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States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit - KFF Health News

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Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · 16d

"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...

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 ...

Deep staff cuts at a little-known federal agency pose trouble for droves of local health programs

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jul 31

"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...

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...

www.cbsnews.com

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Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jul 25

We @kffhealthnews.org want to know more.
youtube.com/shorts/Lb69S...

$50B Rural Health ‘Slush Fund’ Faces Questions, Skepticism

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$50 billion rural health ‘slush fund’ raises questions, skepticism

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jul 21

So much fun reporting this story. And there is so much more to be discovered.

KFF Health News @kffhealthnews.org · Jul 18

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...

Lawmakers added a $50 billion program for rural health to President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending package with promises it would help plug the hole left by Medicaid cuts. Rural hospital and ...

www.marketplace.org

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jul 3

I shared my reporting with @cnn.com.

youtube.com/shorts/HEOd3...

Medicaid Cuts in Trump's Bill Could Strain Rural Hospitals

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Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jul 2

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...

www.usnews.com

Trump Team’s Reworking Delays Billions in Broadband Build-Out - KFF Health News

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jun 24

Such a great place to think about big ideas for #ruralhealth.

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jun 20

What is happening with $42 billion in federal broadband money? The word "chaos" was used by one expert.

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

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.

In a ‘Dead Zone,’ Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jun 6

Want to understand why news today around a $42.5 billion broadband program matters?

@kffhealthnews.org has a video: youtu.be/ozfN49rHhjY?...

In Rural America, a Weak Signal Can Mean Worse Health

youtu.be

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jun 6

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...

On The Dose podcast, journalist Sarah Jane Tribble explains how limited broadband access is worsening chronic illness in many rural communities.

www.commonwealthfund.org

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Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jun 4

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

youtu.be

Reposted by Sarah Jane Tribble

The Rural Impact Podcast @ruralimpactpodcast.bsky.social · Jun 2

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.

Watch: In a ‘Dead Zone,’ Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach - KFF Health News

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Jun 4

Thank you for being a joy to work with @hannahnorman.bsky.social.

Hannah Norman @hannahnorman.bsky.social · Jun 3

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...

Chief rural health correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble explains how millions of rural Americans live in counties with doctor shortages and where high-speed internet connections aren’t adequate to access ...

Flawed Federal Programs Maroon Rural Americans in Telehealth Blackouts - KFF Health News

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Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · May 15

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...

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...

Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care - KFF Health News

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Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · May 13

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

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Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Apr 9

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...

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...

Millions in US Live in Places Where Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach - KFF Health News

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Reposted by Sarah Jane Tribble

CaresseJ @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social · Apr 8

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

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Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Apr 2

Reposting the first installment of our Dead Zone series. Note quotes from recent subcommittee hearings on BEAD:

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...

Rural internet program on hold as Musk’s satellites get new consideration

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Apr 2

As a reporter investigating rural access, this
@wapo article on BEAD strikes me as an important report to ensure we remember the process of what's happening.

The new administration has frozen a $42 billion plan to get broadband into rural areas as it shifts toward satellite service from Elon Musk’s Starlink and Jeff Bezos’s Kuiper.

www.washingtonpost.com

Farmers in Trump country were counting on clean energy grants. Then the government moved the goalposts.

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Apr 1

“I don’t know what they expect me to switch to.”

Rural impact story with a byline from former Charlotte Observer colleague Ames Alexander. #rural

Thousands of farmers and small rural businesses remain in limbo as USDA demands grant rewrites favoring fossil fuels over renewables.

floodlightnews.org

With Few Dentists and Fluoride Under Siege, Rural America Risks New Surge of Tooth Decay - KFF Health News

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Mar 28

Leave it to @kffhealthnews.org to be ahead of the news this week with an analysis on fluoride use and dental shortages. #ruralhealth
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

The anti-fluoride movement has more momentum than ever. In rural counties with few dentists, tooth decay could surge to levels that have not been seen in decades, experts warn.

Top broadband official exits Commerce Department with sharp Musk warning

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Mar 17

Super interesting @politico.com story with departing federal leader on the program I wrote about in the recent "Dead Zone" story. #ruralmatters

“Stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world's richest man even richer is yet another in a long line of betrayals by Washington,” Evan Feinman warned.

www.politico.com

Sarah Jane Tribble @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social · Mar 10

NEW INVESTIGATION: “This is America. It’s not supposed to be this way."

Analysis and reporting by @kffhealthnews.org.
Must-watch video by @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social.

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...