Feds Fail At Funding Parity for Telehealth for Urban People

Nearly 12 million urban household have no access to telehealth, but Federal agencies earmark billions for broadband and telehealth grants targeted to 3.8 million disconnected rural households. Urban communities demand parity with rural community for these grants that their tax dollars and telephone bills support. COVID-19’s disproportionate killing of Black people has thrown into stark relief the many health issues afflicting this population, afflictions that telehealth can mitigate. People are marching in the streets saying “Black Lives Matter!” They also need to bring this to Federal agencies that fund the good health of rural communities while refusing to equally fund urban health. Consumers cannot have telehealth without broadband. So any federal or state broadband funding that does not target urban constituents fails to deliver telehealth or broadband to them.