# 119-hr-6240: Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2025

119-hr-6240, Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-13).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6240
- As of: 2026-06-13
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6240
- Congress: 119
- Title: Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-20
- Sponsor: Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-13

## Summary

**temporary expansion of State authority to designate Critical Access Hospitals**. This bill would let states certify certain struggling rural hospitals as CAHs by easing the 35-mile rule while adding caps, reporting, and a 9-year sunset. - Rural hospitals: Eligible hospitals would be able to apply for CAH status if they are a sole community hospital, a Medicare-dependent small rural hospital, a low-volume hospital, or a subsection (d) hospital and meet criteria including two consecutive years of negative operating margins and a solvency plan. They must commit to start or expand a high-demand service such as obstetrics or behavioral health. - State allocations: New certifications would be capped at 120 nationwide and no more than 5 per state. The bill sets an initial one-per-state allocation then distributes remaining slots proportionally and ends new certifications after 9 years. - Access, oversight, and transition: Certified hospitals would face periodic reporting and possible revocation for noncompliance. The Government Accountability Office and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission would study impacts with reports due in about 6 and 8 years and facilities must transition within 1 year after the sunset to recommended payment models, their prior payment system, or Rural Emergency Hospital status.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2025-11-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large] (R-GU), 2025-11-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-MP-At Large] (R-MP), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New path to keep rural hospitals open: benefit, medium. This bill would let States certify certain rural hospitals as Critical Access Hospitals to help keep care local. Hospitals would need to be in rural areas, show two straight years of operating losses, and commit to add or expand a high‑need service like obstetrics or behavioral health. The Secretar…
- National study of rural hospital payments: benefit, medium. This bill would direct an independent Medicare advisory group to study rural hospital payment systems using 2018–2028 data. The report would be due to Congress within 8 years. It would include hospitals in the new State pathway, consider value‑based payment, and assess transition impacts if new sys…
- New bed and stay limits for rural hospitals: mixed, medium. Starting October 1, 2025, this bill would cap rural Critical Access Hospitals at 25 acute care beds in the 50 States, DC, and Puerto Rico. In Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Secretary would set the bed cap. All such hospitals would be limited to…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-6240 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6240)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6240 (as of 2026-06-13).