The Rural Health Sustainability Act modifies Medicare rules for which hospitals can be designated as rural emergency hospitals. Specifically, the bill changes the date used to determine eligibility from the date the law was enacted to January 1, 2014, and adds a new criterion allowing hospitals designated as rural by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy to qualify. This change affects rural hospitals and rural communities that rely on emergency services, potentially making it easier for more facilities to access rural hospital designations and the associated Medicare payment policies. The bill does not specify new funding amounts or implementation timelines beyond the retroactive date of January 1, 2014. The legislation was introduced in the Senate in April 2024 and referred to the Committee on Finance for consideration.
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