“A bill to establish a guaranteed funding stream to keep existing emergency rooms at America's rural hospitals open, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes the Rural Hospital Emergency Room Guarantee Fund in the Treasury and directs the Secretary, through HRSA, to create a 10-year program making payments to eligible rural health facilities operating 24-hour emergency departments. It provides each approved entity $1,000,000 in the first year (quarterly), with subsequent annual amounts adjusted by the CPI for Medical Care Services, plus up to 50 percent more based on a formula considering payor mix, patient injury need, local economic conditions, and financial history, and emergency payments of up to $250,000 if closure is imminent within 14 days. Funds may cover only normal emergency department operating expenses, and entities acquired by private equity or venture capital funds after approval become ineligible.