OPENING THE RECORD
OPENING THE RECORD
H.R. 1775 · 119TH CONGRESS
This has not become law. Both chambers must pass the same text before sending it to the president. How a bill becomes law.
CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
Second Chances for Rural Hospitals Act
This bill allows additional hospitals to qualify as rural emergency hospitals (REHs) under Medicare.
In 2020, Congress established REHs as a new Medicare provider designation for hospitals in rural areas providing emergency department services, observation care, and other outpatient medical and health services for which the annual per patient average length of stay does not exceed 24 hours. These hospitals must have been open as of December 27, 2020, in order to qualify for the new REH designation.
The bill allows hospitals that were open between January 1, 2014, and December 26, 2020, to also qualify for the REH designation, and it provides for a specific payment structure for these hospitals. The bill's changes take effect beginning in 2027.
Written by the Congressional Research Service for this version of the bill. Later versions may differ. Read at Congress.gov.