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Policy & oversight

Georgia Receives 93.3 Million Dollars in Federal Rural Health Grants for Telehealth, Surgical Robotics, and Value-Based Hospital Care

The federal Rural Health Transformation Program is directing 93.3 million dollars to Georgia, where the state plans to help 87 rural hospitals prepare for value-based care, expand telehealth, and bring surgical robotics to underserved communities.

By the Goodsurance editorial teamSeptember 4, 2026

The Trump Administration announced that Georgia will receive 93.3 million dollars through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a five-year, 50 billion dollar initiative authorized under the Working Families Tax Cuts legislation of 2026.

Georgia's plan focuses on four interconnected areas.

Georgia is directing 93.3 million federal dollars to equip 87 rural hospitals with value-based care models, telehealth, and surgical robotics.

The first is preparing rural hospitals for value-based care. The state plans to help 87 rural hospitals build the capacity needed to participate in the CMS AHEAD Model, which links hospital payment to population health outcomes rather than the volume of services delivered.

The second area covers workforce development, with planned investments in training and education for nurses, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics, as well as new strategies for recruiting and retaining rural health professionals.

The third area expands access to maternal and behavioral health services, newborn screening, and transportation through telehealth infrastructure and extended care networks.

The fourth area brings next-generation technology to rural communities. Georgia plans to deploy surgical robotics, expand dementia care resources, and modernize telehealth infrastructure in underserved rural areas.

Georgia committed the full 218 million dollars awarded to the state under its first-year RHTP allocation, which includes additional funding beyond the 93.3 million dollars cited in the announcement. RHTP awards average 200 million dollars in the first year across all states and range from 147 million dollars to 281 million dollars. Grants run through 2030.

In plain words

Georgia will get 93.3 million dollars from the federal government to improve health care in rural areas. The state will use the money to help 87 rural hospitals get ready for a new way of being paid that rewards keeping people healthy. Georgia will also train more nurses and paramedics, bring telehealth services to more communities, and bring surgical robots to rural hospitals. Families will have better access to mental health care and maternity care in rural Georgia. All 50 states are getting similar funding over five years.

Source: CMS
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