Restoring Rural Health Act

S 3047, the Restoring Rural Health Act, modifies Medicare rules to protect certain rural hospitals from losing critical access hospital (CAH) status due to distance rule violations. It directly affects rural hospitals designated as CAHs as of January 1, 2024, that receive a noncompliance notice from Medicare (CMS) between December 1, 2024, and January 1, 2027, regarding distance requirements. The bill adds a new exception allowing these hospitals to retain CAH status during that specific 14-month period, even if they fail the distance standard. This provides temporary stability for rural healthcare access without changing the underlying distance rule. The policy change applies only to hospitals meeting the defined criteria during the specified notice period.