Rural Health Resilience Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create a Rural Health Care Facility Stabilization Assistance Program to _stabilize rural health care services_ by offering loans and loan guarantees to help prevent rural health centers from closing and restore essential care in small towns.
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- Families and communities: Would help keep local emergency, primary, and behavioral health services available in rural areas so people do not lose nearby care.
- Rural providers: Makes many facility types eligible, including critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, rural health clinics, Federally qualified health centers, and certified community behavioral health clinics.
- Eligibility and priorities: Centers must serve a rural area or have at least 30 percent rural patients or be in a hospital where 60 percent of patients live in rural areas, and must show financial distress. The program can prioritize sole community providers and high poverty or shortage areas.
- What funds can pay for: Loans or guarantees can buy or repair equipment, cover payroll and supplies, make debt payments, refinance high-interest debt, provide working capital, or bridge reimbursement timing gaps.
A public report to congressional agriculture committees on activities and outcomes must be produced within 18 months and summarized publicly without personal or financial details about centers.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Loans to Stabilize Rural Health Centers
If enacted, the bill would create a Rural Health Care Facility Stabilization Assistance Program. The Secretary would provide loans and loan guarantees to help rural hospitals and clinics stay open. To qualify, a center would need to be in a rural area, or have at least 30% rural patients, or serve a hospital where 60% of patients live in rural areas. Centers would also have to show financial distress, such as an operating margin below 5%, low cash, or risk of losing services. Loan proceeds would cover repairs, equipment, supplies, payroll (not bonuses), debt payments, working capital, maintaining essential services, bridging reimbursement gaps, refinancing high-interest patient-care debt, and other allowed needs. The Secretary would be able to prioritize sole community providers, high-poverty areas (20%+), shortage areas, and hospitals providing critical emergency or safety-net services. Within 18 months after enactment, the Secretary would report program activities and outcomes to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and publish a public summary that omits personal and financial details about any center.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2]
AL • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5]
OR • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Sewell
AL • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Thompson (MS)
MS • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]
OH • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2]
NE • R
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov