Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act
Sponsored By: Representative Griffith, H. Morgan [R-VA-9]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would revise Medicare's physician self-referral rules and create a new "covered rural hospital" category. It would allow physician-owned hospitals to expand while excluding certain rural hospitals from the exemption.
Show full summary
- Defines "covered rural hospital" as a hospital in a rural area that is more than a 35-mile drive from another hospital or critical access hospital, or more than 15 miles in mountainous terrain or where only secondary roads exist.
- Establishes a sunset of the federal prohibition on expansion for physician-owned hospitals, so those hospitals would be able to expand upon enactment.
- Changes who qualifies for the physician self-referral exemption, which could increase physician-owned hospital capacity outside covered rural hospitals and affect local Medicare patient options.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
New rules for rural physician-owned hospitals
If enacted, Medicare would define a "covered rural hospital." A hospital would qualify if it is in a rural area and more than a 35-mile drive from another hospital or a critical access hospital, or 15 miles in mountains or where only secondary roads exist. The bill would say that two parts of the physician self-referral exception would not apply to these covered rural hospitals. These changes would take effect at enactment and would apply when the hospital enrolls in Medicare.
Physician-owned hospitals could expand again
If enacted, the current ban on expansions by physician-owned hospitals would end. The change would start on the date this new paragraph is enacted. The bill also updates cross-references so the law points to the new rule.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Griffith, H. Morgan [R-VA-9]
VA • R
Cosponsors
Hern (OK)
OK • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Gonzalez, V.
TX • D
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Joyce (PA)
PA • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46]
CA • D
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Balderson
OH • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Rep. Valadao, David G. [R-CA-22]
CA • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Pfluger
TX • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Rep. Dunn, Neal P. [R-FL-2]
FL • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Davis (NC)
NC • D
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Rep. Yakym, Rudy [R-IN-2]
IN • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14]
TX • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1]
IA • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Rep. Scott, Austin [R-GA-8]
GA • R
Sponsored 3/18/2025
Rep. McCormick, Richard [R-GA-7]
GA • R
Sponsored 3/21/2025
Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2]
SC • R
Sponsored 3/24/2025
Rep. Harris, Andy [R-MD-1]
MD • R
Sponsored 3/25/2025
Van Duyne
TX • R
Sponsored 4/1/2025
Sessions
TX • R
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Evans (CO)
CO • R
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Onder
MO • R
Sponsored 4/17/2025
Rep. Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3]
LA • R
Sponsored 4/17/2025
Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5]
OK • R
Sponsored 5/13/2025
Spartz
IN • R
Sponsored 6/6/2025
Rep. Bera, Ami [D-CA-6]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/6/2025
Rep. Cloud, Michael [R-TX-27]
TX • R
Sponsored 7/14/2025
Rep. Johnson, Julie [D-TX-32]
TX • D
Sponsored 9/18/2025
Rep. Kennedy, Mike [R-UT-3]
UT • R
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Moran, Nathaniel [R-TX-1]
TX • R
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-11]
PA • R
Sponsored 10/21/2025
Rep. Rulli, Michael A. [R-OH-6]
OH • R
Sponsored 11/17/2025
Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1]
GA • R
Sponsored 11/19/2025
Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4]
UT • R
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov