Save Struggling Hospitals Act
Sponsored By: Senator Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced
Summary
Raises Medicare wage index for hospitals in low-wage areas. The bill would add a low-wage area adjustment to the Medicare inpatient hospital wage index, increasing the index for hospitals below the 25th percentile for discharges on or after October 1, 2019.
Show full summary
- Low-wage hospitals: Hospitals with an area wage index below the 25th percentile would receive an upward adjustment equal to one-half of the gap between their final index and the 25th percentile for that fiscal year. This increases their Medicare payment adjustments for eligible discharges.
- Calculation details: The adjustment is computed using the hospital's final area wage index after existing clause (i) considerations but before this new clause takes effect, and it applies to discharges on or after Oct 1, 2019.
- Budget neutrality and protections: The adjustment must be budget-neutral and may not reduce the area wage index for any hospital that originally had an index below the 75th percentile. It also may not set a hospital's index below 95 percent of its prior-year index for the fiscal year.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Higher Medicare pay for low-wage hospitals
This bill would raise the Medicare area wage index for hospitals whose index (before this change) is below the 25th percentile. For discharges on or after October 1, 2019, a qualifying hospital's index would increase by one-half of the gap to the 25th percentile. The adjustment must be made budget-neutrally. Offsets cannot cut indexes for hospitals with pre-adjustment indexes below the 75th percentile, and no hospital's new index can be less than 95 percent of its prior-year index.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
VA • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
TN • R
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Cindy Hyde-Smith
MS • R
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL]
AL • R
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Bill Hagerty
TN • R
Sponsored 4/22/2026
John Boozman
AR • R
Sponsored 5/11/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov