Stabilizing Funding and Improving Access to Rural Healthcare in America.
This legislation aims to prevent the closure of rural hospitals, which are vital for over 60 million Americans, by permanently increasing funding through Medicare and Medicaid. It ensures continued access to essential services like emergency care, telehealth, and ambulance transport, providing rural residents with greater security regarding their local healthcare options. The bill also reduces regulatory burdens on providers and equalizes certain patient costs.
Key points
Permanent increase in funding and payment levels for rural hospitals and clinics to ensure their financial stability and prevent closures.
Enhanced patient access: permanent extension of Medicare coverage for telehealth services and increased payments for rural ground ambulance services.
Regulatory relief: simplifying supervision rules for therapeutic services and eliminating financial incentives for Medicare auditors (RACs) to issue denials.
Equalizing Medicare copayments for services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), potentially lowering out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries.
Expired
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