State Rep. Matt Maddock, vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, today responded to testimony from rural healthcare providers across Michigan who appeared before the committee to raise serious concerns about how the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) plans to administer federal rural healthcare grants.

The Rural Health Transformation Program, created under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, provides $50 billion over five years nationwide to improve healthcare access and outcomes in rural communities. Michigan was awarded $173.1 million for the first year of the program.

Under MDHHS’s eligibility criteria, some of Michigan’s largest counties, including Oakland and Wayne, are labeled “partially rural,” allowing them to qualify for federal healthcare grants intended for remote hospitals.

“If Wayne County qualifies as rural, then the word has no meaning,” said Maddock (R-Milford). “These dollars were created to support rural communities, not to subsidize healthcare networks in Michigan’s most resource-rich counties.”

Residents in Michigan’s most remote regions face long drives, unreliable transportation, limited time off work, and additional out-of-pocket costs just to access services that metro residents can reach in minutes.

“When a mother lives an hour or more from a hospital, or when a cancer patient has to drive across multiple counties just to reach care, those communities cannot afford Lansing gamesmanship with dollars meant specifically for them,” said Maddock.

Maddock also expressed concern about the department’s plan to withhold approximately $19 million from Michigan’s allocation for administrative costs, including $2 million for salaries, benefits, and travel for 12 new positions.

“Every dollar siphoned into bureaucracy is a dollar stolen from rural patients,” said Maddock.

As vice chair of Appropriations, Maddock said he will push for transparency and accountability to ensure the funding reaches the communities it was intended to support.

“We’re not going to let rural Michigan get shortchanged,” said Maddock. “If MDHHS is going to make major eligibility decisions that could redirect millions of dollars away from truly rural communities, then they owe the Legislature and the public clear answers, and this committee will demand them.”