Specialty Doctors to Rural Hospitals Grant Program; establish and provide eligibility.

HB 232 establishes the Specialty Doctors to Rural Hospitals Grant Program to ensure rural hospitals in Mississippi have access to specialty doctors when major hospitals are on diversion (unable to accept more patients). The Mississippi Department of Health would administer grants to eligible rural hospitals (defined as having 50 or fewer acute beds), distributing funds based on factors like hospital size, distance from major hospitals, local health demographics, and specific specialty needs. The program requires the Department to create payment rules and regulations to support this goal, with implementation planned for July 1, 2026. However, the bill died in committee in February 2026 and has not become law.