U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., has introduced legislation that would shield communities from care interruptions in the event of a hospital closure.
Hospital closures can be dangerous for rural communities, particularly those near or neighboring medical deserts, which includes 70% of rural counties, according to the National Rural Healthcare Association.
The bill, known as the Hospital Stability and Health Services Act, introduced by Ms. Baldwin, would put the burden of transitioning care for the community back on the hospital that suddenly closes.
"If a big hospital is going to shut down in one of our communities, they should help ensure patients don’t slip through the cracks when they are gone," Ms. Baldwin said in a July 25 news release. "This legislation will help ensure those big hospital systems put their patients before profits and give Wisconsin families what they deserve: Peace of mind that they will have access to the care they and their families need to stay healthy."
Hospitals would have to notify the secretary of Health and Human Services within 90 days of closing or stopping services. If the hospital must close as a result of a disaster, like a hurricane, for instance, then the hospital would be required to make the notification within 30 days of the catastrophe.
If HHS were to determine that the hospitals' closure would hurt access to care for the community it is located in, it would require the hospital to submit a plan detailing "how they will maintain essential services for the community through partnerships with surrounding facilities, including patient transportation plans, and support the transition of health care employees to other positions," according to the release.
The bill also outlines a plan for a report to be submitted to Congress every two years reporting closure trends and health system capacities from a national standpoint.