OPINION:
In rural Virginia, access to health care is not guaranteed. It must be protected.
Across Virginia’s First District and throughout our Commonwealth, rural communities face real challenges. Workforce shortages, aging facilities, thin operating margins and long travel distances all put pressure on local providers. When a rural hospital struggles, families notice. When access to specialists is limited, patients feel it immediately.
Before serving in Congress, I spent more than 26 years working for the Virginia Department of Health and earned a master’s degree in public health. That experience shaped how I approach health policy. I have seen firsthand how federal decisions affect local providers, how one-size-fits-all mandates often miss the mark in rural America and how fragile rural health systems can be without thoughtful, targeted support.
That is why strengthening rural health care has remained one of my top priorities in Congress.
Last year, and with my support, Congress established the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion initiative designed specifically to stabilize and modernize rural health systems. Unlike top-down federal directives, this program gives states the flexibility to craft tailored plans that address their most pressing needs, whether that means preventing hospital closures, expanding mental health services, investing in updated equipment and technology or recruiting and retaining health professionals.
Just last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that Virginia would receive nearly $190 million in 2026 through this program. I was proud to advocate for the Commonwealth’s application, and I will continue working to ensure these resources reach the communities that need them most.
This investment is not about expanding bureaucracy. It is about strengthening local health infrastructure so rural Virginians can access dependable, high-quality care close to home. Rural communities deserve solutions designed for their realities, not policies written with only urban systems in mind.
At the same time, we must recognize that simply expanding federal programs without structural reform does not guarantee long-term stability. Rural hospitals need predictable reimbursement, workforce support and regulatory flexibility not layers of mandates that increase administrative burdens while failing to improve outcomes. Sustainable reform means empowering providers, not constraining them.
Technology is also central to expanding rural access. I have supported permanent telehealth access for families enrolled in high-deductible health plans and seniors covered by Medicare. Telehealth reduces travel burdens, connects patients to specialists and ensures timely care for those in remote areas. For rural communities, this is not a convenience; it is access.
I am also a cosponsor of the bipartisan Ensuring Access to Specialty Care Everywhere (EASE) Act, which would connect rural patients to specialists through a virtual provider network. For many families, seeing a specialist can require hours on the road. Leveraging telehealth bridges that gap and strengthens the rural health safety net.
Workforce development remains equally critical. Recruiting doctors, nurses and mental health professionals to rural communities requires sustained investment and smart policy. The Rural Health Transformation Program gives states the flexibility to address these shortages directly, helping ensure that rural providers have the support they need to serve their patients.
As we strengthen rural systems, we must also pursue reforms that lower costs and protect access more broadly. I have supported expanding health savings accounts (HSAs) to give families greater financial flexibility and recognizing direct primary care (DPC) arrangements that provide personalized, affordable care. These patient-centered solutions encourage innovation and expand options without increasing bureaucracy.
In addition, I continue working to protect vulnerable populations, including seniors, veterans and children facing rare diseases. Strong rural health systems depend on policies that support the full spectrum of care and ensure that no community is left behind.
Rural America does not need more bureaucracy. It needs practical policies that respect local expertise, strengthen community-based providers, and encourage innovation.
Geography should never determine whether a rural family can access quality care.
The future of rural health care will depend on our willingness to prioritize smart investment over political rhetoric and to put patients and providers, not Washington, at the center of decision-making.
• Rep. Rob Wittman serves as vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee. Prior to his election in Congress, he spent 26 years working for the Virginia Department of Health’s Division of Shellfish Sanitation and as an environmental health specialist for local health departments in Virginia’s Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.