Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
The Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites Act updates how Medicare pays for ambulance services provided by critical access hospitals, particularly those in rural and mountainous areas. The bill modifies payment rules to recognize that hospitals in mountainous terrain or areas with only secondary roads available can use a shorter 15-mile distance requirement instead of the standard 35-mile requirement when calculating ambulance service fees. Additionally, hospitals already designated as critical access hospitals that previously met the 15-mile mountainous terrain standard will be automatically deemed to continue meeting that requirement even if new facilities open nearby, as long as the new facilities are located between 10 and 15 miles away. The bill takes effect January 1, 2026, and requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue implementing regulations within one year. This legislation aims to ensure that rural hospitals in challenging geography can maintain ambulance services and their critical access hospital status without losing Medicare reimbursement.
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