Rural Health Care Access Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-2990
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Green, Mark E. [R-TN-7]
Introduced: 2019-05-23
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care coverage and access

Health facilities and institutions

Health programs administration and funding

Hospital care

Medicare

State and local government operations

Urban and suburban affairs and development
Latest action: action_date: 2019-05-23
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-05-23
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Rural Health Care Access Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill eliminates certain criteria that hospitals must meet in order to qualify as critical access hospitals that receive special payment under Medicare. </p> <p>Specifically, the bill eliminates the requirement that a hospital must either (1) be located more than 35 miles (15 miles in mountainous regions or areas with only secondary roads) from another hospital, or (2) have been certified prior to January 1, 2006, by the state as a necessary provider of services in the area. </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2990 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 23, 2019 Mr. Green of Tennessee (for himself and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi ) 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 permit States to designate without any mileage limitations facilities that are located in rural areas as critical access hospitals, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Health Care Access Act of 2019 . 2. Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (a) In general Section 1820 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395i–4 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (c)(2)(B)(i)— (A) by striking , and that— and inserting a semicolon; and (B) by striking subclauses (I) and (II); and (2) in subsection (h)(3), by inserting made before the date of the enactment of the Rural Health Care Access Act of 2019 after any redesignation . (b) Effective date The amendment made by subsection (a)(1) shall apply with respect to any designation or redesignation made on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.