H.R. 771 — Rural Health Care Access Act of 2025

This section eliminates two requirements—previously specified in subclauses (I) and (II) of subsection (c)(2)(B)(i)—for designating or redesignating a facility as a critical access hospital (CAH) under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, effective for any such action on or after the date of enactment. (As background: The program authorizes states to designate small rural hospitals with 25 or fewer beds as CAHs eligible for Medicare cost-based reimbursement instead of prospective payments, thereby supporting rural health care access.) This section further limits subsection (h)(3) to redesignations made before the date of enactment of the Rural Health Care Access Act of 2025.