Our goal is to work alongside them to close those gaps and ensure every East Texan has access to the care they need.
Work alongside local health care providers and community leaders to close rural health care gaps and ensure East Texans can access the care they need.
Occurrences
Evidence
During National Public Health Week, Rep. Nathaniel Moran joined Sen. John Cornyn in Tyler for a meeting with East Texas health care providers, educators, and community leaders at the University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center. The office said Moran and Cornyn met stakeholders from across the region to hear how the Rural Health Transformation Program is helping hospitals, clinics, and providers modernize health systems to better meet community needs.
Section 71401 creates the Rural Health Transformation Program, appropriating $10 billion for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030 and requiring state plans to improve access to hospitals, other health care providers, and health care items and services for rural residents. The statute also prioritizes partnerships, recruitment and training, telehealth, and sustainable access to high-quality rural care.
Moran wrote that Texas had received $281 million through the Rural Health Transformation Program and said the resources would provide a vital safety net for rural communities, especially in East Texas. He said he would visit health care professionals at UT Tyler Health Science Center to discuss how RHTP funding would improve operations throughout East Texas and how it could help smaller providers stay afloat.
Rep. August Pfluger's official release says Texas delegation members, including Rep. Nathaniel Moran, signed a letter to CMS supporting Texas's Rural Health Transformation Program application. The letter argued Texas has 155 rural hospitals, 202 rural counties, extensive rural hospital closures and provider shortages, and asked CMS to account for Texas's rural needs when allocating funds. It said Texas planned to collaborate with rural hospitals, FQHCs, and other providers and prioritize chronic disease reduction, remote monitoring, telehealth, workforce recruitment, cybersecurity, and hospital and clinic equipment upgrades.
Texas HHSC said it extended application deadlines for Rural Texas Strong initiatives under the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, citing strong interest and an intent to help all rural Texas communities benefit. Eligible entities include rural health care providers, rural hospitals, rural clinics, behavioral health providers, EMS providers, pharmacies, public health offices, and other eligible rural providers. The bulletin states Rural Texas Strong is supported by a CMS/HHS award totaling $281,319,360.67.
HHSC extended deadlines for multiple Rural Texas Strong initiatives under the Rural Health Transformation Program, including grants aimed at rural health providers, hospitals, clinics, EMS, pharmacies, and public health offices, and said the program is backed by a $281,319,360.67 CMS/HHS award.
Moran met East Texas health care providers, educators, and community leaders in Tyler, said local partnerships are needed to close rural care gaps, and tied the effort to federal rural-health funding meant to improve access and modernize local systems.
Assessments
Moran did work with East Texas providers, educators, and community leaders and backed federal rural-health funding, so he materially advanced the issue. But the evidence shows outreach, advocacy, and grant implementation rather than proof that rural care gaps in East Texas were actually closed or that access was fully ensured, so this is only partial credit.
Moran appears to have followed through on the coordination part of the promise during his current federal term: he met with East Texas health care providers, educators, and community leaders, publicly framed rural access gaps as a priority, and supported Texas's Rural Health Transformation Program funding request. That is concrete same-term engagement and policy advocacy aligned with 'work alongside' local stakeholders. But the record provided does not show that rural health care gaps in East Texas were actually closed or that East Texans were demonstrably ensured access to needed care. The cited federal law and Texas grant rollout are meaningful progress, but they are upstream funding and implementation steps rather than completed outcomes directly proving the promise was fully delivered.
Moran has taken concrete same-term actions aligned with the promise: meeting East Texas providers and community leaders, publicly tying the issue to rural-health funding, and joining a Texas delegation letter urging CMS to prioritize Texas rural health needs. Federal and Texas implementation of the Rural Health Transformation Program also creates funding channels relevant to rural access gaps. However, the evidence shows advocacy, coordination, and early funding implementation rather than completed, measurable closure of East Texas rural health care gaps or proof that access has materially improved. This supports partial credit, not full delivery.
Moran took concrete same-term steps aligned with the promise by meeting with East Texas health care providers, educators, and community leaders and publicly tying rural-health access needs to the Rural Health Transformation Program. Federal law created a significant rural-health funding mechanism that could help address the promised gaps, and Moran appears to have supported and promoted its relevance to East Texas. However, the evidence shows coordination, advocacy, and upstream funding rather than a completed closure of rural health care gaps or demonstrated access improvements for East Texans. Because the promised outcome is broad and outcome-based, this supports partial credit rather than full delivery.