North Dakota Rural Health Grant Opportunities Imminent as Feds OK Spending Plan

(Photo by Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – The federal government has approved most of North Dakota’s nearly $200 million plan implementing the first year of a massive rural health grant — meaning organizations will soon be able to apply for a slice of the money.

The funding comes from the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program passed by Congress last summer. The five-year program, part of Congress’s budget reconciliation bill, was advertised as a way to partially make up for funding rural states will lose from Medicaid cuts included elsewhere in the legislation. All states are guaranteed at least $500 million from the program and are eligible for up to $1 billion.

North Dakota in late December learned it was authorized for $199 million for the first year of the program. The state plans to dole out most of its money in the form of grants.

But first, North Dakota had to have its program budget approved by the federal government.  North Dakota lawmakers in January convened for a three-day special session to create the budget, which then was submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for final review.