Rural Health Care Access Act of 2023
Source: Congress.gov ·
313 words in original text
What This Bill Does
This bill changes the rules for how rural hospitals can become critical access hospitals (special hospitals that receive extra support from the Medicare program, which is federal health insurance for people 65 and older). It removes distance requirements that currently limit which rural hospitals can get this designation.
Who It Affects
States, rural hospitals and facilities seeking critical access hospital status, and Medicare (the federal health insurance program).
Key Provisions
• States may now designate rural area facilities as critical access hospitals without any mileage limitations (Sec. 2(a)(1))
• The rule change applies to any hospital designation or redesignation made on or after the law's enactment date (Sec. 2(b))
What Changes
The previous distance restrictions that prevented rural hospitals from becoming critical access hospitals based on how far they were from other facilities are removed. States gain the ability to make these designations based only on location in a rural area, not distance measurements.
Important Definitions
The bill does not define "critical access hospital," "rural area" or other key terms.
Effective Date
This change applies to any designation or redesignation made on or after the date this bill becomes law.
Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only.
It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov
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