# 116-hr-5481: Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2019

116-hr-5481, Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2019, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Kinzinger, Adam [R-IL-16] (R-IL); status Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-5481
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-5481
- Congress: 116
- Title: Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2019
- Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
- Introduced: 2019-12-18
- Sponsor: Rep. Kinzinger, Adam [R-IL-16] (R-IL)
- Cosponsors: 23
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## 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.

## Cosponsors (23)

- Rep. Loebsack, David [D-IA-2] (D-IA), 2019-12-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2019-12-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Rodney [R-IL-13] (R-IL), 2020-02-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Axne, Cynthia [D-IA-3] (D-IA), 2020-02-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lucas, Frank D. [R-OK-3] (R-OK), 2020-02-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cole, Tom [R-OK-4] (R-OK), 2020-02-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Keller, Fred [R-PA-12] (R-PA), 2020-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5] (R-MI), 2020-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI), 2020-03-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2020-03-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Guest, Michael [R-MS-3] (R-MS), 2020-05-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2] (R-MI), 2020-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2] (D-GA), 2020-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Westerman, Bruce [R-AR-4] (R-AR), 2020-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL), 2020-06-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hartzler, Vicky [R-MO-4] (R-MO), 2020-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Aderholt, Robert B. [R-AL-4] (R-AL), 2020-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Balderson, Troy [R-OH-12] (R-OH), 2020-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bustos, Cheri [D-IL-17] (D-IL), 2020-08-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-8] (D-PA), 2020-08-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Comer, James [R-KY-1] (R-KY), 2020-09-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Finkenauer, Abby [D-IA-1] (D-IA), 2020-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cox, TJ [D-CA-21] (D-CA), 2020-09-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 116-hr-4305: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act
- 116-hr-1570: Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2020
- 116-hr-748: CARES Act
- 116-hr-2423: Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 116-hr-1379: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act
- 116-hr-1865: Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020

## Sources
- [116-hr-5481 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/5481)

## Related
- [116-hr-4305: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-4305)
- [116-hr-1570: Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1570)
- [116-hr-748: CARES Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-748)
- [116-hr-2423: Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-2423)
- [116-hr-1379: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1379)
- [116-hr-1865: Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1865)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-5481 (as of 2025-11-18).