Nebraska Has Awarded 45% of Its First-Year Rural Health Funds
Nebraska has distributed $97.7 million of its $218.5 million first-year allotment from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, a grant program created to partially offset Medicaid cuts now in effect across rural communities. That leaves roughly $120.8 million still to be awarded before the October 31, 2026, deadline.
The program was authorized as part of the federal tax and spending package President Trump signed in July 2025. That law included sweeping Medicaid reductions, and the $50 billion RHTP was written in as mitigation, distributed at $10 billion per year through fiscal year 2030 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
$97.7M awarded by Nebraska of its $218.5M first-year allotment, as of late July 2026
Nebraska ranked 8th highest among all 50 states in its initial RHTP allocation. Half of the national program’s total is split evenly across states; the other half is distributed based on factors tied to rural health need and Medicaid exposure.
Nebraska DHHS Launched a Dashboard, Though It Launched Behind
Nebraska DHHS released a public dashboard tool on July 30, 2026, to let residents track where RHTP funds are going. The dashboard already reflected outdated information when it went live: it showed roughly $41 million awarded, figures current only through July 7. DHHS confirmed the actual total had reached $97.7 million by late July. The dashboard is set to update monthly.
Ashley Newmyer, director of public health for Nebraska DHHS, called the distribution pace “excellent progress compared to other states.”
“We’re showing excellent progress compared to other states. I feel good about where we’re headed.”
Ashley Newmyer, Director of Public Health, Nebraska DHHS, July 2026
Community Health Workers Are One Funded Priority
One concrete use of RHTP money is community health worker infrastructure. Local health departments can hire trusted community members to conduct home visits with chronically ill patients, helping them maintain consistent care. These are entry-level positions requiring on-the-job training, not clinical degrees. Sara Morgan, deputy director of health promotion and prevention for DHHS, described this as a way to keep care local in areas with documented provider shortages.
Nebraska has acknowledged shortage areas across the state. The program’s stated goal is ensuring rural residents can access care without traveling out of their communities.
With $120.8 million still unawarded and roughly 13 weeks until the October 31 deadline, the distribution pace is the number that matters most going forward.
What You Can Do Now
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Monitor your county’s RHTP funding using Nebraska DHHS’s public dashboard, which updates monthly. If your county hasn’t received funds, contact your local health department and ask whether they have applied. Find your local health department at dhhs.ne.gov.
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Call the Nebraska DHHS at (402) 471-3121 and ask how community health worker positions are being filled in healthcare shortage areas, and whether your county’s health department has an active RHTP application on file.
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Contact your Nebraska state senator at the Legislature’s main line, (402) 471-2271, and ask them to require DHHS to publicly report the full disbursement status before the October 31 deadline, not just monthly dashboard snapshots that lag by weeks.
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Call your U.S. senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to protect the full $50 billion RHTP authorization. The Medicaid cuts this program was designed to offset are already in effect. Any reduction to future RHTP funding years directly increases rural healthcare gaps.
Sources
Nebraska Examiner: Nebraska Awards Roughly Half of $218M Rural Health Program Funds in First Year
Nebraska Examiner: Omaha Dental School Gets $4.6M from $50B Federal Rural Health Fund
KFF: Medicaid Cuts in the 2025 Federal Budget Reconciliation Law
CMS: Rural Health Transformation Program State Allocations and Program Overview