C Spire

Telehealth, Precision Ag, and Aging Share a Single Dependency: Reliable Connection

The closest emergency room to parts of Perry County, Kentucky is 55 miles away. Telemedicine fills the gap.

Akul Saxena

Akul Saxena

— 3 min read
Telehealth, Precision Ag, and Aging Share a Single Dependency: Reliable Connection
Photo of from left: Chris Champion, C Spire; Ramsey Alwin, National Council on Aging; Autumn Lankford Higgins, American Farm Bureau Federation; Aaron Maguregui, Foley and Lardner; Sara Raza, University of Washington School of Law.

ORLANDO, May 19, 2026 — Medicare telehealth flexibilities that enabled rural patients to access specialists remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic remain temporary, and Congress has not acted to make them permanent. 

The Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion five-year federal initiative, cannot be used to pay for broadband installation or monthly internet costs at individual homes despite the program's stated goals including improving access to broadband-enabled telehealth.

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C Spire Fiber Connect Policy Summit Telehealth precision agriculture Aging Technology Ramsey Alwin Autumn Lankford Higgins Aaron Maguregui University of Washington Benton Institute for Broadband and Society American Farm Bureau Chris Champion Rural Health Transformation Program Massachusetts General Hospital

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