The AHA Aug. 11 urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to prioritize payments to hospitals from the Rural Health Transformation Program. The program, established as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, includes $50 billion in funding allocated for rural providers. The AHA urged CMS to prioritize payments to rural hospitals for workforce recruitment and retention, infrastructure and telehealth services, and to report RHTP funds separately on Medicare cost reports. 

“The importance of these hospitals cannot be overstated, as individuals who live in these communities face greater challenges in accessing health care due to several factors, including geographic isolation, a shortage of health care providers and a lack of affordable coverage options,” the AHA wrote. 

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA Aug. 26 responded to a request for information as part of the introduction of the Healthy Moms and Babies Act, bipartisan legislation that seeks to…
Headline
Applications for the 2026 AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award close Aug. 29 at 1 p.m. ET. The award honors rural hospitals leading the way in…
Headline
The Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded more than $15 million in grants to 58 rural health organizations for four-year projects as part of…
Headline
The AHA and Federation of American Hospitals Aug. 8 filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in support of the U.S.…
Headline
President Trump Aug. 7 issued an executive order, “Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking,” requiring government agencies to review new and discretionary…
Headline
The Senate Appropriations Committee July 31 advanced the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,…