Bill > HR6804

This bill, titled the Rural Hospital Flexibility Act of 2025, aims to enhance the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program grants by amending Title XVIII of the Social Security Act. Key provisions include expanding the types of support provided to rural healthcare facilities, such as critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, and the newly defined rural emergency hospitals, to cover quality improvement, population health, behavioral health, and substance use disorder services, especially in response to public health emergencies. The bill also introduces grants for entities that support other grant recipients by offering technical assistance, data analysis, and evaluation. Furthermore, it shifts the focus of existing grants from hospitals to State Offices of Rural Health, which can then use the funds for purchasing technology, staff training on operational and quality improvement matters, and other delivery system reforms for eligible small rural hospitals. Finally, the bill establishes new 5-year grants for rural health transformation, allowing State Offices of Rural Health and eligible rural healthcare providers to transition to new models like rural emergency hospitals, extended stay clinics, and integrated behavioral and telehealth services, with requirements for local support and detailed plans for sustainability and meeting community needs. It also provides for technical assistance grants specifically for rural emergency hospitals.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6804/all-info