NRHA Statement on Congress Passing Full Year FY 2026 Funding Bill

PRESS RELEASE

National Rural Health Association

February 3, 2026

NRHA Statement on Congress Passing an FY2026 Funding Bill.

On February 3, 2026, the House voted to pass a full-year funding package that includes the Labor, Health and Human Services (L-HHS) appropriations bill and rural health extenders. The Senate passed this package last Friday, which means that it now heads to the President's desk for signature, ending the 3-day partial government shutdown.

NRHA is pleased to see Congress’ strong support for rural health through increased funding for many of our core rural programs at the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. We also applaud Congress for passing a comprehensive funding package for the entire fiscal year. Continuous funding for rural health programs is vital for sustaining rural health infrastructure and access to rural healthcare.

NRHA appreciates Congress’ extensions of Medicare programs and designations, including the Medicare-dependent hospital designation, low-volume hospital payments, rural ambulance payment, and telehealth flexibilities. However, year-long, short-term extenders put rural hospitals and patients in an uncertain position that makes long-term financial planning more difficult and undermines the benefit of the programs. Thus, NRHA urges Congress to implement permanent extensions for these programs in order to sustain the rural infrastructure and guarantee stability for providers.

Please find NRHA’s FY2027 Appropriations asks here and Rural Health Extenders leave-behind here.