AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAID RATES FOR COMMUNITY HOSPITALS IN RURAL AREAS.

SB 1301 requires Connecticut to increase Medicaid payment rates for designated rural community hospitals to match Medicare rates for the same services, effective July 1, 2025. It directly affects nonfederal acute care hospitals designated as rural by Connecticut’s Office of Rural Health, located outside metropolitan areas. The bill mandates the Commissioner of Social Services to amend the Medicaid state plan to implement this rate adjustment. This change will impact specific hospitals like Charlotte Hungerford, Day Kimball, Sharon, and Windham, with costs borne by the General Fund.