Rural Hospital Emergency Room Guarantee Act

This bill would create a federal fund to pay rural health facilities that run 24-hour emergency departments, through a 10-year program run by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Each approved facility would get $1,000,000 in the first year, adjusted each later year for medical care price changes, plus an extra payment of up to half that amount based on factors such as patient payor mix and local economic conditions. The government could also make one emergency payment of up to $250,000 per year to a facility whose emergency department is in danger of closing within 14 days. Facilities could use the money only for normal emergency department operating costs, not for executive pay or transfers to other facilities, and would lose eligibility if bought by a private-equity or venture-capital fund. The bill provides mandatory funding for fiscal years 2026 through 2036 and requires random audits, with possible penalties or removal for violations.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Josh Hawley Republican sponsor
• 1 cosponsors