Trump delivers for rural health care

OPINION:

When a community’s only hospital shuts its doors, it isn’t an abstract policy problem. It’s a crisis that leaves families with nowhere to turn in an emergency, mothers forced to travel hours to deliver their babies and seniors struggling to find basic care close to home.

That’s why President Trump’s administration is rightly celebrating what is arguably the most significant rural health investment in American history: the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, which will put real, measurable support into the hands of rural Americans who have been overlooked for far too long.

On July 4, Mr. Trump signed the Working Families Tax Cuts Act into law, creating this rural health initiative and committing $50 billion, roughly $10 billion a year from 2026 through 2030, to strengthen health care where it’s needed most. On Dec. 29, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that all 50 states will receive funding under this program, with first-year awards averaging about $200 million per state, from roughly $147 million to $281 million this year alone.

This isn’t a gimmick. It’s a serious investment in the backbone of America. Rural hospitals and clinics traditionally operate on thin margins, serving populations with lower patient volume and fewer resources.

For decades, rural health care facilities have struggled. Hospitals in small towns often have lower bed counts and occupancy rates that hover around 37%, compared with 62% in urban centers, leaving many of them one bad quarter or one policy change away from closure. In fact, hundreds of rural hospitals have already vanished in recent years, creating “health care deserts,” in which residents must travel for emergency treatment or forgo it entirely.

The administration’s rural health initiative is large in scale and innovative in its goals. Unlike old funding formulas that simply reimbursed services already provided (a model that didn’t help stabilize struggling infrastructure), the Rural Health Transformation Program allows states to invest in workforce development, modernize facilities and technology, and adopt innovative care models tailored to local needs.

This flexibility empowers rural communities to solve their own problems rather than forcing them into one-size-fits-all solutions designed in Washington.

For hardworking families in rural America, this investment is about more than numbers. It means better access to doctors and specialists, new telemedicine and digital health care options, and stronger local economies supported by stable health care jobs. After years in which rural communities felt left behind, this level of federal commitment underscores the Trump-Vance administration’s “America First” approach: investing in all Americans regardless of ZIP code.

Yet the story doesn’t end with dollars alone. Mr. Trump has also used his leadership to tackle broader health care system issues that disproportionately impact rural areas. The Trump-Vance administration has signaled that rural health care investment is part of a bigger strategy to make American health care more affordable and accountable.

Critics may try to cast doubt on the plan’s effectiveness or argue about political motives, but rural voters understand what this investment represents. In communities across the nation, the first wave of funding is already underway. Missouri is set to receive $216 million to begin strengthening rural health care infrastructure and workforce development. These are lifelines to hospitals, clinics and the front-line workers who serve millions of Americans living miles from the nearest metropolitan center.

Beyond direct funding, this initiative acknowledges a truth that many in urban policy circles have ignored: Access to quality health care should never depend on your address. That principle resonates in rural counties, where residents often travel long distances for emergency care or routine checkups. The administration’s plan helps ensure that Americans in places such as eastern Montana, the Mississippi Delta or the Texas Panhandle can get care in their hometowns, close to family and familiar faces.

There’s also a broader economic benefit. Rural hospitals are often among the largest employers in their communities. Stabilizing these institutions means supporting rural jobs, keeping local businesses alive and maintaining the social fabric that makes small-town America vibrant.

The historic investment sets a precedent for reforms. It demonstrates that Washington can take bold, targeted action that respects both taxpayers and patients. In a nation where nearly 60 million Americans call rural communities home, ensuring access to quality health care is essential to keeping those communities strong and thriving. Mr. Trump’s historic rural health investment is a major step in that direction, one that will ripple through families, local economies and the broader health care system for years to come.

This is not just about politics. It’s about putting America first in every ZIP code, every family and every life.

• Jorge Martinez is executive vice president and chief of staff at Defend Forgotten America. He previously served as press secretary for the U.S. Department of Justice.