# Rural Health Care Access Act of 2023

This bill removes distance restrictions that currently prevent rural hospitals from becoming "critical access hospitals." Right now, federal rules limit which rural hospitals can get this special designation based on how far they are from other hospitals. This bill says states can designate any rural hospital as a critical access hospital without worrying about those mileage requirements.

Critical access hospitals are smaller facilities that receive special Medicare funding and payment rules designed to help them stay open and serve their communities. They get reimbursed differently than regular hospitals, which helps them survive financially even when they serve smaller populations spread across large areas. By removing the mileage restrictions, this bill makes it easier for more rural hospitals to qualify for this lifeline funding, especially in areas where hospitals are already struggling to stay operational.

The practical effect is that rural communities that currently can't access this program because they're too close to another hospital—or too far from one, depending on the specific rules—would now have the option to apply for critical access hospital status. This could help keep more rural hospitals open and operating, which matters a lot for people living far from major medical centers. When rural hospitals close, residents have to travel much longer distances for emergency care and other medical services, which can literally be a matter of life and death in emergencies.

Rural Health Care Access Act of 2023

Green, Mark E.

Rural Health Care Access Act of 2023 This bill eliminates certain criteria that hospitals must meet in order to qualify as critical access hospitals that receive special payment under Medicare. Specifically, the bill eliminates the requirement that a hospital must either (1) be located more than 35 miles (15 miles in mountainous regions or areas with only secondary roads) from another hospital, or (2) have been certified prior to January 1, 2006, by the state as a necessary provider of services in the area.