BOISE, ID — Governor Brad Little announced Thursday that the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has submitted the state’s application for the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, seeking up to $1 billion over five years to improve access and quality of health care in rural communities.
The program, authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, offers states as much as $200 million annually for projects aimed at strengthening rural health care delivery. Idaho’s application was developed under Executive Order 2025-08, the “Making Rural Idaho Healthy Again Act,” which established a task force of state leaders, tribes, and stakeholders to identify key areas of need.
Governor Little said Idaho’s largely rural population stands to benefit from the program’s investments. “We are grateful for the significant investments President Trump and Congress have committed to improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes in rural Idaho and across the country,” he said in a statement. “We are proud of the effective, collaborative approach we utilized in preparing Idaho’s application for funding through this transformative new program.”
State lawmakers, including Senator Julie VanOrden, Senator Scott Grow, Representative Wendy Horman, and Representative John Vander Woude, praised the collaboration behind the effort, calling it meaningful progress toward improving patient outcomes, expanding access, and strengthening care across rural Idaho.
The state’s application centers on several priorities, including improving access to care through expanded use of technology, ensuring quality and accessibility through innovative models, sustaining the rural workforce through training, recruitment, and retention programs, and developing population-specific, evidence-based projects aimed at addressing unique health challenges. It also emphasizes investment in rural health infrastructure and partnerships designed to support long-term improvements in healthcare delivery.
Idaho expects to learn how much funding it will receive by December 31. Once funding levels are confirmed, the state will seek legislative approval for spending authority before issuing competitive solicitations for providers, educational institutions, technology vendors, tribes, and other partners.
Additional information about Idaho’s application and the Rural Health Transformation Program is available on the Department of Health and Welfare’s website at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.
