# 116-hr-8025: Protecting Rural Access to Care Act

116-hr-8025, Protecting Rural Access to Care Act, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] (R-NY); status Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8025
- 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-8025
- Congress: 116
- Title: Protecting Rural Access to Care Act
- Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
- Introduced: 2020-08-11
- Sponsor: Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] (R-NY)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Protecting Rural Access to Care Act This bill limits the scope of guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the secondary road criteria for Medicare critical access hospitals (CAHs). Currently, in order to qualify as a CAH under Medicare, a hospital must either (1) be located more than 35 miles (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 CMS issued guidance on July 31, 2015, that provided more detail as to the differences between primary and secondary roads for purposes of CAH certification. The bill specifies that this guidance does not apply to CAHs that were certified prior to July 31, 2015, and that these CAHs are instead subject to the standards that were in place before the guidance was issued. Ongoing CAH certifications are also subject to pre-guidance standards until the CMS issues new guidance after a specified public comment period.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Delgado, Antonio [D-NY-19] (D-NY), 2020-08-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brindisi, Anthony [D-NY-22] (D-NY), 2020-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jacobs, Chris [R-NY-27] (R-NY), 2020-09-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 116-hr-7642: Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act
- 116-hr-5451: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 599 East Genesse Street in Fayetteville, New York, as the "George H. Bacel Post Office…
- 116-hr-8699: Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission Reauthorization Act
- 116-hr-8662: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act
- 116-hr-7883: Agricultural Fairs Rescue Act
- 116-hr-7292: The COVID-19 Hospital and Health Provider Loan Forgiveness Act of 2020

## Sources
- [116-hr-8025 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/8025)

## Related
- [116-hr-7642: Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7642)
- [116-hr-5451: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 599 Ea…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-5451)
- [116-hr-8699: Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission Reauthorization Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8699)
- [116-hr-8662: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8662)
- [116-hr-7883: Agricultural Fairs Rescue Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7883)
- [116-hr-7292: The COVID-19 Hospital and Health Provider Loan Forgiveness Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7292)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8025 (as of 2025-11-18).