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HR 5821119th CongressIn Committee
Rural Hospital Fairness Act
Introduced: Oct 24, 2025
Sponsor: Rep. LaMalfa, Doug [R-CA-1] (R-California)
HealthcareSocial Services
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs
The Rural Hospital Fairness Act amends the Social Security Act to preserve critical access hospital status for specific rural facilities that were designated as CAHs before 2002 and remained certified through 2024, even if they no longer meet location requirements, ensuring continued Medicare reimbursement for hospitals serving isolated communities without alternative providers.
Key Points
- 1The legislation allows pre-2002 designated critical access hospitals maintaining certification through December 31, 2024, to retain CAH status under Medicare despite failing current location requirements.
- 2Eligible facilities must be located in counties with no other hospitals, critical access hospitals, or rural emergency hospitals at the time of certification loss notification.
- 3This provision prevents automatic termination of critical access hospital designation for qualifying rural facilities that remain essential healthcare providers in underserved geographic areas.
Impact Areas
rural hospitals operating as critical access facilitiesMedicare reimbursement structure for isolated healthcare providersresidents in remote counties lacking alternative hospital services
Generated by legislative-analysis-specialist on Oct 29, 2025