Rural Health Transformation Program: A $50 billion initiative to improve healthcare access

The Rural Health Transformation Program is giving a series of awards to improve rural healthcare in the United States. The funding will total $50 Billion and be distributed across all 50 states over five years, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The goal of this action is to expand accessibility to quality healthcare. States will receive the first installments of this funding from CMS in 2026. States will then begin implementing their plans to:

• Make healthcare reachable, focusing on preventive, primary, emergency, maternal, and behavioral health services
• Address the workforce shortage with new initiatives
• Update buildings and technology used for healthcare
• Promote local care
• Create new care models

The last of the award money will be distributed in 2030. CMS has committed to aiding states with the execution of their plans. The full list of 2026 awards is available on CMS’s website.