{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vindman.house.gov/2025/11/21/vindman-moylan-mann-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-strengthen-health-care-access-in-rural-communities/", "Vindman, Moylan, & Mann Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect, Strengthen Health Care Access in Rural Communities", "2025-11-21", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Eugene Simon Vindman", "V000138", "vindman.house.gov", "vindman", "https://vindman.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Representatives Eugene Vindman (D-Va.-07), James Moylan (R-Guam), and Tracey Mann (R-Kan-01) today introduced the Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act, bipartisan legislation led in the U.S. Senate by Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to help financially distressed rural hospitals remain open and maintain essential services.\n\nMedicare\u2019s Critical Access Hospital (CAH) program keeps care within reach for rural communities by providing cost-based reimbursement rather than standard prospective payments. But the program\u2019s rigid mileage requirement \u2014 35 miles from another hospital, or 15 miles in mountainous regions \u2014 often blocks hospitals that are financially vulnerable, yet still the only practical provider for entire areas. In Virginia\u2019s Shenandoah Valley and Southside, several hospitals sit just inside the threshold but remain critical lifelines for surrounding counties.\n\n\u201cToo many rural hospitals are hanging on by a thread,\u201d said Vindman. \u201cWhen a hospital closes, it eliminates emergency care, wipes out jobs, destabilizes local economies, and leaves families without access to lifesaving services. No one should have to drive thirty miles in an emergency because their nearest hospital was shut down. States need the ability to step in before it\u2019s too late, and this legislation gives them the tools to do exactly that.\u201d\n\n\u201cRural communities rely on their local hospitals for timely, dependable care,\u201d said Mann. \u201cThe sad reality is that too many facilities are struggling to serve patients effectively due to rising costs and falling reimbursements. The Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act gives vulnerable hospitals the tools they need to keep their doors open and keep essential services available to Americans in rural areas. Every American should have access to quality, affordable health care regardless of their zip code.\u201d\n\n\u201cRural hospitals serve as the backbone of this country. Guam, which is 100% rural, knows all too well the financial strain placed on our healthcare system,\u201d said Moylan. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to co-lead the Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act with Rep. Vindman and Rep. Mann, which provides the relief hospitals need to continue saving lives and updates Medicare policy to reflect the realities of delivering care in remote areas. This legislation is essential to ensuring that States and Territories have the tools necessary to empower our hospitals.\u201d\n\nThe Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act is endorsed by the American Hospital Association, National Rural Health Association, and Virginia Rural Health Association.\n\nSpecifically, the Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act would:\n\nAllow states to certify certain rural hospitals as \u201cnecessary providers\u201d and waive the mileage rule for CAH status when financial distress and community need are demonstrated,\n\nLimit designations to 120 hospitals nationwide and no more than five per state over a nine-year period,\n\nRequire hospitals to show two years of operating losses, a solvency plan, and a commitment to maintain or expand a high-demand service line such as OB or behavioral health,\n\nDirect GAO and MedPAC to assess program impacts on hospital stability, patient access, and Medicare costs,\n\nAllow the U.S. territories to use CAH designations and waive the bed requirement, and\n\nSunset the program after nine years with transition mechanisms for hospitals.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nFrom 1997 to 2006, states could designate \u201cnecessary providers\u201d and waive the mileage requirement for CAH status, but that authority expired nearly two decades ago. The Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act reinstates a targeted, accountable version of that flexibility with modern safeguards to protect Medicare and ensure designations are reserved for hospitals most at risk.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "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://vindman.house.gov/2025/11/21/vindman-moylan-mann-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-strengthen-health-care-access-in-rural-communities/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5301788225769997, "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"}