S.551

Ensuring Outpatient Quality for Rural States Act: Adjusts Medicare payments for outpatient services in Alaska and Hawaii.

The Ensuring Outpatient Quality for Rural States Act amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to adjust Medicare payments for hospital outpatient department services in Alaska and Hawaii. Specifically, it applies a cost-of-living adjustment to the non-labor related portion of these payments, effective from January 1, 2026. This adjustment aims to account for the unique circumstances of hospitals in these states. The bill ensures that the adjustments are not applied in a budget-neutral manner.