This week President Donald Trump signed an executive order that his administration says will provide millions of citizens with health care services during a global pandemic. The executive order seeks to expand access to telehealth services especially in rural communities. Minnesota Land Stewardship Project Policy Program Organizer Paul Sobacinski says while that provides some assistance for better access, more is needed to make rural health care more affordable.

He says the biggest problem with rural health care is its high cost, mainly for those older farmers and ranchers who don’t yet qualify for Medicaid or Medicare.

Sobacinski says the most important problem that needs to be addressed is making sure rural Americans can get health care coverage without having to deal with high deductibles.

President Trump’s executive order requires the Department of Health and Human Services to announce a new payment model testing innovations that empower rural hospitals to transform health care on a broader scale.