[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8245 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8245

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish the Rural 
    Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program to provide grants to rural 
      hospitals for purposes of ensuring local access to services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 6, 2024

 Mr. Feenstra 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 establish the Rural 
    Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program to provide grants to rural 
      hospitals for purposes of ensuring local access to services.

    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 Hospital Stabilization Act''.

SEC. 2. RURAL HOSPITAL STABILIZATION PILOT PROGRAM.

    Section 1820(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-4) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(8) Rural hospital stabilization pilot program.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Beginning January 1, 2026, the 
                Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of 
                Rural Health Policy, shall award grants to--
                            ``(i) hospitals, critical access hospitals, 
                        and rural emergency hospitals that are located 
                        in a rural area, as such term is used for 
                        purposes of section 711 of this Act (in this 
                        paragraph referred to as `rural hospitals') 
                        that have submitted applications to the 
                        Secretary, for purposes of assisting such 
                        hospitals in ensuring local access to services; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) experienced technical assistance 
                        providers that have submitted applications to 
                        the Secretary, for purposes of assisting such 
                        rural hospitals in planning to apply for grants 
                        under this paragraph and using any amounts 
                        received under such a grant.
                    ``(B) Prioritization factors.--In making grants to 
                rural hospitals under this paragraph for a fiscal year 
                (and determining the amount of each such grant), the 
                Secretary shall consider the following factors:
                            ``(i) The average daily census of the 
                        hospital.
                            ``(ii) The distance between the hospital 
                        and the next nearest hospital.
                            ``(iii) The financial circumstances of the 
                        hospital, as determined by such hospital's most 
                        recently filed Medicare cost report (or other 
                        applicable source of information).
                            ``(iv) The risk that the hospital will 
                        close.
                            ``(v) The risk that the hospital will 
                        reduce or stop offering a class of services.
                    ``(C) Use of funds.--
                            ``(i) Hospitals.--Amounts received by a 
                        rural hospital under a grant under this 
                        paragraph shall be used to sustain, enhance, or 
                        expand the classes of services offered by such 
                        hospital, or to begin offering a new class of 
                        service, and may be used for--
                                    ``(I) minor renovations to 
                                buildings;
                                    ``(II) training with respect to the 
                                delivery of new or existing services;
                                    ``(III) recruiting or hiring new 
                                staff or supplementing compensation of 
                                existing staff; and
                                    ``(IV) equipment acquisition or 
                                refurbishment.
                            ``(ii) Experienced technical assistance 
                        providers.--Amounts received by an experienced 
                        technical assistance provider under a grant 
                        under this paragraph shall be used to assist 
                        rural hospitals--
                                    ``(I) in applying for a grant under 
                                this paragraph; and
                                    ``(II) with respect to a rural 
                                hospital that has been awarded a grant 
                                under this paragraph, in using amounts 
                                received under such grant in accordance 
                                with the requirements of clause (i).
                    ``(D) Reports to congress.--
                            ``(i) Initial report.--Not later than 
                        January 1, 2029, the Secretary shall submit to 
                        Congress a report on the grants awarded under 
                        this paragraph that includes the following 
                        information:
                                    ``(I) The names of all experienced 
                                technical assistance providers that 
                                received a grant under this paragraph 
                                and, with respect to each such 
                                experienced technical assistance 
                                provider, an analysis of the use of the 
                                amounts received under such grant.
                                    ``(II) The names and locations of 
                                all rural hospitals that received a 
                                grant under this paragraph and, with 
                                respect to each such hospital--
                                            ``(aa) the use of the 
                                        amounts received under such 
                                        grant;
                                            ``(bb) an analysis of the 
                                        financial circumstances of such 
                                        hospital, as determined by such 
                                        hospital's most recently filed 
                                        Medicare cost report (or other 
                                        applicable source of 
                                        information)--

                                                    ``(AA) at the time 
                                                of the receipt of such 
                                                grant; and

                                                    ``(BB) at the time 
                                                the report is submitted 
                                                under this clause;

                                            ``(cc) an analysis of the 
                                        classes of services offered by 
                                        the hospital--

                                                    ``(AA) prior to the 
                                                receipt of such grant; 
                                                and

                                                    ``(BB) following 
                                                such receipt, as 
                                                determined at the time 
                                                the report is submitted 
                                                under this clause; and

                                            ``(dd) an analysis of any 
                                        new classes of services offered 
                                        by the hospital following the 
                                        receipt of such grant.
                            ``(ii) Subsequent report.--Not later than 2 
                        years after the initial report is submitted 
                        under clause (i), the Secretary shall submit to 
                        Congress a subsequent report on the grants 
                        awarded under this paragraph that includes 
                        updates to the information described in 
                        subclauses (I) and (II) of such clause.
                    ``(E) Funding.--There are authorized to be 
                appropriated from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust 
                Fund under section 1817 for making grants under this 
                paragraph, $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 
                through 2029, to remain available until expended.''.
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