Bill · S. 521· Senate(119-S-521)
Supporting Access to Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 2/11/2025
- Last activity
- 2/11/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Sponsored by
- Deb Fischer
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the ``Supporting Access to Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2025'', aims to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act. It focuses on waiving certain distance requirements for specific hospitals that want to be designated as critical access hospitals. This change applies to rural community hospitals that were participating in a specific demonstration program at the time of enactment. The waiver applies to designations occurring during a one-year period that begins six months after the subclause is enacted.
Yes· 3 of 4
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+5
The bill specifically aims to support the stability and designation of rural community hospitals.
Does this make health care easier to get in general?+5
The bill waives distance requirements to help rural community hospitals maintain or obtain critical access hospital designations, improving local healthcare access.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+2
Improving rural hospital stability can better serve low-income residents in those communities.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Waiving distance requirements for rural community hospitals: This provision allows certain hospitals to elect a designation as a critical access hospital by waiving distance requirements, as outlined in Section 2(a).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts or burdens are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Rural Residents+5Good For Low Income Households+2
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access+5Increases Medicare Funding+2
- 2/11/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.