Georgia health officials map out $1.4 billion plan for new federal rural health funds

by Maya Homan, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission] December 24, 2025 State officials have introduced a $1.4 billion plan to improve rural health outcomes over the next five years under the federal Rural Health Transformation Program created as part of this summer’s budget reconciliation bill. In a 96-page application, officials from the state’s Department of Community Health requested funds to improve access to primary and specialty care in rural areas, strengthen telehealth infrastructure and recruit more health care providers across the state’s dozens of rural counties. “Our broader vision is that rural populations are healthier, live longer, have an improved quality of life, and can both live and work in the communities they love,” said Stuart Portman, Georgia’s Medicaid director, during the Board of Community Health meeting this month. Georgia’s rural counties face higher rates of poverty, heart disease and cancer than their urban counterparts, according to the state’s application for the program. Rural counties are also less likely to have pediatricians or OB/GYNs, and have lower rates of employee-sponsored health insurance. There are limits to how Georgia can use the money, however. Funding must be allocated according to the program’s guidelines
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