Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder

Aspen Health Strategy Group Identifies Opportunities to Address Health Disparities in Rural America

The Aspen Health Strategy Group’s new report examines the health gap between rural and urban areas and calls on health sector leaders, working with state and federal governments, to embrace big ideas to improve rural health.

Washington, DC, February 10, 2026 – A new report released by the nonpartisan Aspen Health Strategy Group (AHSG), an initiative of the Health, Medicine & Society Program of the Aspen Institute, identifies opportunities for health sector leaders to narrow the health gap between the 50 million Americans who live in rural areas and those who do not. Meeting the Health Needs of Rural America reflects the consensus of 21 senior leaders in the public and private sectors. 

“What I’ve seen again and again as a physician is this: geography is only the first barrier. The deeper challenge is designing care that rural Americans can reach, afford, and especially trust. Care that understands them,” says William Frist, MD, co-chair of the AHSG and former US Senator from Tennessee and Senate majority leader. “Having represented a predominantly rural state facing troubling hospital closures and growing Health Professional Shortage Areas, it’s time to rethink how we deliver care to the nearly 20 percent of Americans who live in rural communities.”

The report elaborates on these “Five Big Ideas”:

  • Let rural communities lead.Communities themselves know best what they need to achieve optimal health. 
  • Update payment systems for rural health care. In addition to maintaining existing funding streams for inpatient hospital services and rural health centers, especially Medicaid, new payment and care provision models are needed to support rural providers and promote primary care.
  • Build rural economic development around health and healthcare. Supporting education and training programs and expanding the scope of practice for non-physician providers will create job opportunities for local residents while filling critical workforce shortages.
  • Invest in prevention and population health. Community planning and new financing approaches will help reorient resources towards preventing illness and reducing rates of preventable disability.
  • Modernize rural infrastructure. Upgrading physical plants, information technology, and internet access; improving transportation, housing, and education; and building robust data systems will help close the rural health gap.

“We know that rural human and economic health are closely intertwined,” says Kathleen Sebelius, also AHSG co-chair and the 21st US Secretary of Health and Human Services and 44th governor of Kansas. “With leadership from the health sector, we can grow the resources available to improve health outcomes, meet local needs, and contribute to the economic productivity of our communities.”

The report is unsparing in its depiction of health disparities in rural areas, which include higher mortality rates, a greater prevalence of chronic conditions and disability, and more infectious diseases. Rural residents are also significantly more likely to report problems affording their medical bills and more likely to carry medical debt when compared to urban residents.

Yet the report emphasizes that poorer rural health can be reversed and that the entire nation would benefit from healthier rural regions. A community-centered approach that offers better access to affordable care and champions policies that respond to the distinctive assets and challenges in rural areas can lead the way to better results.

A list of AHSG participants can be found here.

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The mission of the Aspen Health Strategy Group is to promote improvements in policy and practice by providing leadership on important and complex health issues. AHSG brings together senior leaders representing a mix of influential sectors, including health, business, philanthropy, and technology, and is an initiative of the Health, Medicine & Society Program at the Aspen Institute.

The Health, Medicine & Society Program of the Aspen Institute brings together influential groups of thought leaders, decisionmakers, and the informed public to consider 21st-century health challenges in the U.S. and around the world and to identify practical solutions for addressing them. At the heart of most of its activities is a package of research, convenings, and publications that spans a range of timely topics and supports policymakers, scholars, and other stakeholders in their commitment to better health for all. A rigorously nonpartisan program, HMS believes in evidence-based medicine and science, and the power of truth, and pursues its work accordingly.

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.