in introducing new legislation to broaden access to a federal Medicare reimbursement program that can help more rural hospitals remain open to serve patients. “We’re trying every option we can to give rural hospitals a better chance to stay open. More than 150 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, with nearly 100 of those closures happening between 2015 and 2023. In addition to authoring the Rural Health Sustainability Act (S.1800), Hyde-Smith in May joined U.S. The RCHD program, in which six Mississippi hospitals are enrolled, allows rural hospitals to test innovative Medicare hospital payment models that improve financial sustainability and support health care access.