OKLAHOMA CITY – The National Governors Association (NGA) today welcomed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz for discussion to advance the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) and address Medicaid program integrity in states across the country. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee facilitated the wide-ranging conversation during NGA’s annual Summer Meeting in Oklahoma City.
“With the Rural Health Transformation Program, we want people thinking there’s a future out there, getting excited about it, and the fact that Congress thought this was wise enough to do it and then give it away immediately, I think, is real testimony to the power governors have in this country,” said CMS Administration Dr. Mehmet Oz.
“Medicaid, healthcare outcomes and the cost of healthcare are of the utmost importance to our states. Not only because they are such a big piece of our budget but because it is about serving some of the most vulnerable in our communities,” said Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.
The discussion builds on NGA’s ongoing work with Administrator Oz and CMS to support governors as they implement RHTP. After the program was established in July 2025 under H.R. 1, NGA began convening meetings between governors, Administrator Oz and CMS to help states navigate the application process and leverage the program’s resources to address the broad health care needs in rural areas of the country. Administrator Oz also met with governors at the 2025 NGA Summer Meeting.
NGA is driving conversations between governors’ teams as they work to navigate other significant changes that H.R. 1 has brought to health and human services programs administered through the states, offering the technical grounding to modernize benefits systems. Part of NGA’s work includes helping governors as they work to implement program changes to Medicaid effectively while maintaining program integrity and service delivery. As administration of the programs can vary from state to state, continuing to share real-world approaches to operational challenges is critical to achieving results.
“Governors are on the front lines of implementing some of the most consequential changes to health and human services programs in decades,” said NGA Chief Policy Officer Timothy Blute. “NGA is committed to convening governors and federal leaders like Administrator Oz to engage in constructive discussions about ways states can partner effectively with federal agencies to strengthen rural health and Medicaid programs while also meeting the unique needs of individual states and meeting the shared goal of improving Americans’ health outcomes.”
Earlier this month, the NGA Center for Best Practices hosted the 2026 Health Policy Leadership Forum, bringing together health policy leaders from nearly 20 states and territories. Discussions centered on rural health transformation, Medicaid financial sustainability, H.R. 1 implementation, healthcare affordability, and program integrity, providing governors’ offices with opportunities to share practical solutions and lessons learned across states.
Governors’ efforts to implement changes related to Medicaid and H.R. 1 were also a priority focus at NGA’s May convening of its annual Governors Health and Human Services Policy Advisors Institute. At the institute, leaders from 34 states and territories shared perspectives on issues impacting states, including navigating changes related to the implementation of H.R. 1. As governors continue to make policy decisions to minimize service disruptions and promote fiscal sustainability, NGA has served to convene experts from across the public and private sectors to seek policy implementation solutions.
To learn more about how NGA is working with governors on the Rural Health Transformation Program, Medicaid and other issues that fall under the umbrella of CMS priorities, see these resources:
- 2026 Governors’ Health and Human Services Policy Advisors Institute
- Leveraging the Rural Health Transformation Program to Improve Behavioral Health Outcomes
- Rural Health in Focus at NGA Health Policy Leadership Forum
- Governors’ Policy Actions on Behavioral Health Access
- Healthcare Priorities in Governors’ 2026 State of the State Addresses
- Strengthening Rural Maternal Mental Health
- Food is Medicine: A Strategic Shift in State Health Policy
- Rural Health: A Strategic Opportunity for Governors
