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119-hr-8109119th CongressWALLET

Save Struggling Hospitals Act

Sponsored By: Representative Kustoff, David [R-TN-8]

Introduced

Summary

Boosts Medicare area wage indexes for hospitals with very low local wage rates. The bill would add a new rule that raises a hospital's area wage index by half the gap to the 25th percentile for discharges on or after October 1, 2019.

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  • Hospitals with area wage indexes below the 25th percentile: Would have their applicable wage index increased by one-half of the difference between their original index and the 25th percentile for the fiscal year. This applies to discharges on or after October 1, 2019.
  • Other hospitals and Medicare payment policy: The change must be applied in a budget-neutral manner. Adjustments may not reduce a hospital's index if its pre-adjustment index is below the 75th percentile, and no hospital's new index may be less than 95 percent of its prior-year index.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Higher Medicare payments for low-wage hospitals

This bill would create an "area wage index adjustment" for Medicare hospital payments. If enacted, for discharges on or after October 1, 2019, a hospital with an area wage index (before this rule) below the 25th percentile would have its index raised by one-half of the gap up to the 25th percentile for that fiscal year. The adjustment would be applied in a budget-neutral way. Offsets could not reduce a hospital's index if that hospital's original index is below the 75th percentile, and a hospital's new index could not be less than 95 percent of its prior-year index.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Kustoff, David [R-TN-8]

TN • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7]

    AL • D

    Sponsored 3/26/2026

  • Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2]

    AL • D

    Sponsored 4/21/2026

  • Rep. Harshbarger, Diana [R-TN-1]

    TN • R

    Sponsored 4/13/2026

  • Rep. Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3]

    TN • R

    Sponsored 4/21/2026

  • Rep. DesJarlais, Scott [R-TN-4]

    TN • R

    Sponsored 4/28/2026

  • Rep. Griffith, H. Morgan [R-VA-9]

    VA • R

    Sponsored 8/31/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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