S. 521: Supporting Access to Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2025
A Senate bill (S.) in the 119th U.S. Congress.
Overview
| Congress | 119th U.S. Congress (2025–2026) |
|---|---|
| Type | Senate bill (S.) |
| Originating chamber | Senate |
| Introduced | 2025-02-11 |
| Sponsor | Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] |
| Policy area | Health |
| Cosponsors | 0 |
| Latest action | 2025-02-11 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. |
| Last updated | 2025-12-05 |
Summary
Official summary (Introduced in Senate, 2025-02-11):
Supporting Access to Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2025
This bill temporarily allows additional hospitals to qualify as critical access hospitals (CAHs) that receive special payment under Medicare.
Currently, in order to qualify as a CAH under Medicare, a hospital must either (1) be located more than 35 miles (or 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. Hospitals also must meet certain size and service requirements, including having no more than 25 acute care inpatient beds.
The bill allows, for one year, hospitals that are participating in the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program to also qualify as CAHs. (The program tests the feasibility of cost-based reimbursement for small rural hospitals that are too large to qualify as CAHs.)
Full text & official record
The official bill text, section-by-section summary, amendments, committee reports, and the complete legislative timeline for S. 521 are published by Congress on congress.gov.
Frequently asked questions
What is S. 521?
S. 521 is a Senate bill (S.) introduced in the 119th U.S. Congress, originating in the Senate. Official title: Supporting Access to Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2025.
Where can I read the full bill text?
The full text, cosponsors, amendments, and legislative status for S. 521 are available on congress.gov.
Bill data: congress.gov API (official congressional records).