Dead Zone

Millions of rural Americans live in counties with doctor shortages and where high-speed internet connections aren’t adequate to access advanced telehealth services. A ��ýҕ�l Health News analysis found people in these “dead zones” live sicker and die younger on average than their peers in well-connected regions. ��ýҕ�l Health News and partner InvestigateTV tell the stories of residents whose health care falls into the gap.

A woman with short curtly hair and glasses looks at the camera and sits beside a table covered in a yellow tablecloth. She wears a blank and white striped blouse and rests her left elbow on the table. A teal door is open just to her right.

Millions in US Live in Places Where Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach

Nearly 3 million Americans live sicker, shorter lives in the hundreds of rural counties where doctor shortages are the worst and poor internet connections mean little or no access to telehealth services.

By Sarah Jane Tribble and Holly K. Hacker

March 10, 2025

A man with a beard wearing a baseball cap and a white shirt looks toward the right side of the frame

Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care

Technological gaps handicap rural hospitals as billions in federal funding to modernize infrastructure lags. The reliance on outdated technology and piecemeal systems challenge staffs and erode patient care.

By Sarah Jane Tribble, Holly K. Hacker, and Caresse Jackman, InvestigateTV

April 9, 2025

A woman wearing a black sweater looks through a small book at a table

Flawed Federal Programs Maroon Rural Americans in Telehealth Blackouts

Taxpayers — through federal infrastructure programs — have paid billions of dollars to internet companies to hook up rural Americans. Some communities have nothing to show for it, leaving medically vulnerable rural patients disconnected and without access to telehealth.

By Sarah Jane Tribble and Holly K. Hacker

May 14, 2025

More from the Series

In the Vast Expanses of Indian Country, Broadband Gaps Create Health Gaps, Too

On Idaho’s remote Fort Hall Reservation, thousands live without reliable high-speed internet, which supports health care, education, and daily life. Facing delays and wavering federal policy, Frances Goli is determined to spend more than $22 million in federal grant money before she runs out of time.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

Dec. 17, 2025
Trump Called Digital Equity Act ‘Racist.’ Now Internet Money for Rural Americans Is Gone.

President Donald Trump called the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional, racist, and illegal. Then the $2.75 billion program for rural and underserved communities to gain internet access disappeared.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

Oct. 10, 2025
Trump Team’s Reworking Delays Billions in Broadband Build-Out

A Trump administration reworking of a $42 billion broadband expansion program will trigger delays as millions of rural Americans wait for promised connections and the telehealth services they bring.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

June 20, 2025