Rural Emergency Hospital Financial Stability Act

This bill makes it clear that rural emergency hospitals are paid by Medicaid like outpatient hospitals. The goal is to give small, rural hospitals steadier, more predictable payments when they deliver emergency and outpatient care. The Secretary of Health and Human Services must issue rules to put this into practice within a year. The changes take effect as soon as the bill becomes law, and apply to services provided from that date forward.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Rural emergency hospitals and the patients who rely on them for urgent and outpatient care.
• What changes: Medicaid will treat these facilities as outpatient hospitals for payment, which can help stabilize funding; related Medicaid provisions are adjusted to fit this change.
• When: The policy applies on the date it becomes law; federal rules to guide implementation must be finished within 12 months.