S. 1571 · 118th Congress
Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2023
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 118th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
DurbinSponsor7 cosponsors · 2 D, 5 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 Senate · May 11, 2023
Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2023
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.
The Government Accountability Office must study the effects of the bill's implementation. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must subsequently establish a mechanism and issue guidance on how newly designated CAHs may transition to different payment models under Medicare.
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 2023
Latest action (May 11, 2023): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S1627-1628)
Policy area: Health · Origin: Senate · Introduced: May 11, 2023
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.