$218 million

The first disbursement of funds from the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA, also known as H.R. 1), has reached Nebraska, part of the first year grant totaling $218 million. The funds are a portion of a $50 billion program that will be distributed to states over the next 5 years, based on a number of factors including rural populations. The first disbursement must be spent by September 30. Nebraska, a state with 37% of people residing in rural counties, was among the states receiving the largest share of funds in the first year of program implementation. 

The federal program, administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has limitations on use of the funds. They may not be used for direct operations to sustain rural hospitals, for instance. Nebraska will use the funds for 4 different initiatives, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) These include chronic disease management in rural areas, access and navigation infrastructure, technology innovation and rural workforce initiatives. 

DHHS has also launched a dashboard to show where funds have been deployed. The dashboard indicates that Nebraska counties receiving the most funding are Douglas, Saunders and Lancaster counties in the Eastern part of the state and Phelps County in south central Nebraska. Some of these funds may be intended for service delivery outside of these majority urban counties. 

The impact of these funds on the stability of rural health care remains to be seen, but health care policy think tank KFF warns that the $50 billion sum is dwarfed by projected cuts to Medicaid spending passed with OBBBA, which total $137 billion over the same time period. KFF also notes the temporary nature of the RHTP, while Medicaid cuts will persist after the funds expire. Additionally, the American Hospital Association has called for the removal of a 15% cap on provider reimbursements and a 20% cap on capital investments to better stabilize rural hospitals. 

$36

If you are caught speeding in Nebraska and receive a ticket for this or any other traffic misdemeanor, the court costs included in your citation will cost you an additional $36 after passage of LB 935. LB 935, passed earlier this year, provides for increases in several judicial system fees, including a $45 increase for filing a civil docket in a district court and a $16 increase for small claims court filings. 

Nebraska Public Media reported on a number of fines that have increased across several departments in addition to the judicial branch increases. These included a new fee from the Department of Revenue for delinquent tax and assessment fees of $25 or 10% of tax liability each. The Department of Water, Energy and Environment enacted increases of fees around water wells from $40 to $200 starting July 18. The Department of Labor increased registration fees for contractors to the statutory maximum $40. Marriage license fees increased from $25 to $50. 

Fees and fines collected by the state are directed in a number of ways. Many are used to cover the cost of delivering services. With LB 935, the increased fees will now be directed to the state’s general fund. Relying on fines and fees to fund state government has a number of significant risks, including increasing regressivity, or shifting the cost of operating state government onto those who can afford it least. 

$6.23

The average price for a gallon of diesel fuel in Nebraska reached an all-time high of $6.23, according to AAA, which tracks gasoline and diesel prices nationwide. This is an 83% increase from last September’s price of $3.41. The large spike is due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East and blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, nineteen counties in Nebraska are reporting an average regular gasoline price of over $4.49, topped by Thomas County in north central Nebraska with an average of $5.05. 

The increased cost of diesel fuel is of particular concern to Nebraska’s agriculture sector as many producers are in the midst of harvest. Diesel use rates vary by the size of operation and equipment used, but can reach 10,000 gallons for the season, according to a local farmer interviewed by First Alert 6. 

The increased diesel costs are likely to be passed on to consumers in a higher cost of everyday goods like groceries, clothing and more.