Sarah Jane Tribble
@sjtribble-reports.bsky.social
Journalist. Chief Rural Correspondent, KFF Health News Signal @ sjtribble_reports.73
BPC’s @mayasandalow.bsky.social spoke with @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social of @kffhealthnews.org about how the new Rural Health Transformation Program is nudging states toward long-overdue investments in digital infrastructure for rural providers, from modernized health IT to virtual care tools.
The federal gov nixed some ideas for the $50B Rural Health Transformation Program, like Maine’s pitch to help uninsured patients. By @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social + @ajzionts.bsky.social https://kffhealthnews.org/rural-health/rural-health-transformation-program-federal-cms-clawbacks-state-plans/
Backed by Threat of Clawbacks, Feds Wield Tight Grip on $50B Rural Health Fund - KFF Health News
Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, framed the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program as “bold, creative plans” led by states. But as states have started to roll ...
kffhealthnews.org
You know who is great to talk with? Jared Ewy at @dailyyonder.bsky.social Their latest podcast episode is fun listen, and I join the show to talk about KFF Health News coverage of the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program. Come for the broccoli, stay for the fun music!
The Daily Yonder@dailyyonder.bsky.social · 2mo agoTune in for conversations about the social value of sale barns, regenerative agriculture in the corn belt, the Rural Health Transformation Program, and punk rock in Minot, North Dakota. Plus, music from Trevor McKenzie.
THANK YOU to the hundreds of attendees who tuned in to our virtual seminar featuring experts Kevin Bennett of @sc.edu, LDI's Paula Chatterjee, @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social of @kffhealthnews.org. & @dgorenstein.bsky.social of @tradeoffs.org. Video recap drops next week! https://bit.ly/4964AXd
The $50 Billion Rural Health Program in Context
National experts will discuss the challenges facing health care access in rural America, evidence-based solutions to those issues, and more.
ldi.upenn.edu
Our story has a map/database of state applications to the Rural Health Transformation Program! Proposals include using drones to deliver meds, installing produce refrigerators, + bringing telehealth to libraries+senior centers. W/ @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
As I type this, states should be in budget negotiations with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services over their RHT (Rural Health Transformation) program ideas, per the notice of funding opportunity. Deadline for state award announcements: Dec. 31
NEWS: Before it cuts $900 billion-plus from Medicaid, Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" sends $50 billion to states for rural health care. Who wants the money and what they'd do with it is less than transparent. But @ajzionts.bsky.social + @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social are on the case.
Arielle Zionts@ajzionts.bsky.social · 9mo agoOur story has a map/database of state applications to the Rural Health Transformation Program! Proposals include using drones to deliver meds, installing produce refrigerators, + bringing telehealth to libraries+senior centers. W/ @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Everybody wants a piece of the $50 billion rural health transformation pie. But who is in the room talking to states? My latest from @kffhealthnews.org w/ @ajzionts.bsky.social www.cbsnews.com/news/states-...
Concerns over fairness, access rise as states compete for slice of $50 billion rural health fund
Amid public forums and local cries for help, states are also talking with large health systems, technology companies, and others amid intensifying competition for shares of a $50 billion fund to impro...
cbsnews.com
States are vying for a share of $50B in federal rural health funding. But "if what we end up with is we have a wearable for every rural patient, I don't think that's transformational," says @ruralhealth.bsky.social 's Brock Slabach. www.cbsnews.com/news/states-...
States jostle over $50 billion rural health fund as Trump's Medicaid cuts trigger scramble
States are battling for their piece of $50 billion in federal rural health funding, but it's not just hospitals vying for the money. Tech startups and policy demands are raising the stakes as Medicaid...
cbsnews.com
"You could see lives change," says @samhelmick.bsky.social for the American Library Association @librarypolicy.bsky.social. Helmick talked with me about $2.75 Digital Equity Act funding that was scrapped after Trump tweeted it was "unconstitutional." kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Trump Called Digital Equity Act ‘Racist.’ Now Internet Money for Rural Americans Is Gone. - KFF Health News
President Donald Trump called the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional, racist, and illegal. Then the $2.75 billion program for rural and underserved communities to gain internet access disappeared.
kffhealthnews.org
Love that @alabamareflector.com picked up my latest. Shout out to @rchapoco.bsky.social , who is covering broadband at the local level. And to former Reflector staffer @alander.bsky.social who treated me to an unforgettable lunch in Montgomery while I was reporting my Dead Zone series
Alabama Reflector@alabamareflector.com · 11mo agoVia Sarah Jane Tribble & KFF Health News : A 91-year-old learns to check health portals; a 7-year-old finally can do homework. They were among rural residents helped by a digital navigator, until President Trump abruptly canceled the Digital Equity Act’s dollars. https://ow.ly/TAp450X8KR7
NEW: Trump's signature legislation is cutting $1 trillion from Medicaid. But even before those cuts hits, states are slashing their programs. It's already making it harder for one North Carolina mom to find care for her disabled son w/ @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social
States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit - KFF Health News
North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new ...
kffhealthnews.org
"We are hurting ourselves in North Carolina way ahead of the game, way before we need to do this," NC's former Chief Medical Officer told me. Reporting w/ @realbrambo.bsky.social for @kffhealthnews.org kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit - KFF Health News
North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new ...
kffhealthnews.org
"All we're doing is keeping the lights on," said a former employee of the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. www.cbsnews.com/news/staff-c...
Deep staff cuts at a little-known federal agency pose trouble for droves of local health programs
The workforce of a federal agency that oversees billions in grants for primary health care, AIDS/HIV, maternal and child health services, and workforce training has been slashed, sparking fears of wha...
cbsnews.com
So much fun reporting this story. And there is so much more to be discovered.
KFF Health News@kffhealthnews.org · last yr.The Republican megabill designates $50 billion to “transform” rural health, but concerns and skepticism abound. @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social reports for KFF Health News + @marketplace.org. ⤵️ www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...
An op-ed from The Aspen Institute's Health Strategy Group. Signed by the co-chairs - one a Democrat, the other a Republican. www.usnews.com/opinion/arti...
usnews.com
What is happening with $42 billion in federal broadband money? The word "chaos" was used by one expert. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Trump Team’s Reworking Delays Billions in Broadband Build-Out - KFF Health News
A Trump administration reworking of a $42 billion broadband expansion program will trigger delays as millions of rural Americans wait for promised connections and the telehealth services they bring.
kffhealthnews.org
Want to understand why news today around a $42.5 billion broadband program matters? @kffhealthnews.org has a video: youtu.be/ozfN49rHhjY?...
In a ‘Dead Zone,’ Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach
YouTube video by KFF Health News
youtu.be
While I have interviewed a lot of doctors, I don't think I've ever had one interview me! Thx @joelbervell.bsky.social for the insightful chat about rural health and broadband connectivity. www.commonwealthfund.org/publications...
In Rural America, a Weak Signal Can Mean Worse Health
On The Dose podcast, journalist Sarah Jane Tribble explains how limited broadband access is worsening chronic illness in many rural communities.
commonwealthfund.org
The battle continues. Sens. Schumer, Cantwell, Luján sent a letter to Trump's administration last week demanding the immediate release of $42 billion.
In a ‘Dead Zone,’ Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach
YouTube video by KFF Health News
youtu.be
Nearly 3 million people live sicker & die earlier in more than 200 U.S. counties (@KFFHealthNews.org) @michellerathman.bsky.social @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social discuss "Dead Zones," NTCA's Josh Seidemann shares how providers are working to close connectivity gaps.
Thank you for being a joy to work with @hannahnorman.bsky.social.
Hannah Norman@hannahnorman.bsky.social · last yr.Millions of rural Americans live in counties with doctor shortages and where high-speed internet connections aren’t adequate to access advanced telehealth services. My latest @kffhealthnews.org video with @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social: kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Would the 68-year-old stroke survivor use telehealth if she could? Yes. But she can't. Our latest "Dead Zone" story out of West Virginia explains why. Tagging my partners @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social @hollyhacker.bsky.social kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Flawed Federal Programs Maroon Rural Americans in Telehealth Blackouts - KFF Health News
Taxpayers — through federal infrastructure programs — have paid billions of dollars to internet companies to hook up rural Americans. Some communities have nothing to show for it, leaving medically vu...
kffhealthnews.org
Tomorrow, our "Dead Zone" investigation continues. This time @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social and I take you to West Virginia to meet Ada Carol Adkins. We look at why it's taking so long to get connectivity despite billions in federal infrastructure dollars. @investigatetv.com @kffhealthnews.org
While a federal $42 billion broadband program faces uncertainty, we visited a rural hospital waiting for a fast-enough connection. NEW TODAY: Our latest w/ @kffhealthnews.org @investigatetv.com, @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care - KFF Health News
Technological gaps handicap rural hospitals as billions in federal funding to modernize infrastructure lags. The reliance on outdated technology and piecemeal systems challenge staffs and erode patien...
kffhealthnews.org
Tomorrow: We continue our “Dead Zone” series. In collaboration with @kffhealthnews.org, we highlight how lack of high speed internet is impacting our rural hospitals. An issue that leaves people already battling chronic illnesses at a disadvantage. @investigatetv.com @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social
Reposting the first installment of our Dead Zone series. Note quotes from recent subcommittee hearings on BEAD:
Millions in US Live in Places Where Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach - KFF Health News
Nearly 3 million Americans live sicker, shorter lives in the hundreds of rural counties where doctor shortages are the worst and poor internet connections mean little or no access to telehealth servic...
kffhealthnews.org
