The Rural Impact

The Rural Impact

A Podcast that Connects the Dots between Policy and Rural Everything.

Episodes

October 9, 2025 45 mins

In this episode, "Ready. Set. No. The State of Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Readiness," Michelle welcomes Research Professors Tricia Brooks and Leonardo Cuello, as well as State Health Policy Analyst Hannah Green, all joining us from Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Children and Families, to discuss their report published on September 4, 2025 titled "A...

Mark as Played

In this episode, "A Conversation About What Undermines Local Government and Public Service," Michelle welcomes Brooks Williams to discuss how anger and rage are impacting local governments. Brooks is a city manager whose two decades span public and private leadership. He is known for turning strategy into results, such as stronger finances, healthier cultures, and clear metrics that track real performance. He serves the QT...

Mark as Played

In this episode, "HRSA's Dwindling Rural Health Commitments," we kick off with a conversation between Michelle and Alexa McKinley Abel, Director of Government Affairs at the National Rural Health Association. They delve into recent developments from the House Appropriations Committee related to the FY2026 Labor-HHS appropriations bill, which proposes significant investments and increases in rural health funding. The two al...

Mark as Played

In this episode, Education, Workforce & Tariffs: Rough Roads for Rural Ahead, the episode begins with Alexa McKinley Abel, Director of Government Affairs at the National Rural Health Association, who provides a rundown of the Senate Appropriations Committee's markup of the 2026 Labor Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill. Alexa detailed what the markup means for rural health; many of the progr...

Mark as Played

In this Rural Impact Extra Episode: A Conversation about Rural Prosperity and its Connection to Policies, Past, Present & Future, Michelle leads the episode with a discussion with two esteemed experts in the field. Tony Pipa, a Senior Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution, and Brent Orrell, a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute(AEI), bring their wealth of knowledge...

Mark as Played

In this extra episode of the Rural Impact Michelle welcomes Cynthia Wallace, Executive Director of the non-profit, New Rural Project, which she co-founded in April 2021 to discuss the impacts of H.R.1, as well as the how Cynthia and The New Rural Project are amplifying the voices of rural young people and marginalized residents in North Carolina so that they are heard and seen, and they get electorally and civically engage...

Mark as Played

Michelle kicks off this episode with Edwin Park, Research Professor at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, within the McCourt School of Public Policy. His work primarily focuses on Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act. Previously, he worked for 17 years at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, most recently as Vice President for Health Policy. He was a...

Mark as Played

In this extra episode of Rural Impact, Michelle Rathman begins the episode with Anthony Flaccavento. Anthony is a farmer and rural development consultant from Abingdon, Virginia, in the heart of the Appalachian Coalfields. The Founder of Appalachian Sustainable Development, he has focused most of his work over the past four decades on building healthier food systems and more diverse, locally rooted economies in Appalachia ...

Mark as Played

Guests:

  • President of the Association of State Democratic Committees Jane Kleeb
  • DNC People's Cabinet Member and Co-chair of Dirt Road Dems Chris Jones
  • DNC People's Cabinet Member and rural policy expert Will Westmoreland
  • DNC Midwestern Regional Chair and Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party Russ Carnahan

In this Rural Impact special, "Candid Conversations" episode, host Michelle Rathman delves into the real-wor...

Mark as Played

In this special “What’s Your Impact?” episode of Rural Impact, Michelle Rathman starts by speaking with Mindy Cook, National Senior Director for Rural Healthcare Quality Outcomes Research and Analytics at the American Heart Association National Center. The American Heart Association has been a partner of The Rural Impact, and this episode focuses on the impact of the American Heart Association’s Rural Health Care Outcomes ...

Mark as Played

In this extra episode, once again focusing on fast-moving developments related to health policy, Michelle welcomes back Joan Alker, Executive Director of the Center for Children and Families (CCF) and Research Professor at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, to discuss "Medicaid and Its Impact on Maternal and Infant Health."

Joan is a nationally recognized expert on the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP...

Mark as Played

In part one of this extra episode, Disconnected: A Conversation about Health Care, Broadband, Access and Economics, Michelle is joined by award-winning journalists Caresse Jackman and Sarah Jane Tribble.

Sarah Jane Tribble is the lead reporter on the rural health desk of KFF Health News. She created the organization’s first narrative podcast, “Where It Hurts,” about the closure of a rural Kansas hospital.  An Emmy winner, ...

Mark as Played

In this extra episode of The Rural Impact, James M. Decker joins Michelle Rathman to discuss issues impacting rural areas, including revitalization, agriculture, community engagement, economy, and education. James is serving his fourth term as Mayor of his hometown of Stamford, Texas, where he also practices law in his office in the downtown square.

In his Westof98 blog and podcast, which is found on substack.com, James wr...

Mark as Played

In this extra episode of The Rural Impact, Michelle Rathman is joined by Julie Rovner, KFF Health News Chief Washington Correspondent. Julie hosts the KFF Health News weekly health policy news podcast, "What the Health?" Previously, she spent 16 years as a health policy correspondent for NPR, where she helped lead the network's coverage of the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Julie is the author of th...

Mark as Played

In this extra episode of The Rural Impact, Michelle Rathman interviews Ben Spoer, PhD, about the Congressional District Health Dashboard, a crucial tool designed to provide health data at the congressional district level.

Dr. Spoer is the Program Director for City Health Dashboard and the Congressional District Health Dashboard at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where he works to make public health data accessible and...

Mark as Played

Just after returning to the studio after two back-to-back episodes where Michelle spent time at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Policy Institute and the National Association of Community Health Centers' Policy and Issues Conference in D.C., Michelle continues the conversation with NRHA's Government Affairs and Policy Director, Alexa McKinley Abel for an update about the impact of the Continuing Resolution on r...

Mark as Played

A Programming Note: This episode was recorded in February of 2025. As it drops on March 13, 2025, it's important to note that topics and issues raised about Medicaid funding, Congressional Appropriations, a potential Government shutdown, regulatory matters, and funding for key rural health programs have likely changed. In the second of our two-part health policy "Rural Impact on the Road" episode, we continue delving into ...

Mark as Played

Guests:

  • Joan Alker, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Children and Families, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy
  • Gina Capra, Chief Education Officer, National Association of Community Health Centers
  • Wade Erickson, CEO, Horizon Health
  • Julie K. Wood, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Senior Vice President, Science and Clinic Strategy, American Academy of Family Physicians
  • Roger Wells, PA-C, Lexington ...
Mark as Played

In this extra episode, Michelle sat down with Dr. Seth D. Kaplan,a leading expert on fragile states, societies, and communities, and the author of Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time. He is a Professorial Lecturer in the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, Senior Adviser for the Institute for Integr...

Mark as Played

In the third episode of the new series, 2025 & The Impact of Policy Shifts, Michelle sat down with Dreama Gentry, President and CEO of Partners for Rural Impact, a national intermediary that mobilizes rural leaders, strengthens the capacity of rural organizations, and activates policymakers and philanthropic partners to ensure the 14 million children and youth living in rural America are on a path to upward mobility. P...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

    My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.