With half a billion dollars in federal funding on the line, Gov. Kelly Ayotte has announced the creation of a new independent entity to overse…

(The Center Square) —  New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte is chasing after a slice of federal funding from a $50 billion hospital fund set up as part of President Donald Trump’s tax and policy bill to help offset the impact of looming Medicaid cuts on rural health care systems.

Dr. Joanne Conroy, president and CEO of Dartmouth Health, wrote in a report released Friday that a recent meeting of rural health leaders in Hanover “offered a clear and urgent mandate: advancing rural health is not optional.” In the U.S., 20% of Americans live in rural areas, yet only 9% of physicians serve rural areas. […]