With funding support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this project explores the roles of state broadband policy, local leadership, and private investment in expanding broadband infrastructure and coverage in rural areas.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a revised Medicare Learning Network prescriber’s guide to Medicare prescription drug (Part D) opioid policies. Starting January 1, 2025, CMS is expanding the definition of an exempted patient being treated for cancer pain to include patients undergoing active cancer treatment and cancer survivors.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a revised Medicare Learning Network (MLN) chronic care management services booklet. Changes include new codes describing chronic pain management and treatment and information about principal illness navigation services and community health integration services.

 – Comment by October 15. In the final year 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) solicited public comments to aid in the collection of information to determine future criteria to establishing a new graduate medical residency. In the final rule, CMS noted they received a wide range of comments, and commenters did not arrive at a consensus on the best approach to the issue of the newness of residents. CMS chose not to finalize their original proposal, and is instead, seeking comment on the appropriate criterion for what constitutes a new residency program. The public may submit their feedback to GME_Program_Newness@cms.hhs.gov.

To ensure that individuals who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance program (CHIP) retain coverage, and to assist states in their continued transition to regular renewal processing, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing states additional time to complete eligibility renewals, address persistent backlogs in processing redeterminations, and ensure that states achieve compliance with federal renewal timeliness requirements. This Informational Bulletin outlines the duration and conditions under which states may use an exception in the regulations to delay timely processing of renewals in “unusual circumstances” through December 31, 2025.  The Medicaid continuous enrollment provision, which had halted Medicaid disenrollments during the public health emergency, ended on March 31, 2023, and since that time, over 25 million Medicaid enrollees have been disenrolled and over 54 million have had their coverage renewed.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded a new round of $100 million to 44 Navigator organizations helping underserved communities, consumers, and small businesses find and enroll in health coverage through HealthCare.gov, the Health Insurance Marketplace®. The grants are part of a commitment of up to $500 million over five years. Navigators offer free assistance to people exploring health coverage options through HealthCare.gov, from reviewing available plans to assisting with eligibility and enrollment forms, and post-enrollment services such as using their coverage to get care. Navigators can also assist people in helping enroll in or renew Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage.  To encourage smaller community-based organizations to become Navigators, CMS streamlined and simplified the application process this year, and they included requirements that Navigators focus their outreach on key underserved groups, including racial and ethnic minorities; rural communities; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual, plus (LGBTQIA+) communities; refugees; immigrants; families with low income; pregnant and expectant parents; and those who lack transportation, internet access, or English-language proficiency. Consumers can search for help locally or use Healthcare.gov to explore their health coverage options during Open Enrollment, starting November 1, or during a Special Enrollment Period if they qualify based on certain life changes or estimated household income.  Since 2018, the number of Marketplace plans in rural areas has grown increasing the choices of coverage available to consumers.

In March 2024, a summit was held in Clifton, Texas, bringing together leaders from six innovative and sustainable rural maternity programs. Insights from this summit are available in two reports.  The first shares case studies of the six participating rural maternity programs; the second describes strategies used by the programs’ leaders.

The 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data set is now publicly available. The BRFSS reaches participants on both landline and cellular telephones, collecting information on health risk behaviors, clinical preventive health practices, and health care access. The survey includes a representative sample of noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 years or older in each survey area. Understanding these data can provide important public-health insights into disparity, access, and reach.

Click here to learn more.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director for Rural Development-Pennsylvania Bob Morgan announced that Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc., would receive USDA funding through the Empowering Rural America (New Era) program. Together, New ERA and other investments in rural clean energy in the President’s Inflation Reduction Act make up the largest investment in rural electrification since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936 as part of the New Deal.  This announcement includes more than $7.3 billion in financing for 16 rural electric cooperatives in rural communities across the country.

“Rural communities are driving positive change in America,” Morgan said. “Through the New ERA program, rural communities are leading the way toward a greener and more prosperous future, ensuring a better quality of life for families and a healthier planet for all.”

The New ERA investment will help Allegheny Electric Cooperative add significant carbon-free resources to its generation portfolio. Their innovative project will help serve energy needs in rural portions of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while reducing the carbon footprint of Allegheny and its 14-member electric distribution cooperatives.

New ERA funding will allow Allegheny to meet over 80 percent of its power requirements from carbon-free resources by 2026 and reduce pollution and carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 100,000 tons annually. This proposal will reduce greenhouse gas pollution at a level equivalent of removing 22,000 gasoline-powered cars from the road annually. The opportunity to invest in clean energy resources makes Allegheny one of the most carbon-free generation and transmission cooperatives in America.

“We’re excited to be considered a selectee for New ERA funding,” said Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc. President and CEO Steve Brame. “As the generation provider for 14 electric distribution cooperatives, Allegheny’s job is to deliver a safe, reliable, and affordable supply of energy to our member systems and the rural communities they serve. Through the support of New ERA funding, our proposed project has the benefit of adding zero-emissions resources to our generation portfolio – while keeping energy costs down for these cooperative communities.”

The full announcement is available here: national news release.