Increased Medicare Funding and Better Care for US Territorial Hospitals.
This act establishes a new designation for "Territorial Safety Net Hospitals" (TSNHs) in US territories (like Guam, Virgin Islands), granting them higher, cost-based Medicare reimbursement. For residents, this means improved financial stability for local hospitals, better access to emergency services, and the elimination of out-of-pocket costs for clinical diagnostic lab services under Medicare.
Key points
Hospitals in US territories (e.g., Guam, American Samoa) will receive higher Medicare payments (101% of reasonable costs) to stabilize their finances and improve service quality.
Medicare patients will no longer pay deductibles or copayments for clinical diagnostic laboratory services at these designated hospitals.
Hospitals gain access to the 340B program, allowing them to purchase outpatient prescription drugs at significantly discounted prices, and are exempted from mandatory Medicare budget cuts (sequestration).
Expired
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