Portion of federal rural health grant dollars for TN may depend on eliminating certificate of need

By: Cassandra Stephenson

Outlets: Tennessee Lookout

Published: January 22, 2026

Words: 1,311

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 4 days ago

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A portion of Tennessee’s federal grant money from the Trump administration’s Rural Health Transformation Program may depend on state lawmakers’ ability to pass legislation eliminating the certificate of need law — something the Tennessee Hospital Association has resisted for years.

The Joint Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously on Jan. 14 to accept nearly $207 million in federal grant dollars for the grant’s first year, but not without reservations.

Tennessee anticipates receiving up to …

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