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H.R. 9468119th CongressIn markupLatest action Jul 15, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
The STAR Act extends Medicare's site-neutral payment policy for long-term care hospitals through 2032 and adds new qualifying criteria.
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This bill extends Medicare's site-neutral payment rule for long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) through 2032 instead of letting it expire in 2026. It adds a new "high acuity criterion" allowing more patients to qualify for higher payment rates, and expands existing ICU and ventilator payment categories to include patients transferred from critical access hospitals.
The bill affects long-term care hospitals, the regular and rural hospitals that transfer patients to them, and Medicare patients needing extended, intensive hospital care.
The changes could affect which hospitals qualify for higher Medicare payments for certain very sick patients, potentially influencing hospitals' financial stability and admission decisions. It does not change coverage or costs for most everyday Medicare beneficiaries.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 40 - 0.