# 119-s-2279: Protect Medicaid and Rural Hospitals Act

119-s-2279, Protect Medicaid and Rural Hospitals Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO] (R-MO); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2279
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2279
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protect Medicaid and Rural Hospitals Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-15
- Sponsor: Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO] (R-MO)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

**Restores pre‑existing Medicaid rules on state provider taxes and **boosts rural hospital funding with $10 billion a year for FY2031–2035.** This bill undoes recent changes to state-directed payments and increases resources for the Rural Health Transformation Program.** - State Medicaid programs: Reverts the changes made by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to how states use provider taxes and make state-directed payments, restoring the prior Medicaid framework. - Rural hospitals and providers: Adds $10.0 billion each year for FY2031 through FY2035 to the Rural Health Transformation Program, providing a total of $50.0 billion to support rural health efforts. *Adds $50.0 billion in federal funding for rural health across FY2031–2035, increasing federal outlays.*

## Provisions PRIA read

- More funding for rural hospitals: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would add $10 billion each year for fiscal years 2031 through 2035 to the Rural Health Transformation Program. That is $10 billion for each year 2031, 2032, 2033, 2034, and 2035. The money would go to eligible rural hospitals and related providers. This could help rural hospita…
- Cancels some Medicaid payments: cost, high. If enacted, the bill would repeal Section 71116 of Public Law 119-21 and make that section have no force or effect. It would also rescind the amounts appropriated under section 71116(e) of Public Law 119-21. States and Medicaid providers that relied on that authority or money could lose federal sup…
- Restores old Medicaid provider tax rules: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would repeal Section 71115 of Public Law 119-21 and require that title XIX be applied as if that section had not been enacted. That would restore the prior framework for state provider tax authority under Medicaid. Some states and providers could regain old financing options, w…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-1792: AI Whistleblower Protection Act
- 119-s-1381: Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act of 2025
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-243: Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act
- 119-s-4509: PBM Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2279 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2279)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-1792: AI Whistleblower Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1792)
- [119-s-1381: Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1381)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-243: Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-243)
- [119-s-4509: PBM Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4509)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2279 (as of 2025-12-21).