This legislation, known as the "Protect DSH Act," aims to postpone scheduled reductions in Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments. It specifically amends Section 1923(f) of the Social Security Act to revise the timeline for these payment cuts. The bill shifts the period during which DSH payment reductions are to occur from the current schedule of 2026 through 2028 to a new timeframe of 2029 through 2031 . This effectively grants hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of low-income and uninsured patients an additional three years before these federal funding reductions take effect, thereby maintaining current DSH funding levels for a longer period.