Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Providing the Good Life
Rural communities are the heart and soul of Nebraska. Their health care needs are unique and require tailored solutions. The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) puts rural patients front and center. It brings care, stability, and reform where it’s needed most. We are providing for rural hospitals so they can continue providing for the Good Life.
Rural hospitals are lifelines for families across Nebraska. They face challenges that urban hospitals don’t. However, our rural hospitals have found ways to adjust and serve their communities. To support this mission, the One Big Beautiful Bill establishes a $50 billion Rural Healthcare Fund to be distributed over the next five years. Half of the fund is equally split across all 50 states. That’s $100 million guaranteed annually for Nebraska. The state will be responsible for distributing these funds to rural hospitals. The remaining funds will be distributed by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Rural hospitals will apply to CMS for the grants, which will distribute them based on admission rates, Medicaid share, or will support telehealth, new technology, and data management upgrades.
Now, a small-town hospital will have the resources to find solutions to the challenges they face. The funding can also help recruit nurses, doctors, and specialists to small towns. On top of this, hospitals across Nebraska are receiving a significant boost in funding. A few weeks ago, CMS approved Nebraska’s State Directed Payment Plan. This plan is estimated to provide an additional $200 million annually for Nebraska hospitals.
The One Big Beautiful Bill fosters healthcare innovation. Rural Nebraskans deserve modern care, close to home. OBBB funds will encourage adoption of emerging technology emphasizing prevention and chronic disease management. It allows further investments in modern equipment, electronic records, and telehealth. That means a farmer in Arapahoe can see a specialist virtually. It means regular care from home for the most remote Nebraskans, not a rushed and distant Urgent Care appointment.
In addition to the Rural Health Care Fund, we passed the most comprehensive Medicaid reform in decades. It preserves Medicaid for who it was created to help—kids, seniors, and the disabled. Medicaid is vital to protecting Nebraska’s most vulnerable. To be sustainable, the system must be efficient and accountable. That’s why we fixed holes, eliminated abuses, and set it on the path for long-term success.
This bill makes every Medicaid dollar work smarter for Nebraskans. It introduces common-sense safeguards to stop waste and fraud. The reforms ensure dead people do not remain enrolled in Medicaid. It stops people who are enrolled in multiple states from collecting in both states. It's not fair to let them double dip. Medicaid will require able-bodied people without young kids at home to be productive in their community to receive this low-cost, government-subsidized insurance. They will have to contribute to their community by working, volunteering, or studying for 20 hours a week. That's not too much to ask. Medicaid is going to continue to grow at $750 billion over the next ten years. We are strengthening and preserving Medicaid for those who need it.
OBBB also cleans up burdensome Biden-era mandates that hurt rural healthcare facilities. The Biden administration mandated minimum staffing requirements for long-term care facilities. The regulation would require a registered nurse to be present 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This would have had terrible consequences for rural communities. We have many counties in Nebraska where we struggle to find qualified nurses. Many long-term care facilities find it difficult to recruit and retain qualified staff. The Biden regulation may have forced nursing homes in Nebraska to close. This would have limited access to care for seniors. After hearing from rural healthcare providers and patients, I made it a priority to fix this. We reversed Biden’s harmful rule by passing the OBBB.
The One Big Beautiful Bill protects rural care and modernizes Medicaid for the future. It delivers what Nebraskans asked for: accountability and access. Rural hospitals receive more resources. Families get care that works for them. Medical providers get the support they need to serve their communities. That’s how we provide for the Good Life.
My team and I are here to serve you. Contact us anytime by phone at 202-224-4224. You can also view my website at www.ricketts.senate.gov/contact.