Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Saving Rural Hospitals from Closure Act”.
Saving Rural Hospitals from Closure Act
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to forgive the repayment, extend the timeline of repayment, and lower the interest rate of Medicare hospital accelerated payments made during the COVID–19 public health emergency, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Authorizing the forgiveness of repayment, extension of repayment, and lowering of interest rate of Medicare hospital accelerated payments made during the COVID–19 public health emergency
Section 1815 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395g) is amended—
in subsection (d), by inserting “subject to subsection (f)(5),” after “determination,”; and
in subsection (f)(2)—
in subparagraph (C), by inserting “subject to paragraph (5),” before “the Secretary”; and
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(5)
“(A) Upon the request of a hospital, the Secretary may forgive the repayment, extend the timeline of repayment described in subparagraph (C)(i), and lower the interest rate of any accelerated payment within 30 days of receiving such request if such a hospital experiences significant financial hardship.
“(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), “significant financial hardship” means, with respect to a hospital, the existence of a serious chance of closure, impending bankruptcy, large-scale layoffs, or any other situation the Secretary determines appropriate.”