LINCOLN — After Nebraska implemented new Medicaid work rules eight months ahead of a federal deadline, Angela Lindstrom with the Health Center Association of Nebraska said some residents have waited up to 90 minutes on the state’s phone line to get their questions answered.

“As you can imagine, our certified application counselors are sitting with a patient — they don’t have 90 minutes to sit there and wait,” Lindstrom said. “A lot of times these people have a lot of barriers just to be able to get to the appointment.”

LINCOLN  — Nebraska so far has awarded nearly $100 million of its $218.5 million first-year allotment from a federal grant program aimed at filling healthcare gaps in rural communities.

Ashley Newmyer, director of public health for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said Friday that puts the state in a “good spot” in its overall implementation of the Rural Health Transformation Program. 

“We’re showing excellent progress compared to other states,” Newmyer said. “I feel good about where we’re headed.”