Smith/Feingold Amendment No. 1073, to allow the Secretary to include in the definition of ?specialized Medicare+Choice plans for special needs beneficiaries? plans that disproportionately serve such special needs beneficiaries or frail, elderly Medicare beneficiaries.
What it does: Adds SEC. __. RECLASSIFICATION OF CERTAIN RURAL COUNTIES FOR PURPOSES OF REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM at the end of subtitle A of title IV
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)What it changes
1 change to S. 1 · shown in the bill's text
Adds SEC. __. RECLASSIFICATION OF CERTAIN RURAL COUNTIES FOR PURPOSES OF REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM at the end of subtitle A of title IV
Adds a sectionIn S. 1 · Reported to Senate
(b) Report.--Not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a) together with such recommendations for legislative and administrative action as the Comptroller General determines appropriate.
Inserted: SEC. __. RECLASSIFICATION OF CERTAIN RURAL COUNTIES FOR PURPOSES OF REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.
Inserted: (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, effective for discharges occurring during fiscal years 2003, 2004, and 2005, for purposes of making payments under section 1886(d) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)), a hospital located in a rural county in a State that is adjacent to 1 or more urban areas is deemed to be located in the urban metropolitan statistical area from which the greatest number of hospital employees commute, if--
Inserted: (1) the rural county is surrounded by urban metropolitan statistical areas; and
Inserted: (2) the hospital would be reclassified as being located in an adjacent urban metropolitan statistical area for purposes of determining the wage index and the standardized amount applicable to the hospital but for a requirement that the hospital have a wage index that is 106 percent of its applicable rural wage index.
Inserted: (b) Treatment as Decision of Medicare Geographic Classification review Board.--For purposes of section 1886(d) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C 1395ww(d)), any reclassification under subsection (a) shall be treated as a decision of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board under paragraph (10) of that section.
Inserted: (c) Process for Applications To Ensure that Provisions Apply Beginning October 1, 2003.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a process for the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board to accept, and make determinations with respect to, applications that are filed by applicable hospitals within 90 days of the date of enactment of this section to reclassify based on the provisions of this section in order to ensure that such provisions shall apply to payments under such section 1886(d) for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2003.
Inserted: (d) Adjustments To Ensure Budget Neutrality.--If 1 or more applicable hospital's applications are approved pursuant to the process under subsection (c), the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall make a proportional adjustment in the standardized amounts determined under paragraph (3) of such section 1886(d) for payments for discharges occurring in fiscal year 2004 to ensure that approval of such applications does not result in aggregate payments under such section 1886(d) that are greater or less than those that would otherwise be made if this section had not been enacted.
Original wording
At the end of subtitle A of title IV, add the following:
Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.
As printed
SA 1079. Mr. LEVIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make improvements in the medicare program, to provide prescription drug coverage under the medicare program, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle A of title IV, add the following:
SEC. __. RECLASSIFICATION OF CERTAIN RURAL COUNTIES FOR PURPOSES OF REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, effective for discharges occurring during fiscal years 2003, 2004, and 2005, for purposes of making payments under section 1886(d) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)), a hospital located in a rural county in a State that is adjacent to 1 or more urban areas is deemed to be located in the urban metropolitan statistical area from which the greatest number of hospital employees commute, if--
(1) the rural county is surrounded by urban metropolitan statistical areas; and
(2) the hospital would be reclassified as being located in an adjacent urban metropolitan statistical area for purposes of determining the wage index and the standardized amount applicable to the hospital but for a requirement that the hospital have a wage index that is 106 percent of its applicable rural wage index.
(b) Treatment as Decision of Medicare Geographic Classification review Board.--For purposes of section 1886(d) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C 1395ww(d)), any reclassification under subsection (a) shall be treated as a decision of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board under paragraph (10) of that section.
(c) Process for Applications To Ensure that Provisions Apply Beginning October 1, 2003.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a process for the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board to accept, and make determinations with respect to, applications that are filed by applicable hospitals within 90 days of the date of enactment of this section to reclassify based on the provisions of this section in order to ensure that such provisions shall apply to payments under such section 1886(d) for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2003.
(d) Adjustments To Ensure Budget Neutrality.--If 1 or more applicable hospital's applications are approved pursuant to the process under subsection (c), the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall make a proportional adjustment in the standardized amounts determined under paragraph (3) of such section 1886(d) for payments for discharges occurring in fiscal year 2004 to ensure that approval of such applications does not result in aggregate payments under such section 1886(d) that are greater or less than those that would otherwise be made if this section had not been enacted.
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Senate amendment submitted
June 25, 2003