Did the One Big Beautiful Bill provide South Dakota with millions for rural health care?

The Rural Health Transformation Program, outlined in the Big Beautiful Bill, included $189 million for South Dakota toward the first year of implementation.

The South Dakota Department of Health outlined four areas that the money would be used to advance rural health care:

• Connect technology and data for a healthier South Dakota
• Advance the rural workforce
• Keep health care access local and strong
• Transform systems for sustainability

“It doesn’t really do much good to invest in technology and things in hospitals if people can’t actually access the health care,” Gronli said of the rural health care money in regard to the Medicaid cuts.

Jackley said private health care is the answer.

“When you talk about health care and those challenges that we just heard about from my opponent, it’s all because of what was happening with respect to trying to socialize medicine,” Jackley said. “Government health care isn’t the answer.”