Senator Collins Announces $190 Million for Maine Rural Hospitals and Providers through Rural Health Transformation Program

Funding proposed by Senator Collins is the largest single federal investment in rural health care in more than two decades.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that Maine will receive $190 million in first-year funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a $50 billion initiative that will be awarded over five years that she proposed to support rural health care systems across the country. Maine's population is the oldest of any state in the nation and is among the most rural, placing unique strains on its rural health care system.

"I proposed $50 billion in funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program to help give rural states like Maine the resources they need to keep health care available close to home," said Senator Collins. "This funding will help strengthen our rural hospitals and support innovative approaches that can lower costs and improve health outcomes for Mainers no matter where they live. And while this investment will not solve every challenge facing our state's rural health care system, it represents an important step toward improving access to care for individuals across rural Maine and comes at a time when many rural health care providers are facing significant financial hardship."

The Rural Health Transformation Program represents the largest single federal investment in rural health care in more than two decades. Senator Collins proposed the funding during negotiations over amendments to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. She successfully pushed to expand the RHTP to $50 billion and ensure that a broader range of rural providers would be eligible for support, despite voting against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to distribute the $50 billion initiative in tranches of $10 billion over each of the next five years.

The State of Maine's application for RHTP funding, submitted by the State with the support of the entire congressional delegation, focuses on five core priorities: empowering rural Mainers to achieve their own healthy living goals; strengthening the rural health workforce; adopting health-enabling technologies such as telehealth and electronic medical records; reducing financial and transportation-related barriers to care; and sustaining the long-term viability of Maine's rural health care ecosystem.

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