Bill > S842

This bill, titled the Rural Hospital Access Act of 2013, extends two important Medicare programs designed to support rural hospitals. Specifically, it prolongs the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, which provides special payment adjustments to certain rural hospitals that rely heavily on Medicare patients, by pushing the program's expiration date from October 1, 2013, to October 1, 2014, and also extends related payment calculations and allows these hospitals to decline reclassification. Additionally, the bill extends the increased payments provided to Medicare low-volume hospitals, which are hospitals that serve a limited number of Medicare patients, by adjusting the program's expiration dates to include services through 2014 and 2015, ensuring continued financial support for these critical rural healthcare facilities.