Idaho's Second-Year Rural Health Transformation Grant Falls to $182.7M
Federal authorities announced Monday that Idaho will receive about $182.7 million in the second year of the Rural Health Transformation Program, down from nearly $186 million in year one. The five-year, $50 billion nationwide program was created under the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which also cut federal Medicaid spending by about $1 trillion over 10 years starting Jan. 1, 2027. Idaho's second-year award ranked 40th among states; HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the funds aim to expand rural access, strengthen the workforce and improve prevention. Idaho's first-year funds, fully awarded by Oct. 28, went to rural hospital infrastructure, emergency equipment, workforce development and mobile clinics; state officials attributed the lower ranking to Idaho's low population and provider density under federal scoring criteria.