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California expands eligibility for grant funding to critical access and small hospitals.

The board heard a detailed presentation from the California State Association of Counties on federal HR 1 and its likely impacts on Medi‑Cal, CalFresh, county indigent care and rural hospitals; supervisors authorized letters asking the governor and legislative leaders to include mitigation funding in the May state budget revision.

The Senate Health & Welfare committee on Jan. 13 prioritized bills and data collection amid federal changes to Medicaid and insurance; members scheduled a Nolan-led 'Provider Tax 101' briefing and proposed a joint session with House health counterparts to hear hospital testimony.

Governor Kathy Hochul said the state will provide $124,000,000—more than half the project's cost—to build a new Northern Chautauqua Hospital, which she said will open in 2029 and protect roughly 300 local jobs.

Southwest Health System CEO Joe Thine told Mancos trustees that while the system holds about 110 days of cash on paper, restricted funds and covenants leave roughly a week of operational cash; the health system described new services, $1.9M in federal appropriations, and a battery-storage resiliency project expected to save roughly $120,000 annually.

Lee Health announced plans to boost graduate medical education and expand obstetrics services.

Ashton County faces Medicaid cuts impacting 244 residents and rural hospital finances.

Committee members express concerns over legislation risking 16 million Americans' health insurance.

Doctors emphasize negative impacts of health bill 138 on rural hospitals and patient care.

Public commenters, hospitals and advocacy groups urged the task force to consider Medicaid expansion as a route to reduce uncompensated care, bolster rural hospitals and draw federal funds; presenters warned HR1 changes and implementation logistics merit careful study.

House Bill 1977 would remove a notary requirement for affidavits that can begin a 96‑hour civil mental‑health hold and allow designated professionals — including peace officers, licensed physicians, mental‑health professionals and registered nurses — to complete the affidavit to speed access to care in rural settings.

Legislators and leaders of rural and critical-access hospitals urged the Minnesota House to pass House File 3609, which proponents say would give enforcement power to Minnesota's 2024 law protecting nonprofit hospitals' use of the federal 340B drug-pricing program; the Senate already passed the bill 42-24.

Michelle Mills, CEO of the Colorado Rural Health Center, told a League of Women Voters task force that nearly half of Colorado’s rural hospitals operate in the red, workforce shortages and long travel distances compound access problems, and a new federal grant will be guided by an advisory committee she is expected to chair.

Meg Garrett Reed of the Office of Affordable Health Care told lawmakers higher commercial hospital prices are the main driver of rising premiums and presented policy options — growth caps, reference‑based pricing for public plans, and public options — citing Rhode Island, Oregon and Washington examples; committee members asked about impacts on hospital margins, staffing and rural fragility.

The House Government Operations Committee adopted an H‑1 substitute for House Bill 6116 and heard hours of testimony on a package (HB 6116–6119) that would create a Hospital Cost Review Board, require nonprofit hospital reporting, limit some consolidations and noncompetes, and fund rural-hospital grants; witnesses warned of possible closures and job losses while sponsors argued for accountability and lower costs.

Julie Shire, director of cardiac rehabilitation at Blue Ridge Medical Center, told the Board of Commissioners the hospital is now a nonprofit and urged residents and businesses to use the states Georgia HEART tax-credit program to redirect income-tax payments to the hospital. She said the hospital has $1.5 million in pledges and is seeking up to $

Roger Page, president of Mercy Mount Shasta, told the city council that proposed changes in the federal HR1 package and related Medicaid/Medi‑Cal rules could reduce reimbursements and raise costs for rural hospitals, possibly forcing service reductions unless states or other funding programs intervene. He highlighted redetermination rules, work‑or‑

Ben Johnson, representing the California Hospital Association, told the Department of Health Care Access and Information board that a major national health plan is using pending targeting to pressure small rural and independent hospitals and that threatened contract terminations could jeopardize care in communities with few alternatives.

Healthcare reform leader highlights drastic impacts on rural hospitals from approved legislation.

Blue Cross, hospitals and union witnesses told the committee that reference‑based pricing could lower premiums under some settings but would be 'messy and expensive' to operationalize in the Qualified Health Plan market and might create federal‑compliance and rural hospital stability risks without careful implementation.

The Senate Health & Welfare committee reviewed S.190, which would require hospitals to express rates as a percentage of Medicare, publish machine‑readable files with those percentages, and set default Medicare‑based price caps for new CPT codes. Witnesses urged careful timing, clearer definitions for outsourced clinical departments, and collaborative rulemaking.

Members of the Senate Health and Welfare on Jan. 12 laid out priorities for the coming session—lowering health-care costs, shifting care into primary care settings, supporting rural hospitals and advancing workforce fixes—while flagging a slate of bills to examine; no formal votes were taken.

After extensive floor debate, the Senate passed a package of amendments (SB 13 69 and related items) that removes several services from Tennessee’s certificate-of-need process effective 2030; supporters argued it spurs competition, opponents warned of market disruption and harm to safety-net providers.

House Bill 2390 seeks voter approval for a 0.25% sales tax to aid local healthcare.