Reps. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., and Terri Sewell, D-Ala., today proposed new legislation to continue the Medicare-dependent hospital programme and low-volume hospital adjustment, both of which are essential lifelines for rural hospitals. Each would be extended for five years under the ARCH Act, or Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals. The AHA emphasised the crucial responsibilities that rural hospitals play in the neighbourhoods they serve and the ability of the law to support these initiatives in its letter of endorsement to the ARCH Act’s supporters. As a result of continuous financial strain and significant changes in the way healthcare is delivered, the AHA argued that this legislation will assist in keeping the doors open at rural hospitals and enable them to continue treating their local communities.
