Rural Health Care Access Act of 2023

The Rural Health Care Access Act of 2023 modifies the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program to simplify eligibility rules for rural hospitals. It removes two specific conditions hospitals previously needed to meet for designation (by deleting certain subclauses) and requires that any redesignation for the program must be completed before the bill’s enactment date. This directly affects rural hospitals relying on cost-based Medicare payments, which help cover their operating expenses. The bill streamlines administrative processes without changing the program’s core funding structure.