Think Tank Outlines Steps to Help Rural America

A progressive Washington, D.C. think tank recently issued a policy brief on ways lawmakers can help rural communities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center for American Progress is self-described as a progressive, independent, nonpartisan policy institute dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans. The brief released this week finds that many rural communities are less prepared than their urban counterparts to handle an influx of virus cases because they have fewer health care facilities, their populations tend to have more chronic health issues, and residents face transportation challenges. The organization suggests rural communities would benefit from Medicaid expansion, a national stay at home order, and dedicated funding for communities with a population under 50,000. An economist with the organization says, “Rural communities have been left behind by the government’s coronavirus response,” adding, policymakers should recognize “those communities are, in many ways, less equipped than big cities to manage the crisis.”