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119-s-4204119th CongressWALLET

Rural Health Innovation Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]

Introduced

Summary

Expanding rural emergency and primary care capacity. This bill would create two competitive grant programs to help rural clinics, hospitals, and local health departments set up walk-in urgent care, emergency triage and staging centers, and to convert some facilities into Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) or Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).

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  • Rural families and patients would see more local walk-in urgent care, emergency triage, and staging for ambulance or air transport, with access to labs, X-ray, and cardiac monitors to reduce travel for emergency-like care.
  • Clinics and hospitals that become or are FQHCs or RHCs could get five-year grants to establish or maintain these centers; first-year awards up to $500,000 for existing FQHCs/RHCs and up to $750,000 for conversions, then up to $500,000 per year in years 2–5.
  • Local rural health departments could compete for annual grants up to $500,000 for equipment, hiring providers, and community outreach, with limits that cap academic partnership spending and early outreach at small percentages of each award.

*This bill would authorize $25 million per year for each program from 2027 through 2031, increasing federal spending by up to $50 million per year over that period.*

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

More grants for rural health services

If enacted, the bill would create two HHS grant programs to expand rural urgent care and local health services. One program would fund FQHCs, RHCs, or hospitals that agree to convert to an FQHC or RHC to run walk-in urgent care and triage centers. Those grants would run up to five years. First-year clinic awards would be up to $500,000 for existing FQHCs/RHCs and $750,000 for entities establishing an FQHC/RHC. Years two through five would be limited to $500,000 per year. The other program would give competitive annual grants to rural local health departments to buy equipment and hire staff for emergency and primary care. Health department grants would be up to $500,000 per year for five years. Each program would be authorized at $25 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031. The bill would also set small spending limits (for academic partnerships and outreach) and require HRSA to consider prior-year patient counts when setting award amounts.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]

TN • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]

    CO • D

    Sponsored 3/25/2026

  • Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS]

    MS • R

    Sponsored 3/25/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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