Rural Hospital Fairness Act

HR 5821, the Rural Hospital Fairness Act, preserves Medicare critical access hospital (CAH) status for specific rural facilities that lost certification due to location changes. It directly affects hospitals designated as CAHs before 2002, certified as of December 31, 2024, and located in counties with no other hospitals at the time of their certification loss. The bill's key provision "deems" these facilities as still certified under Medicare, allowing them to maintain eligibility for CAH funding despite not meeting the standard location requirement. This change prevents certain rural hospitals from losing vital Medicare reimbursement due to geographic shifts in their service area. The policy change applies only to qualifying facilities meeting all other CAH criteria.