TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Apr 6, 2026

U.S Rep. David Kustoff and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at supporting rural and low-income area hospitals by adjusting the Medicare Area Wage Index, which affects payments based on local and national labor market wages, the Commercial Appeal reports in a round-up of recent news. The bill, cosponsored in the House by Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama and in the Senate by Mark Warner of Virginia, seeks to address funding disparities that often leave rural hospitals competing for staff with higher-paying urban centers. “Access to health care should not depend on a person’s ZIP code,” Kustoff said, while Sewell noted the bill would help prevent hospital closures that force patients to travel farther for care, limit maternity services and reduce access to longtime doctors. The measure would allow the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to better account for challenges facing hospitals in underserved communities according to the sponsors. Read more in a release from Blackburn's office.