No doubt about it, rural America is going to get a boost from the health insurance reform measures passed by Congress over the weekend. Regardless of what happens to the additional changes proposed by the House, the basic framework is now the law of the land and begins to move health care in a new [...]
Archive for the ‘Health Care’ Category
Rural America a winner in Health Insurance Reform
Posted in Health Care, tagged Health Care Reform, Rural Communities on March 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Rural issues missing from health care reform debate
Posted in Health Care, tagged Health Care, Health Care Reform, Rural Communities on December 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Our friend John Roberts with the Nebraska Rural Health Association says: “You can expand insurance coverage, but if you don’t have the personnel it won’t mean anything.” That seems like an obvious point, yet it’s one that has gone unmentioned by most policymakers now arguing over health reform. In fact, few of the many challenges [...]
Health Care Reform Without a Public Option Isn’t
Posted in Health Care, tagged Health Care Reform on August 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Is it me or has it been an exceptionally bizarre few weeks on the health care reform front? Opponents of health care reform, many of them hired by the insurance lobby, have stepped up their threats in recent days, alleging that congressional plans will mandate such things as death panels, forced abortions and rationed care [...]
The Midwest Rural Assembly or What I Did During (Part of) My Summer Vacation
Posted in Agriculture, Broadband, Civic Engagement, Economic Development, Health Care, Rural Media on August 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Absolutely incredible! That’s what I’m thinking as I’m leaving Sioux Falls and the Midwest Rural Assembly to return to a long-planned vacation with my ever-so-patient spouse. Before I go offline for the rest of the week, here are a few reflections. The crowd was amazing. Over 150 people came from 13 states and Washington, D.C. [...]
Health Care Reform in Rural America: What’s food got to do with it?
Posted in Agriculture, Economic Development, Health Care, tagged Food Policy, Heath Care, HHS on May 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I got a call on a Thursday afternoon from the White House Office of Public Liaison inviting me to a roundtable discussion on rural health care reform at the Executive Office Building the following Monday. Conference calls were not an option, so recalling my friend and colleague Dee Davis’ admonition: “When the White House calls, [...]
Rural Broadband and the Stimulus Package: Digital Inclusion is Hardly a ‘Cyberbridge to Nowhere’
Posted in Agriculture, Broadband, Communication Rights, Digital Divide, Economic Development, Education, FCC, Health Care, Internet for Everyone, Media Justice, Rural Media on February 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today, Rural America is home to about 60 million of the Nation’s population. Collectively, Rural America comprises over 2,000 counties, and accounts for 80 percent of the Nation’s land. In every day terms this means its home to approximately 1 of every 5 U.S. residents. Over the past week, rural broadband has become a key [...]
