HHS Region 7 · Nebraska DHHS — Rural Health Transformation
Program Overview
The Nebraska Rural Health Transformation Program is in its initial implementation stage, launching statewide initiatives beginning in Spring 2026, with rolling funding opportunities for rural providers each year. Major focus areas include food as medicine, emergency and behavioral health, workforce acceleration, eHealth, and facility modernization, with active oversight by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and structured input from newly established Health Care Advisory Regions. The program emphasizes technology-enabled solutions, regional care coordination, and addresses critical rural workforce and health access gaps. Current structured plan tracks 11 key initiatives and 8 strategic goals.
Updated
County-level estimates averaged across Nebraska — % of adults 18+ unless noted. Delta vs US county average shown in red/green.
pp = percentage points vs US county average
County Drilldown (93)
| County | Pop | Poverty | Uninsured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | 590,736 | 11.8% | 7.7% |
| Lancaster County | 326,696 | 11.9% | 6.9% |
| Sarpy County | 197,389 | 5.6% | 4.0% |
| Hall County | 62,536 | 14.1% | 12.1% |
| Buffalo County | 50,579 | 9.9% | 5.3% |
| Dodge County | 37,351 | 11.0% | 7.9% |
| Scotts Bluff County | 35,843 | 12.9% | 8.9% |
| Madison County | 35,532 | 13.1% | 7.7% |
| Platte County | 34,716 | 9.8% | 8.1% |
| Lincoln County | 33,802 | 12.4% | 7.0% |
| Adams County | 31,052 | 12.7% | 8.5% |
| Cass County | 27,161 | 5.2% | 3.1% |
AI source: NE - 2026 - DHHS Releases RFAs For RHTP Funding Opportunities
AI auto-updated Jul 18, 2026
API refreshed May 7, 2026
Federal RHTP award total (state override)
Detailed federal award opportunity rows are not linked yet for this state, but an approved federal award total is set.
677,796 rural residents
Nebraska continues to actively implement the Rural Health Transformation Program, with multiple RFAs issued and recent sub-grant awards across key areas such as workforce development, clinical modernization, and facility enhancements. Applications remain open for several initiatives, including farm-to-school procurement, kitchen modernization, and assisted living facility upgrades, while awarded cycles are advancing project activity statewide. Recent awards for RHTP Initiative 3.3 further demonstrate concrete progress in workforce incentive and sustainability, and ongoing rolling awards indicate sustained momentum through August 2026. State opportunities: 4 active (3 open, 1 closing soon, 8 past/closed), $9.4M listed funding. Key opportunities: Nebraska RHTP Initiative 5.3: Modification of Existing Clinical Facilities for Mental Health Crisis; Rural Virtual Reality and Skills Acceleration Network; Nebraska RHTP Initiative 1.3: Farm-to-School Procurement and Policy Technical Assistance Grant. Strategy alignment: supports workforce, ems, care access priorities. State opportunities: 4 active (3 open, 1 closing soon, 14 past/closed), $9.4M listed funding. Key opportunities: Nebraska RHTP Initiative 5.3: Modification of Existing Clinical Facilities for Mental Health Crisis; Rural Virtual Reality and Skills Acceleration Network; Nebraska Department of Education RHTP Initiative 1.3 Request for Application: Farm-to-School Procurement and Policy Technical Assistance. Strategy alignment: supports workforce, ems, care access priorities.
Nebraska’s RHTP advances a regionally coordinated, technology-driven rural health transformation focused on workforce acceleration, infrastructure modernization, care integration, and prevention. The strategy leverages rolling, competitive RFAs, guided by structured regional stakeholder input through Health Care Advisory Regions (HCARs), to implement sustainable, locally aligned solutions. Initiatives target measurable improvements in health outcomes, equitable service access, and financial stability for rural care systems. Engagement with key sectors and cross-regional partnerships remains central to continuous program refinement.
Model
Statewide, regionally coordinated, prevention-first rural health transformation—integrating technology, workforce acceleration, and cross-sector partnerships to close rural care, equity, and outcome gaps.
Key Initiatives
Timeline: Five-year RHTP award cycle with initial RFAs beginning March 2026, first grant funding in Spring 2026, and annual application rounds each program year.
Chronic Disease Management: Initiatives focus on rural navigation and education programs to improve health outcomes for populations with chronic diseases. (Regions: statewide rural regions)
Rural Health Workforce: Programs support workforce incentive models and partnerships with SNAP Employment & Training for sustainability and capacity-building. (Regions: statewide rural regions)
Hospital Modernization and Emergency Care: Grant opportunities promote conversion of Critical Access Hospitals to Rural Emergency Hospitals and remote patient monitoring implementation. (Regions: statewide rural regions)
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Due Jul 31, 2027
28 related documents
NE - 2027 - RHTP RFA – Initiative 4.4a Community Health Worker (CHW) Training and Support
Primary source
NE - 2026 - RHTP Initiative 4.4a Chronic Disease Management Navigation and Education Initiative FAQs
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NE - 2026 - RHTP RFA – Initiative 4.4b Remote Patient Monitoring Implementation Initiative
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NE - 2026 - Request for Application (RFA) Chronic Disease Management Navigation and Education Initiative
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NE - 2026 - Request for Application (RFA) Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Prevention
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NE - 2026 - RHTP RFA – Initiative 4.2b Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Prevention
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NE - 2026 - RHTP Initiative 3.3 Rural Health Care Workforce Incentive and Sustainability Model Intent to Award
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NE - 2026 - RHTP Initiative 3.3 Rural Health Care Workforce Incentive and Sustainability Model Intent to Award (RHTP_Initiative_3.3_RFA_Intent_to_Award)
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NE - 2026 - RHT Project 3.3- Rural Health Care Workforce Incentive and Sustainability Model Grant
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NE - 2025 - Nebraska RHTP Initiative 3.3 Work Plan
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NE - 2026 - Request for Application (RFA): Rural Health Care Workforce Incentive and Sustainability Model
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NE - 2026 - Request for Applications (RFA) – Initiative 1.5b Community-based Nutrition & Physical Activity Programming for Local and Tribal Health Departments
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NE - 2026 - Request for Application (RFA) Make Rural Nebraska Healthy Again Through Food as Medicine Informational/Question and Answer Session Announcement
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NE - 2025 - Nebraska RHTP Initiative 1.2 Work Plan
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NE - 2026 - RFA: Make Rural Nebraska Healthy Again Through Food as Medicine (RHTP 1.2)
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NE - 2026 - DHHS Is Seeking Applications For RHTP Health Care Advisory Regions
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NE - 2026 - DHHS To Open RHTP Application To Help Build Rural Nebraska Workforce
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NE - 2026 - Grant Funding Opportunities
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NE - 2026 - Health Care Advisory Regions
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NE - 2025 - Build Rural Workforce
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NE - 2025 - Assisted Living Facility (ALF) Special Needs Incentive Payment Program
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NE - 2026 - View an accessible PDF
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NE - 2026 - Nebraska RHT Initiatives
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NE - 2026 - Nebraska Project Summary RHTP
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NE - 2026 - RHT Request for Application (RFA) Forecast - Nebraska RHT Initiatives
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NE - 2026 - Turn on more accessible mode Skip Ribbon Commands
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NE - 2026 - DHHS Releases RFAs For RHTP Funding Opportunities
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NE - 2027 - RHTP RFA – Initiative 2.5: Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) to Rural Emergency Hospitals (REH) Conversion
Primary source
Nebraska DHHS Division of Behavioral Health
Due Aug 31, 2026
2 related documents
NE - 2026 - RHTP RFA 5.3 – Modification of Existing Clinical Facilities for Mental Health Crisis (Nebraska DHHS)
NE - 2026 - Request for Applications
NE - 2026 - Form 1 – RHTP Initiative Cover Sheet
NE - 2026 - RFA RHTP 5.3 FORM 1
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health
Due Jul 24, 2026
1 related document
NE - 2026 - Request for Applications: Initiative 3.2 Rural Virtual Reality (VR) and Skills Acceleration Network
| FY↓ | Awardee↕ | Amount↕ | Activity↕ | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Boone County Health Center Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $340K | Population Health | |
| 2026 | Morrill County Community Hospital Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $340K | Population Health | |
| 2026 | Niobrara Valley Hospital Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $340K | Population Health | |
| 2026 | Memorial Health Care System Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $340K | Population Health | |
| 2026 | Pawnee County Memorial Hospital Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $340K | Population Health | |
| 2026 | Winnebago Comprehensive Health System Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $340K | Population Health | |
| 2026 | Urban Indian Medical Center Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $339K | Population Health | |
| 2026 | Chase Community Hospital Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $339K | Population Health | |
| 2026 | Beatrice Community Hospital (Virtual Nursing) Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $335K | Population Health | |
| 2026 | Encounter Telehealth Selected for award under Nebraska RHTP Initiative 4.4a (Chronic Disease Navigation and Education), following the Request for Application that closed March 27, 2026. | $318K | Population Health |
Nebraska DHHS announced an intent to award a rural health workforce incentive and sustainability grant to The Well NE under RHTP Initiative 3.3. Several applicants did not meet eligibility criteria. No financial details are provided in this announcement. Key contacts: dhhs.snapeandtprovider@nebraska.gov Event schedule: - Intent to Award Notification - 6/15/2026
Event Schedule
Contacts
Core Initiatives
Event schedule: - Applications are open until , 2026. To apply, visit https://nehca.org/NEHCA/Support/RHTPALGrant.aspx - June 30 - Sections on this page
Event Schedule
Nebraska DHHS has announced awards to nine recipients under the RHTP Initiative 3.3 for 2026-2027, supporting incentives and sustainability for rural health workforce across multiple organizations and community colleges. These awards form part of a five-year grant program emphasizing workforce development. Additional funding opportunities are anticipated to further strengthen rural health partnerships statewide. Event schedule: - April 1, 2026 RFA Application Close - 04/01/2026 - May 1, 2026 RFA Application Close - 05/01/2026 - June 1, 2026 RFA Application Close - 06/01/2026 - July 10, 2026 RFA Application Close - 07/10/2026
Event Schedule
Core Initiatives
Nebraska Department of Education will issue up to $8.34 million in federal funds to expand school access to locally produced foods through procurement of equipment and technical assistance. Eligible entities include local farmers, ranchers, producers, cooperatives, and food suppliers, with priority for rural, frontier, tribal, and food desert communities. Awards will be up to $150,000 per entity; the program focuses on increasing healthy eating and scaling up food supply infrastructure. Key contacts: Kayte Partch Kayte.Partch@nebraska.gov Event schedule: - RFA Release Date - 06/15/2026 - Application Open - 06/12/2026 - Application Due Date - 08/31/2026 - Period of Performance - 06/01/2026 - 06/30/2027
Event Schedule
Contacts
Core Initiatives
This is the required budget form for applicants seeking funding under the Rural Health Transformation Program in Nebraska. Applicants must detail their planned expenses, indirect cost rates, and provide a budget justification. The form enables the program to evaluate proposed budgets for eligibility and alignment with program goals.
This checklist provides Nebraska RHTP applicants with a comprehensive list of required documents to ensure a complete application submission, including organizational charts, good standing certificates, indirect cost agreements, letters of support, quality of care evidence, and W9 forms. It details documentation to demonstrate licensure, quality compliance, and support commitments. The checklist is intended to help applicants meet all compliance requirements.
This work plan outlines a subaward from Nebraska's Chronic Disease Prevention Program to train Community Health Workers in rural areas. The main goal is to provide specialized education through community colleges. The plan includes objectives, performance measures, evaluation criteria, and identifies key partners.
Core Initiatives
Nebraska's RHTP is a comprehensive program targeting critical gaps in rural health care workforce, access, and health outcomes. Initiatives include CHW certification, community paramedicine, SNAP E&T partner development, dental and school-age health career pipelines, telehealth-enabled simulation networks, and crisis response for law enforcement. The approach leverages partnership with educational institutions, tribal organizations, and local providers to build sustainable rural health infrastructure.
Nebraska's Keep Care Local program under RHTP includes multi-pronged initiatives to strengthen rural healthcare access, workforce, and infrastructure. Major components include leveraging technology to support chronic disease management, improving maternal and neonatal outcomes through perinatal regionalization, modernizing long-term care facilities, incentivizing memory and complex care, and building post-acute behavioral health capacity. The program emphasizes timely, coordinated care closer to home and supports connections with trusted local providers.
Core Initiatives
NE RHTP site updated — 1 new doc(s)
NE RHTP site updated — 1 new doc(s)
NE RHTP site updated — 2 new doc(s)
NE RHTP site updated — 2 new doc(s)
NE RHTP site updated — 1 new doc(s)
Spreadsheets, data exports, and reference documents — available for download but excluded from the main activity feed. Showing the 40 most recent of 288.
NE - 2001 - List of Respondents
NE - 2001 - List of Respondents
14-_medication_adherence.pdf
This document lists the individual hospitals in Nebraska receiving funding as part of the Nebraska High Value Network collaborative network. One hospital (Brodstone Healthcare) is noted as having been awarded individually and thus not being awarded over the network maximum. Event schedule: - Department of Health and Human Services RHTP Initiative 4.4b Awards 06/10/2026 Initiative 4.4b – Remote Patient Monitoring in Facilities and at Home Period of Performance: May 20, 2026, through May 19, 2027 DHHS appreciates all applicants for their interest and commitment to advancing rural health in Nebraska. These funds are part of a five-year grant program. Additional funding opportunities may be available in the years ahead to continue building partnerships and expanding impact across the state. The following have been selected for award for the Request for Application which closed April 24, 2026. Applicant Award Amount Antelope Memorial Hospital $ 778,897.18 Beatrice Community Hospital & Health Center $ 278,684.02 Box Butte General Hospital $ 200,000.00 CHI Good Samaritan/CHI St. Francis $ 430,601.57 CHI Health Plainview $ 355,311.03 CHI Health Schuyler $ 711,629.63 CHI St. Mary’s $ 908,475.54 Chase County Community Hospital $ 195,523.20 Faith Health $ 578,673.70 Genoa Health Center $ 200,000.00 Good Neighbor Community Health Center $ 303,276.49 Heartland Health Center $ 199,950.00 Jefferson Community Health & Life $ 446,741.33 Johnson County Hospital $ 393,220.57 Mary Lanning Healthcare $ 460,239.40 Methodist Fremont Health $ 334,176.13 Midtown Health Center $ 221,239.63 Nebraska High Value Network^ $ 18,156,856.12 OneWorld Community Health Centers $ 395,048.53 Pawnee County Memorial Hospital $ 479,692.57 Providence Medical Center $ 311,698.70 Regional West Medical Center $ 736,148.14 Syracuse Area Health $ 200,000.00 Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System $ 414,693.75 The Rural Health Transformation Program is supported by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (US HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $218,529,075.01 with 100 percent funded by CMS/US HHS. The contents are those of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/US HHS, or the U.S. Government. - pg. 1 - ^Nebraska High Value Network is a collaborative network. The list of individual hospitals receiving funding as of the time of this notice follows. Boone County Health Center — Albion Jefferson Community Health and Life — Fairbury Brodstone Healthcare — Superior (will not be awarded over the maximum allowable Brown County Hospital — Ainsworth amount, as they were awarded individually) Butler County Health Care Center — David City Jennie M. Melham Memorial Medical Center — Callaway District Hospital — Callaway Broken Bow Cherry County Hospital — Valentine Lexington Regional Health Center — Lexington Cozad Community Health System — Cozad Memorial Community Health — Aurora Fillmore County Hospital — Geneva Memorial Health Care Systems — Seward Franciscan Healthcare — West Point Sidney Regional Medical Center — Sidney Gothenburg Health — Gothenburg Tri Valley Health System — Cambridge Harlan County Health System — Alma Valley County Health System — Ord Howard County Medical Center — St. Paul York General Health Care Services — York | pg. 2
Nebraska is offering $2,234,048 in federal RHTP grants to rural and frontier schools for kitchen modernization and equipment that supports healthier meal preparation. The program targets increased scratch-cooking, elevated nutrition quality, and local protein use, aiming for measurable reductions in highly processed foods and higher school meal participation. Applications are prioritized for underserved, high-poverty, and food desert areas and are awarded on a rolling basis through summer 2026. Key contacts: Kayte Partch Kayte.Partch@nebraska.gov Event schedule: - Application window opens - 05/28/2026 - Application due date - 08/31/2026 - Period of performance begins - 06/01/2026 - Liquidation/funds spent by date - 06/30/2027
Event Schedule
Contacts
Core Initiatives
This document provides a comprehensive set of quality performance measures for Medicaid managed care organizations, including targets for claims processing, encounter submission, screening, and chronic disease management. It emphasizes improving health outcomes across key priority areas such as maternal health, chronic illness, and substance use disorder treatment. Event schedule: - Prenatal and Postpartum Care: Postpartum Care (PPC-AD): Percentage of deliveries of live births on or between of the year prior to the measurement year and October 7 of the measurement year that had a postpartum visit on or between seven (7) and eighty-four (84) days after delivery. - October 8 - 76.4% - Prenatal and Postpartum Care: Timeliness of Prenatal Care (PPC-CH): Percentage of deliveries of live births on or between of the year prior to the measurement year and October7 of the measurement year that received a prenatal care visit in the first trimester, on or before the enrollment start date or within forty-two (42) days of enrollment in Medicaid/CHIP. - October 8 - 81.51%
Core Initiatives
This document serves as the official work plan and budget justification template for Nebraska RHTP Initiative 3.2 applications, guiding applicants to detail objectives, outputs, responsible parties, and link budgets to project activities. The program is part of Nebraska's statewide Rural Health Transformation initiative to strengthen the rural health workforce and technical capacity. No award amounts or recipients are included—this is a planning and application-support document. Key contacts: DHHS.EMSTraumaProgram@nebraska.gov
Contacts
Core Initiatives
Core Initiatives
NE - 2026 - Healthy Blue Proposal
NE - 2016 - Attachment 16 - Example Base Data Model - Physical and Behavioral
NE - 2023 - Attachment 23 - Expansion RC and Non-Exp HIPP RC Calculation Examples
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NE - 2026 - Form 2: RHTP 2.5 Work Plan
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NE - 2026 - MS Excel Format
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NE - 2010 - Attachment 10 - Liquidated Damages
2020_WhatisHBPMedicine.pdf
NE - 2013 - Attachment 13 - Reporting Requirements
2018-Procurement-Manual-Updated-09132018.pdf
NE - 2015 - MS Word Format
DOCX
NE - 2026 - Nebraska Total Care Proposal - Part 2
NE - 2026 - Nebraska RHTP Health Care Advisory Regions Map
NE - 2013 - Nebraska Landing Page (updated: May 31, 2026)
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NE - 2026 - Attachment 2 - Nebraska Counties Classified by Urban, Rural, & Frontier Status
NE - 2026 - Attachment 1 to Work Order 1
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NE - 2022 - Attachment 9 - 2022 Health Care Acquired Conditions
15_hypertension_ambulatory.pdf
NE - 2026 - UnitedHealthcare of the Midlands Proposal
NE - 2026 - Attachment 3 - Financial Workbook
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NE - 2026 - Nebraska Total Care Proposal - Part 1
NE - 2026 - Attachment 1 to Work Order 2
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NE - 2026 - Nebraska Total Care Proposal - Part 3
NE - 2026 - Attachment 1 - Initial Backlog Stories
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NE - 2026 - Medica Proposal
NE - 2012 - Attachment 12 - Example Capitation Rates
NE - 2011 - Attachment 11 - Data Exhibits Dental
NE - 2010 - MS Word Format
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NE - 2011 - MS Excel Format
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NE - 2013 - MS Word Format
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NE - 2014 - Attachment 14 - Access Standards
NE - 2015 - Attachment 15 - High Cost Drug Pool Risk Corridor
NE - 2014 - MS Word Format
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NE - 2021 - Attachment 21 - Risk Corridor
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NE - 2026 - Molina Proposal
NE - 2010 - Molina Response Exhibit to Healthy Blue Protest
NE - 2022 - Attachment 20 - Heritage Health Calendar Year 2022 Capitation Rate Certification Exhibits
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NE - 2026 - Form 8 – References
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