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Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Wednesday introduced the Rural Hospital Emergency Room Guarantee Act, proposing a mandatory 10-year federal funding stream to stop rural emergency rooms from closing.
The bill comes after nearly 200 rural hospital shutdowns nationwide since 2005, with Missouri alone accounting for 12 closures since 2014.
Under the proposal, eligible rural hospitals would receive a guaranteed baseline of $1 million per year plus a one-time emergency payment of up to $250,000 for facilities at immediate risk of closing.
The Closure Trend by the Numbers Since 2005, approximately 200 rural hospitals have shut down across the United States, a pace Hawley's office characterizes as "breakneck." The closures have created what the senator describes as widespread emergency-room deserts, forcing some residents to drive more than an hour to reach emergency care.
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