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HR 771
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Rural Health Care Access Act of 2025

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.

Introduced Jan 28, 2025

Latest action (Jan 28, 2025) Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Referred to
Ways and Means Committee
Policy area
Health
Issues
Healthcare
Legislative subjects (7)
Health care coverage and accessHealth facilities and institutionsHealth programs administration and fundingHospital careMedicareState and local government operationsUrban and suburban affairs and development

Summary

This bill amends Medicare law to allow states to designate rural healthcare facilities as critical access hospitals without geographic mileage limitations. Currently, Medicare imposes mileage-based restrictions on which rural facilities can receive this designation. The change applies to any new designations or redesignations made after the bill's enactment. Critical access hospitals are a Medicare program category designed to support the viability of rural hospital services.

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)
4 cosponsors

Actions (2)
  1. Jan 28, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. · house
  2. Jan 28, 2025 Introduced in House

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

  • HR 5304 — Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 5 subjects)
  • HR 191 — Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 (shares 5 subjects)
  • HR 7148 — Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 3838 — Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 4754 — Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 1968 — Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 1654 — CUTS Act (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 1358 — No Patient Left Alone Act of 2025 (shares 4 subjects)

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.

  • HR 1191 — Supporting Access to Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2025 · Introduced Feb 11, 2025 · Cong. 119 85%
  • S 521 — Supporting Access to Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2025 · Introduced Feb 11, 2025 · Cong. 119 83%
  • HR 772 — Rural ER Access Act · Introduced Jan 28, 2025 · Cong. 119 83%
  • HR 5198 — Rural Health Clinic Location Modernization Act of 2025 · Introduced Sep 8, 2025 · Cong. 119 82%
  • S 502 — Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2025 · Introduced Feb 10, 2025 · Cong. 119 79%
  • HR 44 — Rural 340B Access Act of 2025 · Introduced Jan 3, 2025 · Cong. 119 77%

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 28, 2025

Mr. Green of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Jackson of Texas, and Mrs. Miller of Illinois) 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.

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 “Rural Health Care Access Act of 2025”.

SEC. 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 2025” 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. <all>

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