HR 2957 · 115th Congress 2017–2019, ended

Save Rural Hospitals Act

Introduced Jun 20, 2017 Originated House Sponsor Sam Graves R-MO

Latest action · Jul 11, 2017 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedJun 20, 2017
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Save Rural Hospitals Act

This bill amends titles XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to increase payments to, and modify various requirements regarding, rural health care providers under the Medicare program. Among other provisions, the bill: (1) reverses cuts to reimbursement of bad debt for critical access hospitals (CAHs) and rural hospitals, as well as alters certain requirements with regard to CAHs; (2) extends payment levels for low-volume hospitals and Medicare-dependent hospitals (MDHs); (3) reinstates revised diagnosis-related group payments to MDHs and sole community hospitals (SCHs), as well as reinstates hold harmless treatment for hospital outpatient services for SCHs; (4) delays the application of penalties for a rural hospital's failure to become a meaningful electronic health record user; (5) makes permanent increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services in rural areas; (6) alters certain supervision requirements for therapeutic hospital outpatient services; (7) modifies requirements related to the use and payment of recovery audit contractors; and (8) establishes a program under which rural hospitals meeting specified requirements may be eligible for enhanced payment for qualified outpatient services.

In addition, the bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to eliminate Medicare sequestration for rural hospitals.

The bill also amends title XIX (Medicaid) of SSAct to extend Medicaid primary care payments.

With respect to both the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the bill eliminates disproportionate share hospital payment reductions for rural hospitals.

The bill also amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize several competitive grant programs to assist eligible rural hospitals.

Cosponsors 24

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 20, 2017 to Sep 28, 2018; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-IA	David Loebsack	Original	Jun 20, 2017
R-MS	Steven M. Palazzo		Jun 27, 2017
R-TX	Blake Farenthold		Jul 11, 2017
D-MN	Collin C. Peterson		Jul 12, 2017
R-OK	Frank D. Lucas		Jul 12, 2017
R-MS	Gregg Harper		Jul 12, 2017
R-PA	Glenn Thompson		Jul 19, 2017
R-UT	Chris Stewart		Jul 26, 2017
D-TX	Filemon Vela		Jul 26, 2017
D-CA	Jared Huffman		Jul 26, 2017
R-TN	Scott DesJarlais		Jul 26, 2017
D-MN	Timothy J. Walz		Jul 26, 2017
D-WI	Ron Kind		Jul 28, 2017
R-CA	David G. Valadao		Sep 6, 2017
R-TX	Mac Thornberry		Sep 6, 2017
D-AL	Terri A. Sewell		Sep 6, 2017
R-TX	K. Michael Conaway		Sep 13, 2017
R-TX	Will Hurd		Oct 3, 2017
R-TX	Roger Williams		Oct 31, 2017
R-ND	Kevin Cramer		Nov 29, 2017
R-LA	Clay Higgins		Feb 15, 2018
D-TX	Vicente Gonzalez		Apr 24, 2018
R-ME	Bruce Poliquin		Sep 13, 2018
R-OK	Steve Russell		Sep 28, 2018

Committees 3

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Energy and Commerce Committee	Referred Jun 20, 2017
	Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee	Referred Jun 23, 2017
	Health Subcommittee	Referred Jun 23, 2017
House	Ways and Means Committee	Referred Jun 20, 2017
	Health Subcommittee	Referred Jul 11, 2017
House	Budget Committee	Referred Jun 20, 2017

Actions 5

Everything that happened, newest first.

Jul 11, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jun 23, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection.
Jun 23, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jun 20, 2017Introduced in House
Jun 20, 2017Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1 (General Welfare) and Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 (Commerce) of the Constitution. The bill makes several changes to the way hospitals are regulated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This includes transaction between hospitals, CMS, and third parties, which constitutes commerce. Further, Medicare is considered to be constitutional as part of providing for the general welfare and therefore any changes to Medicare would fall under this provision as well.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 163, no. 105, June 20, 2017, page H4994.

Printed hearings 2

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

Number	Hearing	Committee	Held
S. Hrg. 115-702	RURAL HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES169 pages	Finance Committee	May 24, 2018
115-31	21st CENTURY MEDICINE: HOW TELEHEALTH CAN HELP RURAL COMMUNITIES146 pages	Small Business Committee	Jul 20, 2017

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
HR 3225	Save Rural Hospitals Act	Reintroduction of	Aug 5, 2015
HR 5507	Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2018	Related bill	Apr 19, 2018

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for enhanced payments to rural health care providers under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced: Save Rural Hospitals Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jun 20, 2017Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.