Episode 90. The Other Side of Transformation Interview with Leslie Dach
Hello, one and all, and welcome back to a brand-new episode of "The Rural Impact." We are the podcast, as you know, that works hard to connect the dots between policy and rural everything, or as I say all the time, rural quality of life. I'm Michelle Rathman, and for our return listeners and subscribers, we are so grateful that you've come back.
And if you are new to the podcast, welcome. We are so glad that you are here, and we hope that you will become a super fan. Now, if you have not been to the Rural Impact website, it's really easy to find: theruralimpact.com, and that is the place that, for this episode and others, you'll be able to, of course, listen to the podcast or anywhere you like to listen, any channel that you like to listen, likely we're on it.
And it's also the place where you're going to be able to see resources that we mentioned on this show. Of course, it's also the place you're going to be able to visit our merch store and pick yourself up a little something, and at the same time help contribute so that we can continue to make this content available to you.
All right. Let me dive right in here and tell you about today's show, because this episode is dropping just before the CMS RHTP- that's the Rural Health Transformation Program- deadline of August 30th. Now, what happens on that date? Well, that is the date that states must file their progress reports with CMS.
Specifically, it's the first annual RHTP progress report covering the period from December 29th, 2025, through July 31st of this year, 2026. It is the first formal scoring event, and it is to determine what states will receive in year two funding of this five-year program that, in all, has set aside $50 billion in funds for the very specific purposes.
And as you continue to follow this podcast, you'll hear us having conversations about what that can be used for from state to state. And at the same time, of course, that this is happening, we also know that there's been a $1 trillion reduction for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. So now I share this information with you because while there is likely a lot of scurried activity going on right now, scrambling to make sure that that filing is done in the proper way state by state, of course, as I said, something else is happening, and that is the impact of those cuts, which is really being felt today in communities already, households and hospitals and clinics, and it's a really a painful reality of health coverage lost for millions of people across this country directly connected to federal policy enacted in July of 2025.
And that, of course, was when the One Big Beautiful Bill became law, and of course, you know that set off a series of events ensuring that millions of Americans, as well as those in the United States who are lawfully present, are anticipating no longer having health insurance and therefore no access to medical care.
Now, in case you haven't been following along, and I hope that you are able to, you know, we're gonna put the links on the website so that you can read these statistics and these data points for yourself, but for Medicaid in 2027, it is expected to kick off the most significant coverage losses due to the reconciliation law.
It's now referred to as H.R1. But the coverage loss, as I said, has already begun. Case in point: 4.8 million. What does that number mean? Well, that's the number of fewer people who had Medicaid in April of 2026 compared to April '25. And recent data also shows us that about five million fewer Americans are enrolled in the ACA marketplace plans compared to this same time last year.
Now, I did some more homework here, and this is according to the Public Administration and Policy. The CBO projects that 30 million people will be uninsured in 2026, a jump of 3.4 million from the prior year. That's why I said earlier: the impacts are already being felt in communities and hospitals and clinics across the country, and rural areas are especially hit hard because the coverage that they receive is a majority of Medicaid, is a higher percentage, I should say, of Medicaid coverage.
Of course, Medicaid unwinding has also contributed to this, subsidy expirations, and of course, the 2025 reconciliation law. Those drivers are like; it's a converging crisis all into one. We also know that non-expansion states concentrate the highest uninsured rates, leaving low-income adults without viable public or private options. Another stat from CBO tells us that they project over four- 14 million additional uninsured individuals by 2034.
And that might seem like a light year away, but if you think about it, how many times have you said to yourself, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's already the end of August of 2026"? So 2034 is not that far off, and that is why today we are talking about the need to demand proactive administrative planning, because if this doesn't change, there’s some events coming up that are really going to leave states in a lurch and so many of their residents without any access to healthcare.
And you know, we're talking about it all the time, the domino effect that's going to happen as a result. So, with that, this is where I want to tell you about my guest for today's show. Leslie Dach is the founder and chair of Protect Our Care. Now, if you are not familiar with their work, Protect Our Care operates as a 501 (c) (4), a social welfare nonprofit, and their sister organization, the Protect Our Care Education Fund, operates as a 501 (c) (3) public charity that educates the public, the media, and elected officials about healthcare issues.
Now, the mission at Protect Our Care is dedicated to making high quality, affordable, equitable healthcare a right and not a privilege for everyone in America, and of course, is to also, as I said, educate the public, influence policy, support healthcare champions, and hold those who make our policies accountable for the policies they impose.
Okay, so that said, today's episode is about rural health transformation. Specifically, it's about understanding and taking action on policies that are creating barriers to healthcare in rural, frontier, and tribal communities during a time when there are other challenges: access to healthy food, transportation, housing, and jobs that come with a company-sponsored insurance plan are shrinking.
So, the problem is expanding, the resources are shrinking, and we intend to connect some of those dots. So, with that said, again, it's not a light subject. Our goal here on The Rural Impact is to enlighten, always enlightened. And with that said, I invite you to sit back, put yourself in your podcast conversation listening frame of mind, and listen to my session with Leslie Dach from Protect Our Care.
Are you ready? I am. By now, I'm sure you are too, so let's go.
Michelle Rathman: Hey, as promised, everyone, I am joined today by Leslie Dach, Founder and Chair of Protect Our Care, and we are so glad to have the opportunity to talk with you today for this ongoing conversation we're having about rural health transformation, that is. Thank you s- so much for joining us on the Rural Impact.
Leslie Dach: Michelle, thanks for having me. It's an incredibly important topic, because it affects everybody's life in rural America and across America, and because if it may not be you that's sick, but somebody in your family is gonna be sick or is sick, they're all gonna run into these problems. And as you know better than me,
Michelle Rathman: Absolutely. And
Leslie Dach: Rural America is taking the brunt.
Michelle Rathman: As we say, you know, policy happens to have that effect on rural health in particular where that is concerned. So, Leslie, we, you know, as I was thinking about this conversation, 'cause you are somebody that I've been wanting to talk to, been following your work for quite some time. I kind of wanted to tee it up before we dive in, because we're dropping this episode, as I kind of shared with you earlier, just as states are racing to make their first annual progress reports by the deadline of August 31st for the Rural Health Transformation Program.
Of course, we are talking about a different kind of transformation, and they are charged with the responsibility of kind of giving an update on where they are with their initiatives, how they're using their first installments of those, in some cases, hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. At the same time, we have another reality that we cannot escape, kind of like punching us in the face, and that is, of course, about nearly a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid over the next couple of years. It already has and will continue to have, this is not my opinion, this is fact, dire consequences. So, let's start there because, you know, as we talk, there's a lot of dots to connect, and I think you're the person who can do just that for us. What are your initial thoughts?
Leslie Dach: Yeah. Well, I think we do have to look at this holistically because when people get sick, they have to go to a hospital that's open. They have to be-- If they, if, if they're gonna have a baby, they need maternity care close by. They need to be able to afford their insurance. They need to be able to afford their drugs.
So, all of these things, when you look at it through the lens of real people, it all comes together. And so, we have all sorts of-- I think it's good maybe; I mean, your listeners and obviously you, know this, but I think it's important to understand, you know, why rural folks living in rural areas get it worse than everybody else.
And so, you know, just a few of those numbers. One in four Americans rely on Medicaid. One out of four rural Americans rely on Medicaid to see their doctor. 40% of rural children rely on Medicare to visit their pediatrician. Medicare covers almost half of all births in rural communities, and 2 million rural Americans are estimated to lose their healthcare completely over the next several years.
And that's because this decision by the Trump Administration and by Republicans in Congress, and it's not political, it's fact, decided to take a trillion dollars out of healthcare plus invoke work requirements, which are gonna basically put people who deserve to get healthcare out of healthcare.
Caregivers, the medically frail. Also they are, you know, this trillion dollars in Medicare that's be- Medicaid that's being taken out is not abstract, because that pays hospitals to stay, you know, to do their job. And also, you know, it-- on the, the Affordable Care Act, is more important in rural areas than ever.
So if you-- 35% ofrural workers don't get health insurance from an employer. Where do
Michelle Rathman: That number is increasing, by the way
Leslie Dach: And that means they're basically, if they wanna get healthcare, they're on the Affordable Care Act, and now that's going away in many places, and the cost of it is getting unaffordable for so many. And so- and there are numbers on this that, you know, rural Americans are paying 28% kind of more in excess premiums as a result of this bill than people who live in urban areas.
And I could go on with these kinds of statistics.
Michelle Rathman: And that's thousands of dollars more a year. I just want a little data point here. I was talking to a rural hospital CEO and CFO yesterday, and we were talking about their coverage loss because one of the things that people who listen to this podcast know is that my day job, as it were, is in rural health.
And in one small community, about 900 covered lives under their state's, in one county, one part of the county, 900 covered lives, will lose their Medicaid state, their state coverage. I won't say what state, because if I say the name of it, 'cause it goes by a different name, but at the end of the day, the numbers are under the same umbrella, right?
Leslie Dach: Yep. And, you know, I think this, none of this had to happen because basically they're taking away healthcare for millions, tens of millions of Americans, because they wanted to give this massive tax break to the richest among us and to the big corporations. And so, this was not a must-do. This is a conscientious choice that they made to put the priorities of people who are millionaires and billionaires and big corporations ahead of everyday working Americans.
And, you know, the numbers that we were talking about mask a lot because not all the, not only just the misery and the worry and the anxiety, which I think everybody who listens knows that when anybody in your family gets sick, that's how it is. And the... But they also, you know, are sort of, it, it's important to know that this is just gonna get worse, right?
Because a lot of the worst parts of it didn't, weren't, were purposely postponed till after this election.
Michelle Rathman: Well, and you know, I think that in, you know, the notion that you can run but, you know, you cannot hide. So let's, you know, to your point, I mean, this is not just about people, and that's the huge part of it because Leslie, as you know, I mean, just having coverage when you're sick, but if we are talking about an America that is healthier or healthy at some point again, you don't take away their coverage, which means also their preventative care.
And for that to happen, you have to have a robust healthcare infrastructure, and that, I mean, is clinics, hospitals. A lot of folks may not understand that rural hospitals own, you know, for the most part, operate the rural health clinics, although it's not mutually exclusive. We're you guys have this, on the...
And we're gonna make sure we put this link on our resource page at protectourcare.org website, but you guys have this hospital closer tracker, hospital crisis watch. So, let's talk a little bit about the implications for just what that looks like and making sure that people, while we're thinking about transformation, how do we do that without the infrastructure, the facilities, and the people within those facilities to do that?
Leslie Dach: Yeah. And I wanna go back to where you started in that comment because, when people are sick and they can't afford to go to the doctor, or there's not a hospital they can go to, they end up in an emergency room. I mean, their lives are, and they're much, much sicker than they ever need to be. So instead of preventative care, they’re showing up at the hospital with stage three cancer, which, God forbid, is a horrible thing for them, but it's terrible for the system.
It's the most expensive healthcare everywhere. So, these cuts also just wreak havoc in the system, not-- and in people's lives. And, you know, the rural hospitals particularly operate with very, very, very tight margins. And you would know this far better than me. And so it doesn't take much. There's no big company behind them, you know?
So they really are at the knife's edge all the time, on a good day. And even if they don't close, you know, the-- we've lost a very high percentage of maternity care in rural America, and that, that means people have to drive a lot farther and, you know, in an emergency or just to see a doctor.
So, and then I just wanna make one other point is that we're talking about the people who, you know, can't get their care. But you know, but look, there are a lot of people who are getting their care, but because they're not, they're not spending money on food, they're not spending money on housing, they're not spending money on their kids.
They have and many of them are going bankrupt because they-- If you're sick and you're diagnosed, you have cancer, what are you gonna do? Just say, "Oh, well," you know, no, you're gonna scrimp and, and change every aspect of your life, understandably, to do that. So, you know, you know, this is much more than just the numbers actually, because the number of people in medical bankruptcy, the number of people who you know, don't take all the pills they're supposed to 'cause they can't afford them, all that stuff is not counted in the numbers, but it is counted in the, in people's lives, you know?
Michelle Rathman: Yeah, it reminds me of why my mood is so incredibly perpetually somber these days, because I do, I do see that, and I know, you know, to your point, it may, may not affect, you know, some- an individual who's listening to this right now, but certainly we know there are those who, to your point, will just flat out lose their coverage.
But then we also have the premium increase, the disaster watch, as you all put it. And I'm just curious, right now you guys are really, as I see it on, on what I have read, you guys are really, you're focused, everywhere, but you've got kind of a, I don't wanna put words in your mouth, a little bit of a hyper-focus, if you will, on Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, a few other states.
Leslie Dach: We're in 16 states now where we think these you know, critical members of Congress stand or sit. And that has to do both with the populations there and why they're important, but also Democrats who we think need to be you know, our champions and need to be champions and carry the water.
We want to be sure that they have all the tools they need to make the case. And then there are a lot of Republicans, frankly, who we need to vote right, or I'm gonna not-- And, and I'm not gonna get into how voters vote right, but we need those members to understand that this is what their constituencies want, because they're siding with Trump, and we need those votes in Congress to make this work.
Michelle Rathman: You said something earlier that I think will stick with me, and I, again, want to make sure that you say it, you repeat it, not me. But you talked about the fact that this is not inevitable. I mean, even though this is legislation right now, we have seen the tide shift. So, let's talk about that for a moment, because this is we-- I think any logical thinking person who understands this from even a certain perspective understands that this is not sustainable, right?
Leslie Dach: Correct.
Michelle Rathman: It's also not
Leslie Dach: It's worse than that. Look, I think what, what folks-- You know, healthcare is the most bipartisan issue in America.
Every poll that we've done, like on the, "Do you want the Medicare cuts restored?" 74% of Democrats, 74% of Republicans, exactly the same number. You ask Republicans and Democrats, "Is there anybody in your family, or your, your extended family that relies on Medicaid?"
Same exact number.
And people really think that the government's not working for them when something like this happens. But it is very partisan in the legislature here, you know, in Congress. And I think that, you know, and I know we're gonna talk about this later, but we-- You know, people having their voice on this is very important because this is...
So, you know, what we're trying to do is to basically make this, frankly, a political issue, because we need to move members of Congress to do the right thing. But we, you know, but this is not inevitable. It was a choice that-- And, you know, it's actually in some ways a simple fix, right?
Because you, all you do is, like, take a big eraser legislatively to that bill, you know, and then you, then it all comes back. So, it's not a complicated solution. People can go to Cong- You know, the next Congress can wake up and just say, "Yeah, take the magic eraser to that bill, bring it back to where it was before."
Now, of course, you know, it may not make it through the White House, but it's actually a simple fix. So that's our hope.
Michelle Rathman: You know, and in the meantime, I will say that you could take a big eraser to that, and at the same time, don't take a big eraser. Don't use other keep the $50 billion investment and do true transformation where, where there can be, you know, just continuity across the board. It's not competition. And that we're making, you know, broad-stroke investments.
You know, Leslie, I was reading something this morning, you might appreciate this, about, you know, Uber kind of getting in the game. And I must admit, I didn't read the whole story, but it was just a kind of let's suppose Uber got in the game of providing transportation to the doctor and so forth. And I'm thinking to myself, we call that community paramedicine, and y- and it's there, and it can work.
And yet, it just seems to me that the practical things are not on the menu.
Leslie Dach: Yep. And also to your point, you know, this, the, the Rural Fund is, you know, a drop in the bucket of what it's being used to make up for things that have been in the program all, you know, in the program all along, and not really being put to use to make things better. They're filling the gap more than they are...
You know, that money's-- And of course, it's not large enough to fill the gap.
Michelle Rathman: Yeah. I think that's important for us to know. Okay, I know I definitely want us to talk about that because the, the whole idea a- a- about advocacy, and we do talk about advocacy, again, not about, you know, telling how people should think or how they should vote, but rather how you can advocate for resources that improve your quality of life.
And we, we talk a lot about policy lifts and letdowns, and for me, in my entire almost 60 years on this planet as far as the life I had before this, I cannot imagine healthcare being in a more, um... I don't e- I don't even, sometimes I run out of the words. I mean, just really in a dire position right now. So, let's talk about a- advocacy and the impact of storytelling, because you guys aren't just talking about it; you're doing something about it, and I think folks will be interested to learn what that is.
Leslie Dach: Yeah. Well, first I think it's the most potent advocacy thing that we can do is for people to-- and not for us to do, but for people to tell their stories.
And we have probably almost 1,000 people who've done that in one way or another. But, you know, that's so compelling, and makes a difference.
And also from a media standpoint is what people wanna, you know, what people wanna talk about and feature. So if, and we find that people, you know, a lot of obviously these are private issues, and there will be pe- folks who don't want to be out there, but there are a lot of folks who are willing to be out there.
We have a lot of people like, you know, who have stories that say, "I was, you know, I couldn't afford my healthcare. I had a pain in my back, got worse and worse. Then the Affordable Care Act passed. I could finally go to the doctor, and I have stage four cancer, but I'm alive today." We would, you know, there are a lot of success stories that people can talk about.
There are p- people who, as you know, you know, who, who, pre, with a preexisting condition who would no- never be, insured if it wasn't for the Affordable Care Act, or pe- or parents of kids with had-- who were in the NICU for six months and had a $2 billion healthcare bill and were gonna have an, have that only be part of what it's gonna take to keep them alive over time.
So the, you know, these stories are, everyday stories, folks who have to, who worked hard for a living and now they have to cut their, the pills in half.
These are, you know, true stories, emotional stories, and members of Congress and other elected officials need to hear those because, you know, people who and because they're, they're also in every state and every county in America.
So, it-- and these are local stories, real people, not political people, who are making this. So, I, you know, I encourage everyone to exercise their voice on this. I mean, in these places we work, you know, in about 15 states, you know, we try and organize that and give people, you know, opportunities for voices.
And we'll write an op-ed for them. We'll, you know, see if they'll be willing to tell their story that we can put into a digital communication. So, but I think that that's-- And I think people, politicians, need to understand that this is an issue that is more than politics.
And more than partisanship.
Michelle Rathman: Well, and I think to expand upon that, I'm curious about your thoughts on this because, you know, what you're talking about are stories of individuals and how their lives have been for potentially forever, ever changed with having coverage or, you know, what it did, and now the stories will be about what it, what it's not doing.
And I mean, I also think it's important for the stories to come from those who are providing care on the front lines, who can provide insight. And then also, Leslie, on the economic impact of all this as well. You all have this, you know, and I really appreciate that you guys don't mince words because it's important.
You have a healthcare sabotage tracker, and I, you know, I even take a look at what you all reported from July of 2026: ended the Medicare Drug Coverage Affordability Program, meaning countless seniors will soon pay more just to get life-saving prescriptions they need.
And lest we forget, there's not a pharmacy on every corner in rural America, so it's another roadblock. And, and so I think the stories about how just, you know, you talk a little bit about the response to, you know, the, the challenges we're having with our food security, a record number of measles cases, and so forth. To your earliest point, these events are all, when they connect that picture, what does it look like?
Leslie Dach: Yeah. I mean, you just pointed it out. There- you know, people are getting hit from all sides. They can't afford their insurance. A lot of people are dropping their insurance completely and hoping they don't get sick. Hospitals that they have to go to are closing. The administration is cutting back, even things like economic help to have doctors get educated to go into rural communities.
So, I mean, this is-- I could go on and on, on all the little bites, or they're not little bites; they're taking out of the system with no replacement for it. But I do wanna echo also what you said, which was my mistake to leave out, which is yes, people, caretakers, but-- and professional caretakers are also incredibly important voices because they see it firsthand.
And say what you want to say about your doctors or people who go into that profession are doing it to help people.
Michelle Rathman: Yes
Leslie Dach: And they're the-- They see it, they know what happens when people don't have access to care, and they're very empathetic. So those voices are also incredibly important in this.
Michelle Rathman: And soon, and soon they may be dragged into this even further because, as I've mentioned to folks on this show before is that we are talk- as a part of the new, especially, you know, the deadline January 1, where all 50 states, although a few have, you know, jumped the gun and gone ahead.
We talked to Montana; we talked to Nebraska on this podcast. Physicians might be in a position where they have to make a determination and, you know, the administrative and the legal burdens, once again, to your point, it's not just it's not just injury; it is, what's the word?
Leslie Dach: Right.
Michelle Rathman: It's a family show.
Leslie Dach: Yeah. I'm not sure, but you're right. And, and to your point, I mean, so people-- I know you said you discovered call-- talked about this in other episodes in more detail, but for those who may not have seen that, basically now in these work requirements, the gov- the federal government is requiring people, to show that they're mentally frail in a way that keeps them from working, and they're demanding that a doctor sign that piece of paper, and that, and that they have to sort of do it every three months, you know, as many times a year.
Now, well, this is not what doctors do. And we all know how hard it is to get a doctor's appointment today.
So, you know, we're, we're asking for a stupid thing and putting it into an impossible place, and that's gonna undermine a lot of healthcare. It's gonna be-- people are gonna fall out of the system because nobody can do that.
And, you know, and then in this administration, they'll start, you know, bringing lawsuits against doctors, you know, if they make the wrong decision. So these are the s- you know, this is what we call a sort of sabotage watch because, you know, there are some things that are done kind of in the public eye, taking a trillion dollars away, even though they'll say, "Oh, it's just waste, fraud, and abuse."
But, you know, tell all the people who've lost their healthcare that they're fraudsters? I don't think so, right?
Michelle Rathman: Yeah. I wasn't gonna bring up the F word, but, I’m appreciative that you did. Oh my gosh. Leslie, I will tell you this. We are going to make sure that we share all the information that you provided on our website, theruralimpact.com. And before we go, just a couple- maybe if you could just share a couple of other thoughts.
I mean, you guys are really talking about the need to get engaged with your policymakers, and one of the tools I really invite people to take a look at is I wanna give a really quick plug, plug to the Congressional Health District Dashboard, because you really wanna understand where everything is big picture, and that health and wellbeing of your community, look at it not just from a county level, but from a congressional district.
But what are some ways that you, aside from storytelling, I mean, we need more influential voices just to convey these messages. I mean, I know it's hard-pressed, but what do we say to business leaders who are watching them not be able to afford coverage for their employees and so forth? What are some of the ways that they can get involved with their members of Congress to explain what this means and what needs to be done?
Leslie Dach: Yeah. Well, I think people really just have to use their voice. I mean, I don't-- You know, this is not a political show, but we're in a pro- we're in an election time. The one thing that motivates politicians more than anything else is winning and losing. And so, you know, to the extent that they understand that being wrong on healthcare is gonna be a problem for their own career, I think it's very important.
Sending a signal through this by voting for people who are supporting healthcare and withholding votes for people who, you know, any voter believes are not doing the right thing, because ultimately, you know, this very much can be a healthcare election. I mean, it is, you know, this is an affordability election, and healthcare is the number one affordability issue from- in every poll that we see.
And also it's highly emotional. I mean, you can... You know, in a way, you can't skimp on healthcare. It's so-- It is very emotional. So people should- you know, I think this is a time where actually, you know, citizens through their through the ballot box can make a difference. Because pop- you know, no matter, you know, if people who are bad on healthcare take a tumble, that's gonna send a lesson to other people in the e- political ecosystem.
So, I think that's really-- voting on the basis of how your member of Congress is, is either helping or hurting the healthcare system, is critically important. And I think it's also important to know that this is gonna get worse, right? We- we're talking about eight million people already who kind of have, have lost their insurance between all the ways that this thing is working out, but that's already.
And so next year, you know, everybody-- You know, the, the insurance companies are, you know, asking for a 20% increase or a 15% increase because they're having to-- Everything is getting more expensive because people aren't getting protected, you know, early care. And I'm not trying to, um... You know, there are issues with insurance companies, prior authorization, but,
Michelle Rathman: even go there.
Leslie Dach: Even go there. So, there's some things they have to fix, but my own belief is that, you know, those aren't the core issues in this environment that we're, that we're in now. So, but-
Michelle Rathman: Yeah. We need a whole lot of life rafts for the situation that
we're in now on this path, and I will just say, you know, at the end of the day, to your point, this, this, this is fixable, and it's gonna take a lot more than just the restoration of it, although that's a start, because what we've done is we have put the burden on those who need the care and not on a system that was broken, that, you know, that's breaking their back in the first place.
So, I really appreciate that perspective.
Leslie Dach: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And I should be very clear, we think that the first thing we have to do is to restore these cuts, but it's not enough. I mean, the system still needs a huge amount of work, in order to really you know, equitable. We haven't talked about that much about that today. But also, you know, to be more accessible, easier to navigate.
We have a huge amount of work to do beyond. And of course, ultimately, we all want healthcare to be a right and not a privilege, and we're gonna have to make substantial changes to our, you know, what the system looks like. But, you know, for me, maybe just 'cause, you know, I, I live in an incremental town, the, you know, that I think that, like, we have people like me have a obligation to try and work every day to make healthcare better rather than to wait, you know, for something re- you know, the next big thing, because that could take a long time, and in politics even longer.
So, you know, I, we, we're fixated on making sure that, you know, we make it better every day while looking forward to the need to make, you know, the system reimagined in some ways. But to wait for that, we think, is, you know, kind of isn't fair to the American people.
Michelle Rathman: No, the collapse unfortunately is not, it's not a, it's not an if; it is absolutely a when, and the when is sooner than later again down this path. So, I hope you'll join us again, Leslie, and do an update with us. I mean, you know, we've got a lot of work to do, as you said, and I think it's a r- it's, you know, to your point, I wake up every day wanting to make a difference and at least doing my part to explain and express and also connect people with folks who are doing the work on the ground who are smarter than I am and have a lot more resources and are doing the work.
And the data is, you know, the data doesn't lie.
Leslie Dach: Yep. Yeah. And I think, you know, for your listeners, tell their stories. If they're comfortable with it, you know, vote for people who are good on healthcare and not for the people who are bad on healthcare. And it doesn't have to matter what party they're in if they're doing the right job, because that's how we're gonna change the system in Washington.
Michelle Rathman: Bipartisan healthcare support, what would that look like at the end of the day? It would not look like this, so oh my gosh. Although we do have to say goodbye to Leslie. Again, thank you so much for joining us. We're gonna make sure that we put all the links, as we said, on our website, theruralimpact.com.
I'm gonna invite the rest of you to stay with us. I definitely have some closing thoughts. We'll be right back.
My thanks to Leslie Dach for providing us with a lot of great information about Protect Our Care. And again, I hope this is a conversation. I know we've been having a lot of conversations about healthcare, and I'm not gonna apologize for that because I feel it is so imperative for us to really make sure that the ends meet- what's really happening and what we hope isn't going to happen.
Of course, those two things cannot exist, and for us to be real with each other about what we need to prepare for. So, with that said, I do wanna make sure that I thank Brea Corsaro and Sarah Garvin for all their support and their hard work behind the scenes of this podcast. I'm so grateful for all of you and to our subscribers and listeners.
If you have not subscribed yet, please go to our website, theruralimpact.com. Hit that subscribe button, and when you do, you're going to receive our emails with our show updates, some previews of what we've got coming next, and some other sidebar things that we think you will find of interest. And again, when you're on our website, make sure you visit that merch store.
Pick yourself up a hat, a bottle, a bag, a pen, a pad to write down your thoughts and connect some dots of your own. We've designed our pads specifically for that reason. Once again, I'm Michelle Rathman, and I invite each of you to take the best care of yourself until we are together again. And with that, to the best of your ability, take care of all those around you.
We will see you again soon on a brand-new episode of "The Rural Impact."
