CRS: Medicare Payment for Rural or Geographically Isolated Hospitals, 2026

The  Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a nonpartisan agency within the Library of Congress that provides objective research and analysis to U.S. Congress members, committees, and staff.

This report displays data on four types of rural hospitals – Sole Community Hospitals, Medicare-Dependent Hospitals, Low-Volume Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals – that receive Medicare payment under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System.