After the Last Maternity Ward Closes: How Far Care Has Drifted in Rural Pennsylvania

Insurance & ACA

How ACA Premium Subsidies Vary Across Pennsylvania Counties

County-level benchmark plans drive wide subsidy differences statewide.

By the Coverage Desk · 3 min read

Telemedicine

No Signal, No Care: Pennsylvania's Telehealth Broadband Dead Zones

Rural counties where connectivity gaps block virtual healthcare access.

By the Telehealth Desk · 3 min read

Telemedicine

Pennsylvania's Telehealth Parity Law: What Insurers Must Cover

State law requiring equal coverage for in-person and virtual visits.

By the Telehealth Desk · 3 min read

Telemedicine

Medicaid and Telehealth in Pennsylvania: Which Pandemic Rules Survived

Permanent versus temporary flexibilities shaping Medicaid virtual care.

By the Telehealth Desk · 3 min read

Telemedicine

Tele-Behavioral Health Is Filling Gaps in Rural Pennsylvania—Partly

Virtual mental health visits reach some areas broadband still doesn't.

By the Telehealth Desk · 3 min read

Telemedicine

Audio-Only Telehealth: A Lifeline for Pennsylvanians Without Broadband

Phone-based visits serve patients lacking video-capable devices or internet.

By the Telehealth Desk · 3 min read

Rural & Access

After the Last Maternity Ward Closes: How Far Care Has Drifted in Rural Pennsylvania

Mapping obstetric-unit closures and lengthening drive-times for rural mothers.

By the Rural Affairs Desk · 7 min read

Rural & Access

The Warning Signs That Pennsylvania Rural Hospitals Are at Risk of Closing

Federal rurality designations and operating margins signal vulnerability.

By the Rural Affairs Desk · 3 min read

Rural & Access

What Is an Obstetric Desert? Pennsylvania's Definition and Data

Explaining the threshold that classifies a county as maternity-care deficient.

By the Rural Affairs Desk · 3 min read

Rural & Access

Pennsylvania's Volunteer EMS Crisis Is Making Rural Healthcare Farther Away

Declining volunteer rosters stretch response times in rural communities.

By the Rural Affairs Desk · 3 min read

Rural & Access

Certificate of Need in Pennsylvania: Does It Protect or Limit Rural Care?

CON law debate and its contested effects on rural healthcare availability.

By the Rural Affairs Desk · 3 min read

Public Health

Pennsylvania's Opioid Settlement Funds: A County-by-County Ledger

Where settlement dollars are flowing and how counties plan spending.

By the Public Health Desk · 6 min read

Public Health

Adult Obesity in Pennsylvania: How Rates Differ by Region

State and federal data show stark urban-rural obesity divides.

By the Public Health Desk · 3 min read

Public Health

Pennsylvania Overdose Deaths by County: What the State Data Shows

Reported fatality figures from Pennsylvania's drug-surveillance dashboard.

By the Public Health Desk · 3 min read

Public Health

Lead Exposure and Pennsylvania's Aging Housing Stock: A Persistent Risk

Older homes concentrate childhood lead risk in specific Pennsylvania zip codes.

By the Public Health Desk · 3 min read

Public Health

How Pennsylvania Tracks Disease Outbreaks: Inside the Surveillance System

The state DOH reporting chain from provider to public health alert.

By the Public Health Desk · 3 min read

Providers & Policy

Who Owns Pennsylvania's Hospitals Now: A Consolidation Overview

System acquisitions have reshaped ownership across the commonwealth.

By the Policy Desk · 6 min read

Providers & Policy

Scope-of-Practice Rules for Nurse Practitioners in Pennsylvania: What's Allowed

PA's collaborative-agreement requirement and ongoing legislative debate.

By the Policy Desk · 3 min read

Providers & Policy

Certificate of Need: How the Approval Process Works, and What Pennsylvania Gave Up

Step-by-step explainer of CON applications and state review criteria.

By the Policy Desk · 3 min read

Providers & Policy

Pennsylvania Medicaid Managed Care: Which Insurers Run Which Regions

Five MCOs contract with DHS to cover most Pennsylvania Medicaid enrollees.

By the Policy Desk · 3 min read

Providers & Policy

Pennsylvania's Primary-Care Shortage: HPSA Designations by County

Federal shortage-area data shows where physician supply falls short.

By the Policy Desk · 3 min read

Explainers

What Is Pennie? Pennsylvania's ACA Marketplace Explained

How the state-based exchange works and who qualifies for plans.

By the Explainers Desk · 3 min read

Explainers

Medicaid vs. CHIP in Pennsylvania: What's the Difference?

Two public programs with different eligibility rules for families.

By the Explainers Desk · 3 min read

Explainers

What Is a Certificate of Need? The Healthcare Regulation Explained

CON laws require state approval before adding certain healthcare services.

By the Explainers Desk · 3 min read

Explainers

How Opioid Settlements Flow from Federal Courts to Pennsylvania Counties

The legal and distribution pathway behind billions in settlement funds.

By the Explainers Desk · 3 min read

Explainers

Federal Hospital Price Transparency: How to Read a Pennsylvania Chargemaster

What published hospital price files contain and what they omit.

By the Explainers Desk · 3 min read

Insurance & ACA

ACA Alternatives in Pennsylvania: What the Options Actually Mean

From short-term plans to Medicaid expansion, every coverage workaround involves real trade-offs — here's how they land for Pennsylvania residents.

By the Coverage Desk · 3 min read

Insurance & ACA

The Rise of Opioid-Related Deaths in Pennsylvania

How a national prescription drug crisis carved a particularly deep wound in the Commonwealth — and what the data reveal about who bears the burden.

By the Coverage Desk · 3 min read

Insurance & ACA

Three Policy Pressure Points Reshaping Pennsylvania Healthcare

Coverage structure, anesthesia consolidation, and telemedicine parity are converging forces — and how Pennsylvania responds will define access and cost for years ahead.

By the Coverage Desk · 3 min read

Public Health

Seven States Carry An Outsized Share Of Adult Obesity

A tight geographic cluster of Southern and Midwestern states carries a wildly outsized share of the nation's adult obesity burden — and the chronic-disease consequences that follow.

By the Public Health Desk · 3 min read

Telemedicine

What's Holding Telemedicine Back In Pennsylvania?

Legislation, broadband gaps, and a growing clinical toolkit are reshaping how Pennsylvanians receive care — but connectivity remains the missing piece.

By the Telehealth Desk · 3 min read

Insurance & ACA

Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority Issues Statewide Warning

By the Coverage Desk · 3 min read

Insurance & ACA

Penn Medicine Extends Its Southeastern Pennsylvania Reach Through Mergers and a Catholic Health Alliance

Penn Presbyterian sits at the center of a regional expansion strategy built on three completed mergers and a structurally distinct partnership with Trinity Health.

By the Coverage Desk · 3 min read

Rural & Access

PhyMed Healthcare Group Adds a Third Anesthesia Practice in Pennsylvania

The physician-owned anesthesia management company expands its mid-Atlantic reach by absorbing a well-established Allentown practice, accelerating a consolidation trend reshaping surgical care across Pennsylvania.

By the Rural Affairs Desk · 3 min read