Sponsors (6)
The bill directs grant funding to improve rural health access and community participation through 2030, trading off increased public spending and added administrative burdens for recipients.
Rural residents — especially underserved populations — will gain improved access to tailored health services because grants must be used to meet rural healthcare needs.
Hospitals, health systems, and local governments will have funding certainty through 2030, enabling multi-year planning for rural health networks and outreach projects.
Rural communities and low-income individuals will have greater input into project planning and operations because grants must support involvement of underserved populations.
Taxpayers will bear the cost of maintaining the program through 2030 if appropriations continue at current or higher levels.
Grant recipients (hospitals, health systems, and local governments) may face new administrative requirements to demonstrate community involvement, increasing paperwork and compliance costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Extends authorization for rural outreach and network development grants through 2030 and requires projects to meet rural underserved populations' needs and include them in planning and operations.
Introduced March 31, 2025 by Buddy Carter · Last progress March 31, 2025
Reauthorizes federal grant authority for rural health outreach and rural health network development for an additional five years (covering 2026–2030) and adds a requirement that grants be used, as appropriate, to meet the health care needs of rural underserved populations. It also requires that those rural underserved populations be involved in the development, planning, operations, and ongoing implementation of grant-funded projects and networks.