Medicaid Monitor
Policy Intelligence
Medicaid Monitor
Policy Intelligence
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North Dakota Monitor

5 stories

State Policy·ND·3d ago

North Dakota Shifts Rural Health Grant Management to Anchor Partners

North Dakota's Health and Human Services Department is shifting from directly managing all 500-700 grants under its Rural Health Transformation Program funding to using outside "anchor partners," in-state organizations that will handle grant applications and individual grant management while HHS oversees at a higher level. North Dakota had been the only state managing every grant itself; three anchor partners are being used, including the University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health, with two more still to be finalized. The change comes as more than $161 million of the state's $199 million award remains unawarded ahead of an October 30 deadline, prompting lawmaker concerns about transparency, selection criteria, and further delays. CMS is expected to announce North Dakota's second-year funding amount, estimated near $200 million, in October.

Federal Policy·ND·34d ago

Federal SNAP Restrictions Cut Refugee Eligibility, Expand Work Requirements Through Age 64

The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act restricted noncitizen access to SNAP, eliminating benefits for refugees, and expanded work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents from age 54 to 64. In North Dakota, approximately 1,000 noncitizens and 5,600 adults are losing benefits. Affected adults must now work, train, or volunteer at least 80 hours monthly to maintain eligibility or face a three-year lockout after three months. The maximum dependent age for exemptions dropped from 18 to 14. Refugee resettlement agencies report families losing nutrition support while seeking employment.

State Policy·ND·34d ago

North Dakota Opens $50.5 Million Rural Health Grant Applications

North Dakota's Department of Health and Human Services has opened applications for $50.5 million in Rural Health Transformation Program grants covering ambulance equipment, childcare for healthcare workers, telehealth infrastructure, remote patient monitoring, and behavioral health needs assessments. Application deadlines run from August 8 through August 18, 2026, with awards ranging from a single $500,000 behavioral health grant to 110 ambulance equipment grants of $200,000 each. An additional $2 million for accessible vehicles serving Medicaid recipients and rural residents will be announced later. The funding is part of North Dakota's nearly $200 million first-year allocation from federal rural health legislation signed in 2025.

State Policy·ND·34d ago

North Dakota Governor Names Conner Swanson as Health and Human Services Commissioner

Gov. Kelly Armstrong appointed Conner Swanson, a longtime senior adviser, as commissioner of North Dakota's Department of Health and Human Services, effective August 29, 2026. Swanson will oversee a $5.7 billion biennial budget, more than 2,000 employees, and agency operations including Medicaid administration and federal grant programs. He succeeds interim commissioner Pat Traynor, who served since June 2025. Swanson previously worked as a policy adviser and communications director for Armstrong in Congress and played a role in the Rural Health Transformation Program deploying federal grants for rural health infrastructure.

State Policy·ND·82d ago

North Dakota Offers $40M in Federal Grants for Rural Hospital Equipment

The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services announced $40 million in grants for rural hospital equipment upgrades through the Rural Health Transformation Program. The funding comes from the state's $200 million allocation under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in 2025. The grants are available to rural hospitals for clinical equipment modernization. Application details and timelines were not specified in the announcement.

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