A bill introduced in the House of Representatives would support ensure that the state continues to receive funding through the federal rural health transformation program. (Photo by Perry Bennett/West Virginia Legislative Photography)
The West Virginia House of Representatives is advancing legislation that would ensure the state continues to receive funding from the Trump administration’s five-year, $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program.
The House Health and Human Resources Committee agreed House Bill 4740 and a separate original bill on Wednesday afternoon.
Under the Board of Health’s version of HB 4740, the West Virginia Department of Health would be able to exploit its own purchasing department for the federal funds without having to go through the state’s purchasing department. The program would still have to follow purchasing department rules, a lawyer for the committee said.
The original bill would require doctors in the state to complete continuing education on nutrition as part of their licensing requirements. For doctors, further training of 50 hours is required every two years and for doctors of osteopathic medicine, further training of 32 hours is required. The bill provides for two hours of continuing education on nutrition as part of these requirements.
The original version of HB 4740, “Statutory Commitments in Rural Health Transformation Program.”‘ would also have required the West Virginia Department of Education to include the presidential fitness test in its physical fitness curriculum. The committee’s attorney said the fitness test was removed from HB 4740 and will be part of another bill.
The Trump administration announced overdue last year that West Virginia had secured $199 million for 2026 under the Rural Health Transformation Program, which aims to “Help states strengthen themselves rural Health “To create infrastructure and build durable systems of care,” according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
The program will distribute a $50 billion fund to approved states over the next five years, with $10 billion distributed each year beginning in fiscal year 2026.
The program was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made historic cuts to Medicaid. West Virginia hospitals will lose $1 billion per year once the legislation is fully implemented. according to the state hospital association. The $50 billion rural health fund was added to federal law to address concerns that cuts in the Republican megabill would lead to rural hospital closures.
According to the The state’s application for the federal program, West Virginia wants to exploit the money to expand telemedicine. Address the state’s health workforce shortage and provide patients with access to transportation to medical appointments using public buses, rideshare services, and volunteer drivers.
Curtis Capehart, policy director for Gov. Patrick Morrisey, told the Board of Health on Tuesday that West Virginia will be reassessed over the next five years of the program to determine whether it is meeting the goals of the Rural Health Transformation program. Implementing the legislative changes would support the state perform better in future assessments.
HB 4740 and the original bill will next head to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
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