Save Struggling Hospitals Act

The Save Struggling Hospitals Act adjusts Medicare reimbursement rates for hospitals in low-wage areas to help them remain financially viable. It directly affects hospitals located in regions where the average hospital wages fall below the 25th percentile nationally. The bill increases the area wage index for these struggling hospitals by half the difference between their current index and the 25th percentile threshold, starting with discharges on or after October 1, 2019. These adjustments are designed to be budget neutral, meaning the increased payments to low-wage hospitals are offset by reductions elsewhere without decreasing payments to hospitals in the top 75th percentile or reducing any hospital's payment by more than 5 percent from the previous year.