This bill creates a new Rural Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program under Medicare law to help struggling rural hospitals maintain access to healthcare services in their communities. Starting January 1, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services would award grants to rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, and rural emergency hospitals, as well as to technical assistance organizations that help these hospitals apply for and use the funding. Grant recipients could use the money for building renovations, staff training, hiring or retaining employees, and purchasing or repairing equipment, all aimed at sustaining or expanding medical services. Priority would go to hospitals facing financial distress, low patient volume, long distances to the next nearest hospital, or a real risk of closing or cutting services. The program is funded at $20 million per year from 2026 through 2029, drawn from the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, and the Secretary must report to Congress on the program's outcomes by January 2029, with a follow-up report two years later.
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