAB Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) recipients, subrecipients, stakeholders, national partners, and federal colleagues.
HHS’ Transformation to Make America Healthy Again
On March 27, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a dramatic restructuring in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.” Reductions in Force (RIFs) started last Friday March 28. Here is some information that has been gleaned from media reports and interactions with current and former HHS staff:
· Total RIFs at large agencies: HHS did announce that it planned to reduce:
o 2,400 full-time jobs at the CDC,
o 3,500 jobs at the FDA,
o 1,200 at the NIH, and
o 300 at the CMS. This included the entire staff of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights.
No details were announced about what functions would be impacted by these RIFs. Also, these figures suggest that roughly 2,600 FTEs were let go at smaller agencies such as HRSA, SAMHSA, and AHRQ.
· Reports suggest that up to one third of HRSA staff were let go. According to Politico, as many as 500 to 600 people from HRSA were let go. Trade publication Government Executive also reported that about a third of HRSA staff got RIF notices. In 2024, HRSA reported having 2,749 FTEs.
· Two offices within BPHC were eliminated entirely. All staff from the following BPHC offices were let go:
o The Office of Strategic Business Operations (OSBO), which supports BPHC operations around internal/external communications, including the BPHC Contact Form, the HRSA GeoCareNavigator, IT, strategic planning, professional development, EHB, BPHC website, etc.
o The Office of Health Center Investment Oversight (OHCIO), which oversees all “supplemental” CHC funding.
· Five HHS Regional Offices were eliminated in their entirety. All staff at the Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle offices received RIF notices this week. While the regional offices in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, and Denver will remain open, it is not yet clear what states they will each work with.
We will continue to update members about the changes at HHS, HRSA, and BPHC as we become aware of them. If you have questions or learn information, contact Eric Kiehl, PACHC Director of Policy and Partnership.
Congress Passes Budget Resolution, Teeing up Huge Healthcare Cuts
Congress paved the way for deep cuts in healthcare spending as part of an effort to extend expiring tax cuts on Thursday. The House voted 216-214 to adopt the final version of the fiscal 2026 budget resolution, with GOP Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Victoria Spartz (Ind.) joining the Democratic minority in opposition. This followed a Senate vote to approve the budget on Monday and a House vote in February on the lower chamber’s first draft of the measure.