Trump issues executive order to boost rural health care

President Trump yesterday signed an executive order aimed at improving health care in rural areas, especially when it comes to increasing telemedicine access. The new plan, parts of which have been under consideration for more than two years, includes new Medicare payment structures for rural hospitals, many of which were struggling even before the pandemic hit. The executive order, first reported by Politico, also includes a proposal for making Medicare payments for telemedicine to certain providers a permanent fixture, to ensure that access to virtual care — including for nurse visits and speech therapy — in areas that have already seen the shuttering of many hospitals outlasts the pandemic.