All 50 U.S. States to Receive Funding to Improve Rural Health Care

By John Klar, Contributor, The MAHA Report

Three days before the new year, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced awards to all 50 states under President Trump’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), which will provide $50 billion over five years to help states improve rural health delivery.

This is a major win for the MAHA movement.

After years of neglect from federal authorities, the first administration to openly embrace MAHA has prioritized reforms to rural health long sought by rural physicians and communities.

The initiative is designed to provide short-term capital support for ambitious state policies to prevent chronic disease and modernize rural healthcare systems. Every state will automatically receive $100 million annually; additional funds will be awarded based on a scoring system that favors “application initiatives or activities that reflect the greatest potential for, and scale of, impact on the health of rural communities” as well as other criteria outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

As previously covered here at The MAHA Report, MAHA Action’s Strategic Health Initiative has been working for months to help craft pilot programs for states that would earn high scores under the federal RHT program. The awards announced on December 29 closely align with the Strategic Health Initiative policy priorities, including diabetes reversal, home dialysis, efficiency improvements in SNAP benefit distribution, and healthy hospital menus.

The awards also show that states and CMS are prioritizing long-term operating infrastructure that can be quickly implemented to reduce chronic disease, improve care-at-home and workforce efficiency, and leverage technology to scale. State applications reveal that states understand this is a once-in-a-generation system rebuild, not an indefinite federal funding stream.

In announcing the launch, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated:

“More than 60 million Americans living in rural areas have the right to equal access to quality care. This historic investment puts local hospitals, clinics, and health workers in control of their communities’ healthcare. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, rural Americans will now have affordable healthcare close to home, free from bureaucratic obstacles.”

RHTP funds come with some significant strings attached. As part of wider efforts to cut waste and fraud in public health, CMS will regularly run checks to assure that individual states are using the new funds prudently and effectively.

CMS Administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz, praised the program he helped design:

“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for rural health in America. Thanks to Congress establishing this investment and President Trump for his leadership, states are stepping forward with bold, creative plans to expand rural access, strengthen their workforces, modernize care, and support the communities that keep our nation running. CMS is proud to partner with every state to turn their ideas into lasting improvements for rural families.”

In a press release issued by HHS, the government highlighted the chief disease-prevention features of the plan:

“Many states are implementing evidence-based, outcomes-driven strategies—such as physical fitness and nutrition programs, food-as-medicine initiatives, and chronic disease prevention models—to address root causes of diseases and manage chronic conditions. States will also strengthen rural emergency care through improved emergency medical services (EMS) communication, treat-in-place options, and coordinated transfers.”

The RHTP represents a substantial shift in how America addresses health challenges: from reaction to prevention. CMS further announced a new Office of Rural Health Transformation, charged with assisting with the next phase of implementation.

How will the RHTP’s billions in awards be distributed ? For year one, 2026, the allotted $10 billion will go to individual states, as indicated here, with Texas and Alaska topping the list.

For its part, MAHA Action continues to seek opportunities to work with states to maximize the benefits of the new federal funding to help improve rural health and reverse America’s chronic disease epidemic.

Key Takeaways:

– Awards for all 50 states under President Trump’s $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program were announced on December 29.

– Proposal approvals indicate that RHTP funds will support substantial long-term investments in rural healthcare systems and workforces, and focus on prevention and reversal of chronic diseases.