I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8245 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish the Rural 

Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program to provide grants to rural hospitals 

for purposes of ensuring local access to services. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 6, 2024 

Mr. FEENSTRA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish 

the Rural Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program to provide 

grants to rural hospitals for purposes of ensuring local 

access to services. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Hospital Sta5 bilization Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. RURAL HOSPITAL STABILIZATION PILOT PROGRAM. 

2 Section 1820(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 1395i–4) is amended by adding at the end the following 

4 new paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(8) RURAL HOSPITAL STABILIZATION PILOT

6 PROGRAM.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning January 1, 

8 2026, the Secretary, acting through the Direc9 tor of the Office of Rural Health Policy, shall 

10 award grants to— 

11 ‘‘(i) hospitals, critical access hospitals, 

12 and rural emergency hospitals that are lo13 cated in a rural area, as such term is used 

14 for purposes of section 711 of this Act (in 

15 this paragraph referred to as ‘rural hos16 pitals’) that have submitted applications to 

17 the Secretary, for purposes of assisting 

18 such hospitals in ensuring local access to 

19 services; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) experienced technical assistance 

21 providers that have submitted applications 

22 to the Secretary, for purposes of assisting 

23 such rural hospitals in planning to apply 

24 for grants under this paragraph and using 

25 any amounts received under such a grant. 


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1 ‘‘(B) PRIORITIZATION FACTORS.—In mak2 ing grants to rural hospitals under this para3 graph for a fiscal year (and determining the 

4 amount of each such grant), the Secretary shall 

5 consider the following factors: 

6 ‘‘(i) The average daily census of the 

7 hospital. 

8 ‘‘(ii) The distance between the hos9 pital and the next nearest hospital. 

10 ‘‘(iii) The financial circumstances of 

11 the hospital, as determined by such hos12 pital’s most recently filed Medicare cost re13 port (or other applicable source of informa14 tion). 

15 ‘‘(iv) The risk that the hospital will 

16 close. 

17 ‘‘(v) The risk that the hospital will re18 duce or stop offering a class of services. 

19 ‘‘(C) USE OF FUNDS.— 

20 ‘‘(i) HOSPITALS.—Amounts received 

21 by a rural hospital under a grant under 

22 this paragraph shall be used to sustain, en23 hance, or expand the classes of services of24 fered by such hospital, or to begin offering 


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1 a new class of service, and may be used 

2 for— 

3 ‘‘(I) minor renovations to build4 ings; 

5 ‘‘(II) training with respect to the 

6 delivery of new or existing services; 

7 ‘‘(III) recruiting or hiring new 

8 staff or supplementing compensation 

9 of existing staff; and 

10 ‘‘(IV) equipment acquisition or 

11 refurbishment. 

12 ‘‘(ii) EXPERIENCED TECHNICAL AS13 SISTANCE PROVIDERS.—Amounts received 

14 by an experienced technical assistance pro15 vider under a grant under this paragraph 

16 shall be used to assist rural hospitals— 

17 ‘‘(I) in applying for a grant 

18 under this paragraph; and 

19 ‘‘(II) with respect to a rural hos20 pital that has been awarded a grant 

21 under this paragraph, in using 

22 amounts received under such grant in 

23 accordance with the requirements of 

24 clause (i). 

25 ‘‘(D) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 

2 January 1, 2029, the Secretary shall sub3 mit to Congress a report on the grants 

4 awarded under this paragraph that in5 cludes the following information: 

6 ‘‘(I) The names of all experienced 

7 technical assistance providers that re8 ceived a grant under this paragraph 

9 and, with respect to each such experi10 enced technical assistance provider, an 

11 analysis of the use of the amounts re12 ceived under such grant. 

13 ‘‘(II) The names and locations of 

14 all rural hospitals that received a 

15 grant under this paragraph and, with 

16 respect to each such hospital— 

17 ‘‘(aa) the use of the 

18 amounts received under such 

19 grant; 

20 ‘‘(bb) an analysis of the fi21 nancial circumstances of such 

22 hospital, as determined by such 

23 hospital’s most recently filed 

24 Medicare cost report (or other 


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1 applicable source of informa2 tion)— 

3 ‘‘(AA) at the time of 

4 the receipt of such grant; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(BB) at the time the 

7 report is submitted under 

8 this clause; 

9 ‘‘(cc) an analysis of the 

10 classes of services offered by the 

11 hospital— 

12 ‘‘(AA) prior to the re13 ceipt of such grant; and 

14 ‘‘(BB) following such 

15 receipt, as determined at the 

16 time the report is submitted 

17 under this clause; and 

18 ‘‘(dd) an analysis of any new 

19 classes of services offered by the 

20 hospital following the receipt of 

21 such grant. 

22 ‘‘(ii) SUBSEQUENT REPORT.—Not 

23 later than 2 years after the initial report 

24 is submitted under clause (i), the Secretary 

25 shall submit to Congress a subsequent reVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:07 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8245.IH H8245

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1 port on the grants awarded under this 

2 paragraph that includes updates to the in3 formation described in subclauses (I) and 

4 (II) of such clause. 

5 ‘‘(E) FUNDING.—There are authorized to 

6 be appropriated from the Federal Hospital In7 surance Trust Fund under section 1817 for 

8 making grants under this paragraph, 

9 $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 

10 through 2029, to remain available until ex11 pended.’’. 

Æ 


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