Trump administration opens applications for 'Big Beautiful' rural health fund to states
The application deadline is Nov. 5 and an award decision will be made by Dec. 31.
Child getting vaccinated in Texas in 2025.
The Trump administration opened the process for states to submit a detailed application for the first installment of the five-year fund created to help rural providers offset cuts to Medicaid and other health programs contained in the president's "One Big, Beautiful Bill."
States can begin applying for their share of the $50 billion fund for rural health providers under the GOP tax-and-spend law. The application deadline is Nov. 5 and a decision on the award will be made by Dec. 31.
"We believe we can use this as an opportunity to pivot from the crisis that we are currently living in to the comeback that America expects from us," Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz said during a call with reporters reviewed by The Hill.
The distribution of funds
The remaining $25 billion will be subject to Oz's decision. The legislation grants him wide latitude in determining which projects to approve.
In that regard, the White House explained that states must submit detailed rural health transformation plans that explain how these resources will be used to improve access to health care providers in their communities.
"CMS will monitor implementation and hold states accountable to this plan to ensure resources are appropriately distributed and going to the most deserving, not the most politically connected," the White House said.
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