H.R. 9642, the Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act, advanced out of committee on July 15, 2026.
H.R. 9642 — Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act
What it does
This bill changes how Medicare pays for anesthesiologist services in small rural hospitals and critical access hospitals. Instead of paying based on a fee-for-service model (Part B), Medicare will reimburse these hospitals on a 'reasonable cost' basis for anesthesia services, provided the hospital had 800 or fewer surgical procedures requiring anesthesia in 2026 and employs no more than one full-time anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist must agree not to bill Medicare separately for these services.
Quorum's transparency scan gave Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act a high transparency warning.
What happens next
H.R. 9642 advanced out of committee. Next stop: a floor vote.
Who is behind it
Filed by John Moolenaar. Cosponsored by Barry Moore, Daniel Meuser, Gregory Murphy and Jared Huffman.