Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital.
News sources for this episode:
Welcome back to Rural Health News, the segment of Rural Health Today where we fill you in on the latest in rural health headlines. We’ll cover three headlines in today’s episode: what’s most urgent, a rural health damage report, and a success story to send us into the week.
Most Urgent
Let’s take a quick look at rural health projections for 2026 from the Chartis Center for Rural Health. According to Chartis, more than 40% of all rural hospitals operate in the red. Since 2010, 200 rural hospitals have closed or converted to outpatient-only care models. This year, more than 400 rural hospitals are at risk of closing and more than 300 have already eliminated OB and general surgery. Behavioral health is also suffering under the national strain, with almost 90% of rural census tracts designated as Healthcare Professional Shortage Areas for behavioral health professionals. This report emphasizes the urgency of rural healthcare’s need for better federal and state support. That starts with hospitals, communities and individuals voicing their concern for the state of rural health and advocating for local access to care.
Damage Report
Today I’d like to give an update on some of the most urgent news headlines we’ve reported over the past few months.
- Last week, Stryker reported its recent cyber-attack has been contained and they are working to restore the affected systems, primarily ordering and shipping. The American Hospital Association has led efforts to implement cybersecurity measures to protect hospitals and ensure the industry’s supply chain is not disrupted. John Riggi, a friend and former podcast guest on Rural Health Today, is at the heart of these efforts and continues to monitor every aspect of the situation.
- Patients enrolled in ACA health plans are worried about their rising premiums, and many are planning to drop their coverage if premiums remain this high for the rest of the year. The Congressional blockade of enhanced premium subsidies put tax credits out of reach for a significant number of ACA enrollees, making healthcare less accessible and communities more vulnerable. Most recently, a poll reflected that half of those who re-enrolled in their plans say their healthcare costs are “a lot higher” this year, many worry about out-of-pocket expenses, and 55% of re-enrollees say they are or will be cutting back on expenses for food and basic household items to help cover healthcare costs. That number is higher for patients with chronic health conditions, with 62% reporting a strain on their household budgets.
- Several weeks ago, we reported an uptick in measles cases since the beginning of the year, and it’s only gotten worse. As of March 12, The CDC has confirmed 1,362 measles cases in 31 jurisdictions. 94% of these cases are associated with outbreaks and 14 outbreaks have been reported from this year alone. Comparing this to the total 16 outbreaks reported in 2024 makes the sharp rise in cases clear. We encourage every community to respond with appropriate measures and follow the CDC guidelines to reduce this rate of outbreaks and protect our most vulnerable populations.
For a full report on these items, explore our Rural Health News backlog at ruralhealthtoday.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Success Story
Thanks to the 340B Drug Pricing Program, Michigan’s Mackinac Straits Health System was able to open a retail pharmacy in St. Ignace, Michigan. This is great news because St. Ignace, a small community in Michigan’s upper-peninsula community, once did not have pharmaceutical services on weekends and holidays, forcing residents to travel 60-100 miles round-trip for their emergency medications. Mackinac Straits Retail Pharmacy has been a major success so far, filling over 56,000 prescriptions annually.
Well done to our good friends over at Mackinac Straits Health System for the work they are doing to improve healthcare access in the upper peninsula!
Sources
Lunna Lopes Et al., “Cost Concerns and Coverage Changes: A Follow-Up Survey of ACA Marketplace Enrollees,” March 19, 2026, https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/a-follow-up-survey-of-aca-marketplace-enrollees/, KFF Health News.
Julie Appleby, “Many ACA Customers Are Paying Higher Premiums. Most Blame Trump and Republicans, Poll Finds.,” March 19, 2026, https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/kff-poll-aca-obamacare-higher-premiums-blame-trump-gop/, KFF Health News.
Chartis, “2026 rural health state of the state,” February 10, 2026, https://www.chartis.com/insights/2026-rural-health-state-state.
Reuters, “Stryker says cyberattack on its network contained,” March 17, 2026, https://www.reuters.com/technology/stryker-says-cyberattack-its-network-contained-2026-03-17/.
Ron Southwick, “The Stryker cyberattack and what hospitals should be doing,” March 13, 2026, https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/the-stryker-cyberattack-and-what-hospitals-should-be-doing, Chief Healthcare Executive.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Measles Cases and Outbreaks,” March 13, 2026, https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html.
Michigan Health & Hospital Association, “Hospitals Help: Mackinac Straits Retail Pharmacy Serves as a Lifeline in Northern Michigan,” March 6, 2026, https://www.mha.org/newsroom/hospitals-help-mackinac-straits-retail-pharmacy-serves-as-a-lifeline-in-northern-michigan/.
Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com
