Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital.
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
The elimination of enhanced premium tax credits has led many Americans to drop their marketplace plans in favor of cheaper, partial coverage. Alternative plans may cut recipients’ premiums in half or even more, but typically only cover fixed amounts or isolated types of healthcare like urgent or routine care, forcing patients to purchase multiple plans to ensure access to care. These plans fail to meet federal standards for comprehensive coverage, leaving many rural populations exposed to unexpected costs. They also pose a significant barrier to potential recipients by enforcing regulatory guardrails or only offering short-term policies excluding pre-existing conditions.
Over the last year and a half, access to affordable healthcare has dramatically declined, especially in rural communities that are often sicker, farther from hospitals, and dependent on organizations or systems that need adequate reimbursement to stay open. This decline indicates the vital importance of programs like Medicaid and Medicare that serve our most vulnerable populations, but the perpetual rollback of federal funding for these programs guarantees a negative outlook for the coming years.
Damage Report
Cyber attacks on hospitals have increased dramatically over the last few years. Most recently, NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation—the largest public health system in the nation— experienced a data breach that affected 1.8 million individuals whose patient data was accessed. The hackers are reported to have had access to the corporation’s network for 11 weeks before it was discovered and the systems were secured. This investigation is ongoing.
John Riggi, National Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk at the American Hospital Association, and past guest of Rural Health Today, identified the three main anticipated cyber risks in healthcare for 2026: geopolitical tensions, cyberattacks against third parties, and autonomous AI-generated and -facilitated cyberattacks. However, John encouraged hospitals by pointing out that we are prepared with a robust understanding of cyber attacks against the healthcare industry, and leaders can depend on the AHA to unite hospitals across the nation in the ongoing effort to secure our systems.
Success Story
Hillsdale Hospital President and CEO JJ Hodshire was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as a 2026 rural hospital president and CEO to know. Leaders were chosen based on their success driving financial and service line growth in rural healthcare systems. JJ was selected for developing initiatives that align with the hospital’s mission and lead to the hospital’s recognition as a top workplace. He was recognized for his work on this podcast, expanding access to rural healthcare in our community, and advocating for patients at a local, state and federal level. Congratulations to JJ for this achievement!
News sources for this episode:
Sarah Kwon, “Cheaper, Alternative Health Plans Are Having a Moment, but Critics Urge Caution,” May 26, 2026, https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/alternative-health-plans-growth-sharing-ministries-short-term-aca-premiums/, KFF Health News.
John Riggi, “Health Care Cybersecurity Considerations for 2026: This Year’s Top 3 Cyber Risks,” May 15, 2026, https://www.aha.org/news/aha-cyber-intel/2026-05-15-health-care-cybersecurity-considerations-2026-years-top-3-cyber-risks, American Hospital Association.
Steve Alder, “Up to 1.8 Million Individuals Affected by NYC Health + Hospitals Data Breach,” May 19, 2026, https://www.hipaajournal.com/nyc-health-hospitals-data-breach-march-26/, The HIPAA Journal.
Anna Falvey, “146 rural hospital and health system presidents and CEOs to know | 2026,” April 29, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/146-rural-hospital-and-health-system-presidents-and-ceos-to-know-2026/, Becker’s Hospital Review.
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.
