U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, a Republican from Kansas, has introduced legislation that could allow more health care facilities to be designated as rural emergency hospitals. Moran says that converting to a rural emergency hospital, or REH, helps struggling or closed hospitals obtain federal funding for outpatient care in rural communities. Currently, to be designated as an REH, a critical access or rural hospital must have been in business on December, 27th, 2020. Moran’s proposal aims to push that date back, extending eligibility to hospitals in business on January 1st, 2015. In a release, Moran says more than 100 hospitals have closed since 2015. He says this legislation would give those hospitals the opportunity to re-open.
