Congressional, Agency and Other News on Rural Healthcare

November 17, 2025 – The Commonwealth Fund released a new issue brief titled “The State of Rural Primary Care in the United States”, detailing the persistent primary care workforce shortages that rural communities face and noting that 43 million people live in rural areas with primary care health professional shortages. The report found that the supply of primary care physicians in rural areas is not enough to meet demand and that, by 2037, the current supply of physicians is expected to meet only 68% of demand. The Alliance supports legislative efforts to improve rural workforce shortages, including a proposal that would allow more SCHs and MDHs to train residents. | Read The Commonwealth Fund Issue Brief | Read the Alliance’s Position Paper

November 11, 2025 – An article in Fierce Healthcare discusses the increase in labor and delivery closures at rural hospitals in 2025. According to a new report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR), since the end of 2020, 116 rural hospitals have stopped delivering babies or announced they will stop before the end of 2025. CHQPR notes that the situation could continue to worsen, given that more than 120 rural hospitals that are still delivering babies lost money overall in both of the two most recent years, which could force them to close labor and delivery services to survive. This article and report further reinforce the precarious state of rural hospitals, and the need for Congress and CMS to take steps to protect access to care in rural communities. | Read the Article | Read the CHQPR Report

June 25, 2025 – Our own Eric Zimmerman was quoted on behalf of the Alliance for Rural Hospital Access in CQ News this morning in an article about the potential rural hospital stabilization fund that is being proposed to assuage concerns about the Medicaid cuts being considered by Congress in the budget reconciliation bill. “Policy changes that have the potential to further degrade their financial health, as well as the overall health of the populations they serve, are worrisome,” said Eric Zimmerman of health policy advocacy firm McDermott+, speaking on behalf of the Alliance for Rural Hospital Access. “At present, there seems to be an imbalance in the proposed relief vis-à-vis the estimated threat.” | Read the Article (Paywalled)

June 25, 2025 – One of our Alliance members, Tim Wolters, director of reimbursement for the Citizens Memorial Hospital system in southwestern Missouri, was featured on PBS News Hour to discuss the negative impacts rural hospitals may face if the proposed Medicaid cuts in the budget reconciliation bill currently being considered by Congress become law. We thank PBS and Tim for speaking to the many challenges our rural hospitals are already facing in providing critically needed healthcare to their communities, and how the proposed Medicaid cuts may further threaten their ability to serve patients and keep their doors open. | Watch the Segment

July 2024 – A new report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform focuses on rural hospitals at risk of closing. The report highlights the precarious financial state of rural hospitals and presents a state-by-state look at rural hospitals that are at risk of closing. It also discusses inadequate payments from both public and private payers and states that, to prevent more rural hospitals from closing, significant changes are needed to the amounts and methods used to pay for rural hospital services. | Read the Report

March 4, 2024 – A KFF Health News Report discusses the financial problems faced by rural hospitals and how these directly impact patient care in rural and underserved communities. The article flags a Chartis report that noted half of rural hospitals lost money in the past year, up from 43% the previous year. It also identified 418 rural hospitals across the U.S. that are vulnerable to closure. | Read the Article

January 3, 2024 – A Becker’s Hospital Review article highlights the ongoing financial and labor shortage concerns of rural hospital leaders. The article speaks to rural hospitals being worried about rising closures, and cites insufficient reimbursement as a main concern. It also mentions that, in 2023, more than 300 rural hospitals were at risk of closure due to financial issues. | Read the Article

November 2, 2023 – A Becker’s Hospital Review article highlights 104 rural hospitals have closed since 2005, with another 89 facilities no longer providing inpatient services. Thirty-seven of those 104 closures have occurred since 2020, highlighting the amplified financial challenges that rural hospitals face amidst workforce shortages, rising costs and reimbursement issues. The article notes significant policy change is necessary to attract a rural-centric pipeline of health professionals and establish payment methodologies that sustain hospitals in low volume and safety-net environments. | Read the Article

April 11, 2023 – A KFF Health News article highlights how doctor shortages distress rural America, where few residency programs exist. The article notes that the relative lack of providers is one reason people living in rural areas experience worse health outcomes than people who live in urban areas. The article demonstrates a need for policy initiatives that allow for more state and federal investment in rural medical training programs to keep them open, growing and sustainable. | Read the Article

April 3, 2023 – A Modern Healthcare article highlights a study indicating many rural hospitals sought mergers or closed between 2010 and 2018 amid financial distress. The article demonstrates a need for policy changes that prevent rural hospitals from cutting services, merging or closing as they manage higher labor costs and reimbursement cuts. | Read the Article

January 17, 2023 – Axios article on cuts to hospital obstetrics highlights the negative impacts on rural hospitals, further demonstrating the need for reimbursement stability and predictability so that rural hospitals can continue to offer vital services such as maternity care | Read the Article

June 17, 2022 – Lawmakers send FY 2023 IPPS comment letter to CMS on impact of annual MS-DRG changes on rural hospitals | Read the Comment

May 2022 – Bipartisan Policy Center releases report on the impact of COVID-19 on the rural health landscape | Read the Report

September 30, 2021 – KHN article on COVID-19 death rate in rural America demonstrates continued divide between rural and urban populations with respect to access to care and health outcomes | Read the Article

September 2021 – New data brief from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics shows that death rates were higher in rural areas than in urban areas from 1999-2019 | Read the Data Brief

September 2020 – HHS releases Rural Action Plan | Read the Plan

August 31, 2020 – HHS, FCC and USDA issue a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Rural Telehealth Initiative | Read the Memorandum

August 22, 2020 – NPR Report: Rural Hospitals are Sinking Under COVID-19 Financial Pressures | Read the Report

June/July 2020 – Lawmakers introduce Coalition-backed legislation to support rural hospitals.  | Read the Bill and Press Release

April 2020 – Bipartisan Policy Center releases report: Confronting Rural America’s Health Care Crisis | Read the Report

March 13, 2020 – Lawmakers send letter to CMS on MS-DRG classification system and its impact on rural hospitals | Read the Letter

May 14, 2019 – Kaiser Health News article on rural hospital closure | Read the Article

May 11, 2019 – “Who’s going to take care of these people?” — Washington Post article on rural hospital closures | Read the Article

May 5, 2019 – Minnesota’s Star Tribune article on the state of rural hospitals in Minnesota | Read the Article

April 10, 2019 – NBC News video segment: Rural hospitals are closing — what now? | Watch the Video

April 10, 2019 – Kaiser Health News publishes article on rural hospital closures — Economic Ripples: Hospital Closure Hurts A Town’s Ability To Attract Retirees | Read the Article

March 10, 2019 – CBS Sunday Morning airs compelling segment on rural hospital closures and their negative impact on access to health care in rural America | Watch the Video

February 2019 – Navigant publishes report on rural hospitals, with new data showing worsening situation for rural hospitals | Read the Report