VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) welcomed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz to Virginia’s Second District for a series of healthcare visits focused on improving patient access, supporting providers, and addressing challenges affecting healthcare delivery across Coastal Virginia.

Congresswoman Kiggans and Administrator Oz began the visit at the Sentara Princess Anne Hospital. There, they toured the facility and met with senior leadership to discuss hospital operations, patient services, workforce needs, and federal healthcare priorities.

Following the visit, Congresswoman Kiggans and Administrator Oz traveled to Tidewater Community College (TCC) for a healthcare roundtable with local healthcare providers. The conversation focused on addressing healthcare affordability, decreasing staffing shortages, navigating Medicaid policy, alleviating administrative burdens on providers, and expanding access to high-quality care throughout the region. Watch Rep. Kiggans and Administrator Oz discuss Medicaid reform following the roundtable here. 

Today, CMS celebrated a $122 million investment to improve healthcare outcomes across the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). Read CMS’s press release here.

Congresswoman Kiggans said, “As a nurse practitioner, I know firsthand that advancing quality healthcare policy starts with listening to the patients and providers who navigate our healthcare system every day. I’m grateful to Administrator Oz for coming to Virginia’s Second District to hear directly from our healthcare community about the successes and challenges they face. I’m proud to have helped deliver critical investments in rural healthcare and preserve the integrity of our social safety net, but there is still more work to be done to lower costs and protect access to care. I look forward to continuing to work with Administrator Oz to advance commonsense solutions that put patients first and expand access to quality, attentive healthcare.”

“Thanks to the Trump Administration’s Rural Health Transformation Program, we’re proud to work with state and local partners to turn bold ideas into lasting improvements for rural communities,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “I want to thank Representative Kiggans for her leadership in bringing local leaders and health care providers together to build stronger partnerships. Together, we can Make America Healthy Again.”

During the roundtable, Congresswoman Kiggans and CMS Administrator Oz highlighted the Rural Health Transformation Program, established through the Working Families Tax Cut and signed into law last year, which is providing substantial federal resources to strengthen healthcare accessibility in America’s rural communities. Through this groundbreaking program, the Commonwealth of Virginia will receive over $189 million a year for the next five years to expand telehealth and virtual care options, as well improve maternal care and workforce development. Watch Rep. Kiggans and Administrator Oz highlight this monumental investment here.

“Access to high-quality healthcare should never be dictated by where you live,” said Rep. Kiggans. “The Rural Transformation Program will bring care directly to our rural communities and was made possible by the Working Families Tax Cut. I’m proud to have supported this program and its efforts to strengthen our healthcare workforce and give providers the tools they need to better serve their patients.”

As the Representative for Virginia’s Second District and a former adult-geriatric nurse practitioner, Rep. Kiggans remains committed to lowering healthcare costs, strengthening America’s healthcare workforce, expanding access to high-quality care, and ensuring patients and providers have the resources they need to achieve better health outcomes.

Rep. Kiggans’ Work in the Healthcare Space:

In December 2025, Rep. Jen Kiggans (VA-02) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), along with a bipartisan coalition of 38 total House Members, introduced the CommonGround for Affordable Health Care Act, a bipartisan bill that included a two-year extension of health insurance premium savings for American families—including a year of the enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTCs), with targeted modifications, new guardrails to prevent “ghost beneficiaries” and crack down on fraud, an extension of open enrollment, and PBM reform. Read her press release here.

In July 2025, Rep. Kiggans introduced the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act, which would allow TRICARE dependents to remain on their parents’ plan until age 26. Read her press release here.

In January 2025, Rep. Kiggans introduced the PRECEPT Nurses Act, a bipartisan bill that would address our country’s nursing shortages by establishing a $2,000 tax credit for nurses who serve as a clinical preceptor to nursing students. Read her press release here.