Save America’s Rural Hospitals Act

This bill aims to stabilize rural hospitals by modifying Medicare payment policies. It eliminates sequestration for rural hospitals, reverses bad debt reimbursement cuts for critical access hospitals, and permanently extends payment levels for low-volume and Medicare-dependent hospitals. The bill also makes permanent telehealth enhancements for rural health clinics, restores state authority to waive the 35-mile rule for hospital designations, and creates flexibility grants for rural hospitals to transform services. These changes directly affect rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, and Medicare beneficiaries who face significant barriers to accessing care in rural areas. The bill addresses the closure of 151 rural hospitals since 2010 and the vulnerability of 432 more hospitals, aiming to prevent further loss of critical health care access.