Bill > S644

This bill, the Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2021, aims to restore the authority of states to waive the 35-mile rule for designating critical access hospitals under the Medicare program. Specifically, the bill allows states to certify certain rural hospitals as "necessary providers" of healthcare services, even if they do not meet the 35-mile distance requirement, provided they meet other criteria related to size, patient population, and financial solvency. The bill also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to test a new rural hospital delivery and payment model to promote financially sustainable ways to ensure patient access to care in rural communities.