LaMalfa Introduces Legislation to Reinstate Glenn Medical Center's Critical Access Funding

Washington, D.C.-Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) introduced the Rural Hospital Fairness Act, which would reinstate Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status for hospitals that were designated as such prior to 2002, still held active CAH status as of December 31, 2024, and serves as the sole hospital in the county in which it is located. The legislation comes in direct response to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) misguided decision to revoke Glenn Medical Center's CAH status earlier this year.

"Glenn Medical Center did everything right. Since receiving CAH status, it has served patients for over two decades, followed the rules, and maintained its designation year after year with CMS' approval. Then CMS suddenly changed the route used to measure distance from main roads to rural backroads, and decided to take that status away," said Rep. LaMalfa. "Now CMS admits it made a mistake over 20 years ago when the hospital was first designated, but it's the people of Glenn County who are being punished for it. That's unacceptable. CMS needs to take responsibility for its own error and fix this but is refusing to do so. That's why I introduced the Rural Hospital Fairness Act to direct CMS to restore Glenn Medical and other rural hospitals' CAH status, so they are not forced to pay the price for bureaucratic mismanagement and mistakes."

Under federal law, a Critical Access Hospital must be located more than 35 miles from the next closest hospital. In Glenn Medical's case, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) used a rural backroad to recalculate that distance, finding the hospital to be only 32.5 miles away from Colusa Medical Center. CMS admitted they are unaware which route was used to originally give Glenn Medical its designation, but no new roads or hospitals have been built since. Despite this, CMS reversed two decades of precedent and stripped Glenn Medical of its status.

The Rural Hospital Fairness Act provides a targeted, permanent solution by reinstating CAH status for hospitals that meet the bill's criteria, including Glenn Medical Center. By restoring CAH status, the bill ensures these hospitals can continue receiving a higher Medicare reimbursement rate and regulatory flexibility, which helps account for unique challenges rural medical facilities face so they can continue to provide emergency care in rural areas.

Since Glenn Medical's CAH status was revoked in April 2025, Congressman LaMalfa has actively worked with the hospital, CMS, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the White House to find a solution. HHS initially indicated that Glenn Medical's status would be restored, but CMS later refused to do so without legislation. Despite CMS' admission of their error nearly twenty-five years ago, they claim their hands are tied without Congressional action. Therefore, this bill is essential for protecting rural access to emergency care and ensuring our government functions with accountability and fairness. The Rural Hospital Fairness Act ensures that long-serving rural hospitals like Glenn Medical Center are not punished for bureaucratic inconsistencies.

You can find full text of the Rural Hospital Fairness Act, here.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.

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