Idaho Task Force Convenes to Oversee $186 Million Rural Health Transformation Grant Distribution
Idaho's Rural Health Transformation Program Implementation Task Force held its first meeting September 23, 2026, to oversee distribution of $186 million in federal rural health grants awarded under the nationwide $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The state received over 250 applications totaling more than $300 million for a $97 million provider infrastructure opportunity and faces an October 30 deadline to award all first-year funding. Idaho received less than the anticipated $200 million due to scoring criteria that disadvantaged states with low rural population density and low provider density, though the state scored highly on alignment with administration priorities including school fitness programs and SNAP restrictions.