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S 521119th CongressIntroduced
Supporting Access to Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2025
Introduced: Oct 29, 2025
HealthcareInfrastructureSocial Services
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs
This legislation waives specific distance requirements for rural community hospitals participating in a Medicare demonstration program to qualify as critical access hospitals under Medicare, expanding healthcare access in underserved rural areas by enabling these facilities to maintain essential services through favorable reimbursement structures during a designated one-year transition period.
Key Points
- 1The bill amends the Social Security Act to eliminate distance restrictions for rural community hospitals that were part of Medicare's demonstration program as of the enactment date.
- 2It creates a temporary one-year window starting six months after enactment for eligible hospitals to obtain critical access hospital designation without meeting standard geographic criteria.
- 3The waiver specifically targets facilities defined under the Medicare Prescription Drug Act to preserve rural healthcare infrastructure and prevent hospital closures in remote communities.
Impact Areas
Rural community hospitalsMedicare beneficiaries in remote regionsFederal Medicare reimbursement programsRural healthcare infrastructure
Generated by legislative-analyst-v3 on Nov 11, 2025