# 119-hr-7409: Defend Rural Health Act of 2026

119-hr-7409, Defend Rural Health Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Taylor, David J. [R-OH-2] (R-OH); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7409
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7409
- Congress: 119
- Title: Defend Rural Health Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-05
- Sponsor: Rep. Taylor, David J. [R-OH-2] (R-OH)
- Cosponsors: 14
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Limits hospitals' ability to switch or claim rural status under Medicare** by tightening the tests and timing for geographic reclassification and by restricting appeal routes through the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board.

## Cosponsors (14)

- Rep. Miller, Carol D. [R-WV-1] (R-WV), 2026-02-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI), 2026-02-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fine, Randy [R-FL-6] (R-FL), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2026-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36] (R-TX), 2026-04-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Duyne, Beth [R-TX-24] (R-TX), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3] (R-NE), 2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Arrington, Jodey C. [R-TX-19] (R-TX), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scott, Austin [R-GA-8] (R-GA), 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Amodei, Mark E. [R-NV-2] (R-NV), 2026-06-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Onder, Robert F. [R-MO-3] (R-MO), 2026-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Flood, Mike [R-NE-1] (R-NE), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cloud, Michael [R-TX-27] (R-TX), 2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Limits and protections for rural hospitals: mixed, medium. This bill would tighten how Medicare decides whether certain hospitals count as rural. For fiscal years starting October 1, 2026, the Medicare review board would be barred from approving or making reclassifications effective for any part of a year when a hospital is treated as rural under paragraph…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-1: One Big Beautiful Bill Act
- 119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act
- 119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025
- 119-hres-719: Honoring the life and legacy of Charles Charlie James Kirk.
- 119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-1301: Death Tax Repeal Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-7409 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7409)

## Related
- [119-hr-1: One Big Beautiful Bill Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1)
- [119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-425)
- [119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-38)
- [119-hres-719: Honoring the life and legacy of Charles Charlie James Kirk.](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hres-719)
- [119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1502)
- [119-hr-1301: Death Tax Repeal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1301)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7409 (as of 2026-09-21).