Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville and a bipartisan group of senators are pushing for an extension of the Wage Index Hospital Policy. The policy aids rural hospitals throughout the country by allowing them to give a higher level of care.

The lawmakers sent a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. In the letter, the senators asked for a four-year extension on the policy.

“Unfortunately, due to disruptions in the marketplace caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not had the opportunity to see the true impact of the Low Wage Index Hospital Policy envisioned by CMS,” the senators wrote. “Extending the Low Wage Index Hospital Policy for four additional years will allow hospitals and the agency to better understand the policy’s true impact in a more normal environment.”

Britt (R-Montgomery) addressed the need for the extension.

“Our rural families and communities depend on the medical services and potentially life-saving treatments that local hospitals provide,” she said. “Every Alabamian deserves access to quality care and the opportunity to thrive in safe, strong communities – no matter their ZIP Code.”

If the policy is not extended, Medicare payments to rural hospitals will be reduced after Sept. 30.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.