{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sewell.house.gov/2022/8/reps-sewell-smith-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-protect-access-long", "Reps. Sewell, Smith Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Access to Long Term Care Hospitals", "2022-08-08", "2022", "2022-08", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Terri A. Sewell", "S001185", "sewell.house.gov", "sewell", "https://sewell.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Jason Smith (MO-08) introduced H.R. 8580, the Long Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Access and Stability Act. This bipartisan legislation would extend pandemic-era Medicare payment policies for LTCHs for one year after the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE). Such an extension would prevent steep and sudden Medicare payment cuts to LTCHs and allow these specialized hospitals time to transition back to pre-pandemic policies. By supporting LTCHs, the LTCH Access and Stability Act would help ensure that long-term acute care services remain available for communities that need them.\n\n\u201cLong Term Care Hospitals have played such a critical role in treating patients with COVID-19 and those with chronic conditions, but without action, these hospitals will soon face devastating payment cuts that threaten their ability to provide lifesaving care,\u201d said Rep. Sewell. \u201cI thank my colleague, Congressman Jason Smith, for joining me in introducing the LTCH Access and Stability Act which would give these facilities time to transition back to pre-pandemic payment policies. We must ensure that these hospitals can continue to operate for those who rely on them.\u201d\n\n\u201cLong Term Care Hospitals play a unique and vital role in our nation\u2019s health care system\u2014and are particularly critical in rural areas,\u201d said Rep. Smith. \u201cCOVID-19 strained the resources of facilities that treated these patients, and as we adjust back to pre-pandemic policies, we need to ensure adequate transition time for facilities like LTCHs, which were the tip of the spear in rural America. This legislation will ensure LTCHs have additional time to adjust their resources, keep their doors open, and\u2014most importantly\u2014continue providing life-changing care to patients affected by serious long-term medical illnesses in Missouri and across the nation.\u201d\n\nLTCHs are designed to care for severely ill patients who, though clinically stable, still require complex medical treatment such as mechanical ventilation. This makes them ideal treatment facilities for patients with COVID-19. To preserve access to long-term care hospitals and increase patient capacity during the pandemic, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act created a more flexible Medicare payment policy for LTCHs by waiving the previous \u201csite neutral\u201d policy for the duration of the PHE. This waiver allowed for LTCHs to serve patients they previously did not\u2014including those suffering from COVID-19\u2014and helped free beds in short-term acute-care hospitals.\n\nAs the COVID emergency winds down, this flexibility for patient capacity will expire, forcing devastating cuts to LTCHs across the country. At the same time, these hospitals face the same challenges as other hospitals, including workforce shortages, supply chain constraints, and rising costs. The LTCH Access and Stability Act would extend the current Medicare payment policy for LTCHs for one year after the end of the PHE, creating a one-year transition period back to pre-pandemic policies and ensuring that patients can continue to access the lifesaving care these hospitals provide.\n\n\u201cThe Coalition of Long-Term Acute-Care Hospitals thanks Congresswoman Sewell and Congressman Smith for introducing the LTCH Access and Stability Act,\u201d said Anthony F. Misitano Chair of the Coalition of LTACHs and Founder, Chairman, & CEO of PAM Health. \u201cThis bill acknowledges the vital role LTACHs have played in the communities they serve during the most dangerous days of the COVID-19 pandemic and provides time for those hospitals to transition out of crisis mode and re-establish firm footing so they can continue to provide the long-term acute-level care for the patients who need it.\u201d\n\n\u201cMembers of the National Association of Long Term Hospitals (NALTH) have been proud to serve as front-line responders during the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d said Dr. Ed Prettyman, President of the National Association of Long Term Hospitals. \u201cWe applaud Congresswoman Sewell and Congressman Smith for their leadership and the introduction of the LTCH Access and Stability Act. Ensuring long term care hospitals do not face an abrupt and steep payment cut is crucial to preserving access to vital care in communities across the country. We thank Congresswoman Sewell and Congressman Smith for recognizing the important role long term care hospitals play in caring for our nation\u2019s most critically ill patients.\u201d\n\nThe LTCH Access and Stability Act is also supported by the following organizations:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T02:59:24Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sewell.house.gov/2022/8/reps-sewell-smith-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-protect-access-long"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.539178192615509, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}