S.4927

Establishes a funding stream to keep emergency rooms at rural hospitals open.

The Rural Hospital Emergency Room Guarantee Act creates a fund to provide guaranteed payments to rural hospitals with 24-hour emergency departments. The fund, called the Rural Hospital Emergency Room Guarantee Fund, will receive annual appropriations and civil monetary penalties. Payments will be made to eligible entities for 10 years, with amounts adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index for Medical Care Services. Eligible entities must be rural health facilities participating in a federal health care program and operating a 24-hour emergency department.