WASHINGTON — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a landmark $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program aimed at strengthening health care across rural America.

“This is the largest investment ever made to improve health care for rural Americans,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Rural communities are the bedrock of America. They have waited too long for Washington to act. Now, at last, we are acting.”

The initiative will provide critical funding to expand access to hospitals, improve telehealth services, recruit and retain medical professionals, and modernize health infrastructure in underserved areas. Officials say the program is designed to close long-standing gaps in care that have left rural populations vulnerable, particularly during public health crises.

Health experts view the program as a historic step toward addressing inequities, though its success will depend on coordination with state governments, health systems, and local providers.