U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) today introduced the Save Struggling Hospitals Act, legislation to help make sure rural hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government.
Introduce and support legislation to ensure rural hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government.
Occurrences
Senator Marsha Blackburn and Representative David Kustoff introduced their bicameral and bipartisan Rural Health Agenda, which includes the Save Struggling Hospitals Act, Rural Health Innovation Act, and Rural America Health Corps Act.
U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) today introduced the Save Struggling Hospitals Act, legislation to help make sure rural hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government.
U.S. Senators John Boozman, Mark Warner, and Marsha Blackburn introduced the Save Rural Hospitals Act to help curb the trend of hospital closures in rural communities by ensuring fair federal reimbursement.
Evidence
U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Save Struggling Hospitals Act, legislation to help make sure rural hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government.
Senator Marsha Blackburn and Representative David Kustoff introduced their bicameral and bipartisan Rural Health Agenda, which includes the Save Struggling Hospitals Act, Rural Health Innovation Act, and Rural America Health Corps Act.
U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Marsha Blackburn reintroduced their bipartisan Rural Health Innovation Act to increase access to health care in rural and underserved communities across the country.
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Mark Warner introduced the Rural Patient Monitoring (RPM) Access Act to ensure Medicare patients in rural and underserved communities have access to remote physiologic monitoring services.
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn joined Senator Michael Bennet in introducing the Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act to improve access to emergency air medical services in rural communities.
The American Hospital Association expressed support for the Save Rural Hospitals Act, introduced by Senators Warner and Blackburn, to establish a national minimum rate for the Medicare Area Wage Index.
U.S. Senators John Boozman, Mark Warner, and Marsha Blackburn introduced the Save Rural Hospitals Act to help curb the trend of hospital closures in rural communities by ensuring fair federal reimbursement.
The American Hospital Association expressed support for the Rural America Health Corps Act, introduced by Senator Blackburn and others, to address workforce shortages in rural areas.
The Senate sponsor's recent press-release index for the lookback window lists releases dated June 9 through July 7, 2026, but no Save Struggling Hospitals Act, rural-hospital reimbursement, or enactment update appears in the listed items.
Senators Mark Warner and Marsha Blackburn introduced the Save Struggling Hospitals Act to ensure rural hospitals receive fair federal reimbursement, by codifying CMS's low-wage index hospital policy after CMS removed it following litigation.
Blackburn's office announced a Rural Health Agenda including the Save Struggling Hospitals Act, describing the Medicare Area Wage Index as flawed and saying the bill would improve fair Medicare reimbursement for hospitals in rural and low-wage areas.
Congress.gov records S.803, the Save Rural Hospitals Act of 2023, as sponsored by Senator Warner, referred to Senate Finance on March 15, 2023, and still only at the Introduced status, with a CRS summary saying it would establish a Medicare hospital area wage adjustment floor.
Congress.gov lists Senator Marsha Blackburn as an original cosponsor of S.803 on March 15, 2023, among seven original cosponsors.
The American Hospital Association supported the Warner-Blackburn Save Rural Hospitals Act, stating Medicare reimbursement shortfalls and the Area Wage Index harm rural hospitals and that S.803 would establish a national minimum AWI rate to provide more appropriate payment.
Assessments
Blackburn introduced and supported directly relevant federal legislation, including the Save Struggling Hospitals Act and related rural hospital reimbursement bills, during her Senate term. The evidence shows concrete legislative action aimed at fair Medicare/federal reimbursement for rural hospitals, but it does not show that the legislation was enacted or that the reimbursement outcome was implemented. Because the promise was framed around introducing/supporting legislation and she did that, this merits partial credit rather than full delivery.
Senator Marsha Blackburn made multiple, serious legislative efforts to address the issue of rural hospitals being fairly reimbursed by the federal government. She introduced and supported several bipartisan bills directly targeting fair reimbursement and financial viability for rural hospitals, such as the Save Struggling Hospitals Act and the Save Rural Hospitals Act. These legislative attempts, supported by key health associations and colleagues, address the campaign promise. However, there is no evidence provided that these bills were enacted into law or that the federal reimbursement system has changed as a direct result, meaning the full outcome promised has not been definitively delivered.
Senator Marsha Blackburn introduced and supported multiple pieces of legislation specifically targeting fair federal reimbursement for rural hospitals, such as the Save Struggling Hospitals Act and the Save Rural Hospitals Act, among others. While these bills demonstrate sustained and credible effort, there is no evidence that any of these measures have been signed into law or resulted in enacted policy changes. Her actions fulfill the promise of introducing and supporting relevant legislation, but do not fully deliver the end outcome of ensuring fair reimbursement as a realized federal policy.
Senator Marsha Blackburn introduced and supported a range of legislative initiatives, such as the Save Struggling Hospitals Act, Save Rural Hospitals Act, and other bipartisan bills, aimed specifically at ensuring rural hospitals are fairly reimbursed by the federal government. These efforts are well-documented and demonstrate significant legislative activity consistent with the campaign promise. However, there is no evidence provided that any of these specific bills were enacted into law or fundamentally changed reimbursement policy. Therefore, while meaningful effort and partial policy advancement are clearly established, full delivery remains incomplete.