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HR 2191
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Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revise certain physician self-referral exemptions relating to physician-owned hospitals.

Introduced Mar 18, 2025

Latest action (Mar 18, 2025) Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Referred to
Ways and Means Committee Energy and Commerce Committee
Policy area
Health
Issues
Healthcare

Summary

This bill amends Medicare rules governing physician self-referral restrictions for physician-owned hospitals. It creates a new category of "covered rural hospitals" defined as rural facilities located more than 35 miles (or 15 miles in mountainous or remote areas) from another hospital or critical access hospital. Covered rural hospitals are exempted from certain self-referral restrictions that normally apply to physician-owned hospitals. The bill also removes a previous prohibition on the expansion of existing physician-owned hospitals, allowing them to grow their operations.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
33 cosponsors

Actions (2)
  1. Mar 18, 2025 Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
  2. Mar 18, 2025 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • S 1390 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revise certain physician self-referral exemptions relating to physician-owned hospitals. · Introduced Apr 9, 2025 · Cong. 119 85%
  • HR 3022 — Restoring Rights of Physicians to Own Hospitals Act · Introduced Apr 24, 2025 · Cong. 119 75%
  • HR 1614 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services under the Medicare program. · Introduced Feb 26, 2025 · Cong. 119 73%
  • HR 3684 — Save America’s Rural Hospitals Act · Introduced Jun 3, 2025 · Cong. 119 73%
  • HR 1867 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to remove in-person requirements under Medicare for mental health services furnished through telehealth and telecommunications technology. · Introduced Mar 5, 2025 · Cong. 119 72%
  • HR 1805 — ARCH Act · Introduced Mar 3, 2025 · Cong. 119 72%

Text versions (1)
  • Introduced in House · Mar 18, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 18, 2025

Mr. Griffith (for himself, Mr. Hern of Oklahoma, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania, Mr. Correa, Mr. Balderson, Mr. Valadao, Mr. Pfluger, Mr. Dunn of Florida, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mr. Yakym, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, and Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revise certain physician self-referral exemptions relating to physician-owned hospitals.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act”.

SEC. 2. REVISING CERTAIN PHYSICIAN SELF-REFERRAL EXEMPTIONS RELATING TO PHYSICIAN-OWNED HOSPITALS.

(a) In General.—Section 1877 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395nn) is amended—

(1) in subsection (d)—

(A) in paragraph (2)(C), by inserting “(other than a covered rural hospital (as defined in subsection

(h)))” after “a hospital”; and

(B) in paragraph (3)(D), by inserting “in the case of a hospital other than a covered rural hospital (as defined in subsection (h)),” before “the hospital”; and

(2) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

“(8) Covered rural hospital.—The term ‘covered rural hospital’ means a hospital that—

“(A) is located in a rural area (as defined in section 1886(d)(2)(D)); and

“(B) as of the date that such hospital enrolls under this title, is located more than a 35-mile drive (or, in the case of mountainous terrain or in areas with only secondary roads available, a 15-mile drive) from a hospital or a critical access hospital.”.

(b) Allowing for Expansion of Existing Physician-Owned Hospitals.— Section 1877(i) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395nn(i)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking “in paragraph (3)” and inserting “in paragraph (3) or (7)”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

“(7) Sunset of expansion prohibition.—The requirement described in paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply beginning on the date of the enactment of this paragraph.”. <all>

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