Adjust the eligibility for the rural emergency hospital designation under the Medicare program.
H.R. 6596119th Congress

Adjust the eligibility for the rural emergency hospital designation under the Medicare program.

Introduced in the HouseRep. Derek Schmidt (R-KS-2)8 sections · 1 min read
Version: ih · Apr 20, 2026

Section 1. Adjusting eligibility for rural emergency hospital designation under Medicare

Section 1861(kkk)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(kkk)(3)) is amended—

(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking as of and inserting, at any point during the period beginning on January 1, 2015, and ending on;

(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking or at the end;

(3) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting; or; and

(4) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

(C) was an off-campus outpatient department of a hospital (as defined in section 1833(t)(21)(B)) that—

(i) was a dedicated emergency department (as defined in section 489.24(b) of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation)); and

(ii) was located in a county (or equivalent unit of local government) in a rural area (as defined in section 1886(d)(2)(D)).

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