Sustaining Rural Healthcare Act
Sponsored By: Representative Alford
Introduced
Summary
Protecting rural access to care This bill would let Medicare temporarily stabilize at-risk rural hospitals by extending critical-access-like payments and creating a new "Critical Access in Character" designation.
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- Rural hospitals: Would allow facilities that would otherwise lose Critical Access Hospital eligibility to be deemed to meet the qualifying criterion for a period the Secretary sets, up to 3 years, if losing designation would reduce local access. It would also authorize a separate "Critical Access in Character" designation that pays inpatient and outpatient Medicare rates equivalent to Critical Access Hospitals during stabilization.
- Patients and communities: Would help preserve inpatient and outpatient services in remote and underserved areas, including Tribal, persistent poverty, and frontier communities, by maintaining payment support while hospitals stabilize.
- Federal support and oversight: Would require the Secretary to issue eligibility guidance, monitoring, and renewal rules within 12 months after enactment and allows collaboration with the Department of Agriculture to provide no-cost technical assistance through the Community Facilities Program.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Medicare boost for rural hospitals
If enacted, the Secretary would be able to give a temporary "Critical Access in Character" designation to rural hospitals the Secretary finds critical to local care. Designated hospitals would receive Medicare inpatient and outpatient payments at rates equal to Critical Access Hospitals. The designation would last until the hospital is financially and operationally stabilized and could not exceed 3 years unless renewed for good cause. The Secretary would issue guidance within 12 months, could require financial and operational reports, and would work with the Department of Agriculture to provide free technical assistance. The bill would also allow certain State‑designated critical access hospitals to be deemed to meet a key test for up to 3 years if losing designation would reduce access. This temporary designation would not count as full Critical Access Hospital status for other laws.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Alford
MO • R
Cosponsors
Thompson (PA)
PA • R
Sponsored 2/26/2026
Tokuda
HI • D
Sponsored 2/26/2026
Cuellar
TX • D
Sponsored 2/26/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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