The AHA today called the Rural Emergency Acute Care Hospital Act (S. 1130) “an important first step toward ensuring access to health care services in some rural communities.” Introduced this week by Sens. Charles Grassley (R-IA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), the REACH Act would allow critical access hospitals and prospective payment system hospitals with 50 or fewer beds to convert to rural emergency hospitals and continue providing necessary emergency and observation services. REHs would receive enhanced reimbursement rates of 110% of reasonable costs, and enhanced reimbursement for the transportation of patients to acute care hospitals in neighboring communities. In a letter of support to the bill’s sponsors, AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels said the association looks forward to working with Congress to ensure access to essential health care services in all vulnerable communities, and urged Congress to consider the recommendations made by AHA’s Task Force on Ensuring Access in Vulnerable Communities.

Related News Articles

Headline
The House July 3 voted 218-214 to pass the final version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), which enacts many of President Trump’s legislative…
Headline
Jon Ulven, Ph.D., behavioral health psychologist and chair of adult psychology at Sanford Health, details the fragile behavioral health landscape in rural…
Headline
The Senate narrowly passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) on July 1 by a 50-50 tally, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.…
Headline
The AHA June 29 sent a letter to senators urging them to amend the budget reconciliation bill before its final passage in the Senate. The Senate version of the…
Headline
The latest video in the AHA’s series “Medicaid: Real Lives, Real Care” features Melissa Fannon-Wisner, DNP, nurse educator and nurse practitioner at Valley…
Headline
In a Q&A, Becky Pletzer, a social worker and mother, explains how critical Medicaid has been to support her son with disabilities, and why cuts to the…