LINCOLN— Gov. Jim Pillen and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced that Nebraska has distributed $177 million of its $218.5 million first-year allocation under the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. The funding supports efforts to improve rural healthcare access, including expanding community health workers, recruiting medical professionals, developing mobile maternal health units, and improving telehealth services. Nebraska officials also highlighted the state’s early implementation of stricter Medicaid work requirements, reporting that approximately 600 to 900 residents have lost coverage since June. While state and federal officials praised Nebraska’s progress, healthcare advocates raised concerns that the new requirements could prevent eligible residents from maintaining coverage and that federal rural health funding may not fully offset broader Medicaid cuts.

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