Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2025
House Bill Would Let Struggling Rural Hospitals Bypass Medicare's 35-Mile Rule for Critical Access Status
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Lets States ask Medicare to waive the usual 35-mile distance rule so certain struggling rural hospitals can qualify as “critical access” hospitals.
- Only certain hospitals can use this path, and they must be in rural or near-rural areas and show financial trouble (including 2 straight years of losses).
- Hospitals must file a plan to stay financially stable and agree to add or expand a high-need service in the community, like maternity care or mental health care.
- Caps the program at 120 hospitals nationwide and no more than 5 per State, and it stops creating new designations after 9 years.
- Health and Human Services must set the rules within 1 year; government watchdogs will study costs, access to care, and future rural hospital payment options.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
State Impacts
Milestones
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(2)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.