The SOLES Act (Save our Lone Emergency Services Act) is designed to help rural hospitals in Alaska and Hawaii that are the only hospital serving their community. Right now, Medicare pays these hospitals based on a standard formula that doesn't always account for the unique challenges of operating in remote locations. This bill creates a financial safety net: if Medicare's payment to one of these sole community hospitals falls below 94% of what it actually costs them to provide outpatient services (like emergency room visits or outpatient procedures), the government will make up the difference. This ensures these critical hospitals don't lose money on Medicare patients and can continue operating as the only emergency medical facility available to their communities. The bill specifically says this extra payment won't affect what patients have to pay out of pocket, and the government won't offset these payments by cutting money elsewhere in the Medicare system. Hospitals will have until January 1st of the year after the law passes to start receiving these protections, giving the government six months to write the detailed rules for how the program will work.

SOLES Act

Begich, Nicholas J.

Save our Lone Emergency Services Act or the SOLES ActThis bill requires Medicare payments to sole community hospitals in Alaska or Hawaii to cover at least 94% of the reasonable costs of covered outpatient services.