Bill · S. 553· Senate(119-S-553)
SOLES Act
- Introduced
- 2/12/2025
- Last activity
- 2/12/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Sponsored by
- Dan Sullivan
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Save our Lone Emergency Services Act" or the "SOLES Act," aims to amend the Social Security Act. It specifically targets sole community hospitals located in Alaska and Hawaii. The legislation establishes a payment floor for these hospitals under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system. If payments fall below 94 percent of reasonable costs, the amount will be increased to cover the difference. These additional payments are not subject to budget neutrality requirements.
Yes· 3 of 4
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+6
The bill specifically protects the financial viability of sole community hospitals located in rural Alaska and Hawaii.
Does this make health care easier to get in general?+5
The bill stabilizes the financial footing of sole community hospitals in Alaska and Hawaii to ensure continued outpatient services.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+3
The bill helps maintain essential medical services for communities that may rely heavily on these sole community hospitals.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-2
The bill increases federal spending by requiring additional payments to hospitals without budget neutrality requirements.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Financial Support for Hospitals: Sole community hospitals in Alaska and Hawaii will receive increased payments if their current coverage is less than 94 percent of the reasonable costs of providing services (Section 2, Paragraph 23A). This ensures these specific medical facilities are better funded.
-
Ensuring Service Stability: By establishing a floor on payments, the bill provides a mechanism to bridge the gap between current payments and reasonable costs (Section 2, Paragraph 23A).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are mentioned in the text. The bill focuses on increasing payments to hospitals and explicitly states that these changes will have no effect on copayment amounts (Section 2, Paragraph 23B).
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+6Good For Low Income Households+3Good For Native Americans+3
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access+5
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Government Spending-2
- 2/12/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 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.
Lisa MurkowskiRepublican · Alaska
Brian SchatzDemocrat · Hawaii