H.R. 1639 · 117th Congress
Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2021
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
KinzingerSponsor5 cosponsors · 1 D, 4 R
1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill allows additional hospitals to qualify as critical access hospitals (CAHs) that receive special payment under Medicare.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Mar 8, 2021
Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2021
This bill allows additional hospitals to qualify as critical access hospitals (CAHs) that receive special payment under Medicare.
Currently, in order to qualify as a CAH under Medicare, a hospital must either (1) be located more than 35 miles (or 15 miles in mountainous regions or areas with only secondary roads) from another hospital, or (2) have been certified prior to January 1, 2006, by the state as a necessary provider of services in the area.
The bill allows a hospital to also qualify if the hospital is a small, rural hospital that (1) serves a health professional shortage area, or a high number of low-income individuals or Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries; (2) has experienced financial losses for two consecutive years; and (3) attests to having a strategic plan to address financial solvency.
In addition, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation must test a new delivery and payment model for rural hospitals that promotes financially sustainable access to care and must establish a corresponding transition process for CAHs.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2021
Latest action (Mar 9, 2021): Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Policy area: Health · Origin: House · Introduced: Mar 8, 2021
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.