WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Sen. Mark R. Warner issued the following press release:
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.
Low patient volumes and significant financial strain are often the primary factors in rural hospital closures, with more than 40% (https://www.chartis.com/insights/2026-rural-health-state-state) of rural hospitals operating in the red. In most of these cases, financial strain for rural hospitals is compounded by the flawed Medicare Area Wage Index that has disproportionately harmed rural hospitals. The Medicare Area Wage Index formula is...