In a recent development, Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump’s administration have set their sights on a $42 billion infrastructure initiative launched in 2021 with the aim of providing high-speed internet access to all Americans. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, a component of former President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, has come under fire from Republican critics who claim that the program has been slow to kick off, with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick voicing concerns about perceived “woke mandates” and calling for a thorough review.
However, Democrats argue that any pause in the program will only serve to further prolong the construction process, thereby exacerbating the wait for high-speed internet in America’s most underserved and least healthy communities. This delay is particularly detrimental as access to high-speed internet is crucial for utilizing telehealth services, which have been identified as a bipartisan solution to address health care shortages in rural areas.
A comprehensive analysis conducted by my colleague Holly K. Hacker, in collaboration with researchers from George Washington University, revealed that nearly 3 million individuals reside in over 200 predominantly rural counties where access to in-person medical care is severely limited and telehealth services remain largely inaccessible. These areas, commonly referred to as “dead zones,” are predominantly situated in regions known for lacking adequate services, including Appalachia, the rural South, and the remote West. Alarmingly, residents of these counties exhibit higher rates of illness and premature mortality compared to the national average.
Reflecting on a previous article I penned in September 2020, which explored Trump’s initial administration’s ambitious plans to revamp rural health care, the recurring emphasis on telehealth in these strategies prompted me to examine its potential impact on communities like the one I grew up in, in Kansas.
In the upcoming months, we will delve into the heart of these dead zone counties to uncover the realities faced by residents. One of the compelling stories we will be sharing revolves around Barbara Williams, a resident of Greene County, Alabama, who grapples with managing diabetes in the absence of a reliable internet connection. Nestoras Mathioudakis, an endocrinologist and the co-medical director of Johns Hopkins Medicine Diabetes & Education Program, emphasizes the critical role that internet access plays in diabetes management, stressing that the lack of connectivity can significantly impact health outcomes for individuals like Barbara.
Through these narratives, we aim to shed light on the profound challenges faced by individuals in underserved communities due to the absence of high-speed internet access, and the transformative potential that telehealth holds in bridging these health care gaps. Stay tuned as we embark on this journey to explore the intersection of technology and health care in America’s most vulnerable regions, unraveling the complexities and opportunities that lie ahead.
