Proposed legislation related to rural health: August 23, 2025 – October 9, 2025

Prepared to be shocked. I bet you didn’t have Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Eugene Vindman (D-VA), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), and Jill Tokuda (D-HI) on your bingo card as cosponsors for several pieces of legislation!
This post separates out legislation that affects rural hospitals and clinics from the other “noise” surrounding Medicare and related healthcare issues. It appears that there may be a bit more bipartisanship on this topic than on most.
I also want to know why John Joyce did not cosponsor any of this legislation. It's not like he's a medical doctor, or represents a rural district...

H.R.5081 - Telehealth Modernization Act. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program.
Introduced September 2, 2025 by Earl Carter (R-GA). Cosponsored by seven Democrats and no Republicans.
Comment: Extends Medicare coverage for telehealth, with special focus on rural areas. I don’t think most people realize that Medicare coverage of telehealth services expired on September 30, 2025. This legislation would extend it to September 30, 2027.
My question: Why not just make it permanent?

H.R.5198 - Rural Health Clinic Location Modernization Act of 2025. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to maintain standards for qualification as a rural health clinic under the Medicare program.
Introduced September 8, 2025 by Tracey Mann (R-KS). Cosponsored by fourteen Democrats and ten Republicans. Surprisingly, Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is a cosponsor!
Comment: This bill would change the definition of a rural hospital or clinic under Medicare from “is located in an area that is not an urbanized area (as defined by the Bureau of the Census)” to “(not) an urban area (as defined by the Bureau of the Census) with a population of 50,000 or more.” In other words, it prevents the Bureau of the Census from arbitrarily defining an area as “not rural.”

H.R.5199 - Modernizing Rural Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner Utilization Act of 2025. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to modernize physician, physician assistant, and nurse practitioner utilization requirements.
Introduced September 8, 2025 by Tracey Mann (R-KS). Cosponsored by eleven Democrats and nine Republicans.
Comment: Again, Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is a cosponsor! Are pigs flying?
This bill would allow rural hospitals and clinics without a full-time physician on staff to qualify if they have one or more physician assistants, or one or more nurse practitioners.

H.R.5217 - Rural Behavioral Health Improvement Act of 2025. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to remove certain limitations on the delivery of behavioral health services at rural health clinics under the Medicare program.
Introduced September 8, 2025 by Jill Tokuda (D-HI). Cosponsored by ten Republicans and ten Democrats.
Comment: Another Boebert cosponsorship.
Amends the Social Security Act by striking the language that would eliminate behavioral health services at rural clinics from Medicare coverage. In other words, if this bill passes, Medicare would cover behavioral and mental health services provided by rural health clinics. (I frankly was unaware that Medicare did not cover mental health services at rural hospitals and clinics!)

September 10, 2025 alert. September 16, 2025 meeting. 2:00PM(EDT). “Virtue Signaling vs. Vital Services: Where Tax-Exempt Hospitals are Spending Your Tax Dollars.” Meeting Details – video of the three-hour meeting is available. No transcript or supporting documentation as of December 26, 2025.
Comment: Attempt by Trump loyalists to discredit hospitals as they strip them of Medicaid funding. Rural hospitals will be hit hard.

H.R.5496 - HEALTH Act of 2025 (Helping Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth Act of 2025). To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for permanent payments for telehealth services furnished by federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics under the Medicare program.
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Glenn Thompson (R-PA). Cosponsored by Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Eugene Vindman (D-VA), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), and Chris Pappas (D-NH).
Comment: See H.R.5081 above, with my question: Why not just make it permanent? – This bill would do exactly that, make it permanent.
Question: What do Republicans have against TeleHealth?!

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