Bill > HR3684

This bill, titled the "Save America's Rural Hospitals Act," is a comprehensive legislative effort to support and sustain rural healthcare infrastructure in the United States. The bill addresses multiple challenges facing rural hospitals and healthcare providers, including financial instability, payment reimbursement, and access to care. Key provisions include permanently eliminating Medicare sequestration for rural hospitals, reversing cuts to bad debt reimbursement, extending payment levels for low-volume and Medicare-dependent hospitals, and implementing area wage index adjustments to provide more equitable funding. The bill also seeks to expand critical access hospital designations, make permanent increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services, and extend telehealth service enhancements for rural health centers. Additionally, the legislation aims to reduce regulatory burdens by eliminating certain hospitalization and length-of-stay requirements, and establishes grant programs to support rural health transformation, including funding for rural emergency hospitals, health clinics, and providers adapting to changing healthcare needs. The bill is motivated by stark statistics, such as 151 rural hospital closures as of May 2025 and 432 hospitals operating at high risk of closure, highlighting the urgent need to preserve healthcare access in rural communities.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3684/all-info