Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2019

Summary

Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2019 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.

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Timeline

1. 18 December 2019

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S7161)

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 18 December 2019

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in Senate · 18 December 2019 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 18 December 2019

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 18 December 2019

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 18 December 2019

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Richard Durbin · D · Sponsor
• James Lankford · R · Sponsor
• Kyrsten Sinema · D · Cosponsor
• Tina Smith · D · Cosponsor
• Cindy Hyde-Smith · R · Cosponsor
• Sen. Jones, Doug [D-AL] · D · Cosponsor
• John Boozman · R · Cosponsor
• Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI] · D · Cosponsor
• Roger Wicker · R · Cosponsor
• Shelley Capito · R · Cosponsor
• Mike Rounds · R · Cosponsor
• Gary Peters · D · Cosponsor
• Mark Kelly · D · Cosponsor
• · ssfi00 · Standing

Related records

• related to ← Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2019