Doctor and a mother navigate the gaps in rural health care in Cochise County

In Cochise County, the struggle for rural care is shaped by Medicaid dependence and limited access to doctors, with policy shifts adding pressure. The article describes a region where 30% of residents rely on Medicaid and 15% are uninsured, leaving clinics operating under tight budgets. It examines how federal policy changes and modifications to Medicaid eligibility could push rural providers toward a breaking point, framed in a three-part series called “Health on the Range: A Look at Rural Health Challenges.” The story follows pediatrician Dr. Darlene Melk of Chiricahua Community Health Centers and mother Araceli Faustillas, whose 15-year-old son with cerebral palsy requires therapy trips to Tucson every 15 days and to Phoenix every four months. University of Arizona Center for Rural Health director Dr. Dan Derksen warns up to 400,000 Arizonans could lose Medicaid coverage by 2027, despite a $167 million annual Rural Health Transformation Program aimed at strengthening rural care.