Health and Media

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition commends the Federal Communications Commission for granting a 60-day extension of the Funding Year 2025 Rural Health Care Program application filing window, moving the deadline from April 1, 2025, to June 2, 2025.

Artificial Intelligence systems designed to predict the likelihood of a hospitalized patient dying largely aren't detecting worsening health conditions, according to a new study. Some machine learning models trained exclusively on existing patient data didn't recognize about 66 percent of injuries that could lead to patient death in the hospital, according to the research published in Nature's Communications Medicine journal. Researchers 

Patients across the rural South, Appalachia, and remote West are most often unable to make a video call to their doctor or log into their patient portals. Both are essential ways to participate in the U.S. medical system. In 2025, more than $42 billion allocated in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is expected to begin flowing to states as part of a national “Internet for All” initiative launched by the Biden administration.

Reps Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) introduced the Audio-Only Telehealth Access Act, which would make Medicare’s coverage of audio-only telehealth services permanent. The current waiver—which is set to expire on March 31, 2025—allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reimburse healthcare providers for patient evaluation, patient management, and behavioral health services over the phone.

We’re creeping closer to the one-year mark since the federal government axed the Affordable Connectivity Program due to lack of funding, which left over 23 million low-income households without affordable internet. But folks didn’t just lose the $30/month subsidy and a reliable broadband connection.

Rep Vern Buchanan (R-FL) introduced two bills to extend flexible health care options to Americans in need of timely care. Rep Buchanan introduced the Permanent Telehealth from Home Act (H.R. 1407) to remove obstructive geographic limitations to telehealth services and the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act (H.R.

The Kūpuna Collective is a health-centered coalition that brings together a network of partners across the state of Hawai’i.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX), Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced bipartisan legislation to keep kids off social media and help protect them from its harmful impacts. The Kids Off Social Media Act (S.278) would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media platforms and prevent social media companies from feeding algorithmically-targeted content to users under the age of 17.

Mass General Brigham (MGB) is a large hospital system in the greater Boston area. MGB employs more than 1,200 clinicians, who serve more than 1.25 million patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MGB identified disparities in patients’ access to video visits and its patient gateway. Unsurprisingly, those who were not using the patient gateway were largely members of racial and ethnic minority groups, particularly those whose primary language was not English. In response, MGB began initiatives aimed at increasing health equity and digital access.

NaLA’s Annual Consumer Survey sheds light on life without the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Results from over 68,000 respondents, collected between November 1 and 20, 2024, highlight the critical need for the Lifeline and ACP programs to connect low-income households. This year, NaLA’s survey also included more than 30,000 personal testimonies from Lifeline and/or former ACP participants. These stories underscore the profound impact of both programs on consumers and the urgent need for continued support. Key findings include: