,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ehba  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,october #bd1        
#bjbe,mr4 ,la,malfa introduced the      
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,ways and ,means  ,a  
,,bill  ,to amend title ,,xviii of the  
,social ,security ,act to provide for   
the treatment of certain hospitals as   
critical access hospitals under the     
,medicare program4  #a4 ,short title    
,this ,act may be cited as the ,rural   
,hospital ,fairness ,act4  #b4          
,providing for the treatment of certain 
hospitals as critical access hospitals  
under the ,medicare program ,section    
#ahbj7;h7 of the ,social ,security ,act 
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acie;i-#d7;h77 is       
amended by adding at the end the        
following new paragraph3  7#d7          
,continuation of ,,cah status for       
certain facilities  7,a7 ,in general ,a 
facility described in subparagraph 7,b7 
that does not meet the location         
requirement under subsection            

7c77#b77;,b77i77,i7 7and was not        
certified by the ,state as being a      
necessary provider of health care       
services to residents in the area under 
subsection 7c77#b77;,b77i77,,ii77 shall 
be deemed to have been certified by the 
,secretary under subsection 7e7 as a    
critical access hospital so long as such
 facility is otherwise eligible to be   
designated by the ,state as a critical  
access hospital under subsection 7c7 and
 meets any other criteria required by   
the ,secretary under subsection 7e77#c74
  7,b7 ,facility described ,for purposes
 of subparagraph 7,a71 a facility       
described in this subparagraph is a     
facility that--  7i7 was designated as a
 critical access hospital before        
,january #a1 #bjjb2  7ii7 as of         
,december #ca1 #bjbd1 was certified by  
the ,secretary under subsection 7e7 as a
 critical access hospital2 and  7iii7 as
 of the date on which the facility was  
officially notified by the ,secretary   
that it was no longer so certified1 was 

located in a county 7or equivalent unit 
of local government7 in which no other  
hospital1 critical access hospital1 or  
rural emergency hospital was located4  4