S.Amdt. 334

SA 334. Mr. SCHUMER (for himself, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr.
Specter, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Stabenow, and Mr. Nelson of
Florida) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA
98 proposed by Mr. Inouye (for himself and Mr. Baucus) to the bill H.R.
1, making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and
creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science,
assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization,
for fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes;
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 698, after line 25, insert the following:

SEC. 4204A. DELAY IN THE PHASE OUT OF THE MEDICARE HOSPICE
BUDGET NEUTRALITY ADJUSTMENT FACTOR DURING
FISCAL YEAR 2009.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including the
final rule published on August 8, 2008, 73 Federal Register
46464 et seq., relating to Medicare Program; Hospice Wage
Index for Fiscal Year 2009, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall not phase out or eliminate the budget
neutrality adjustment factor in the Medicare hospice wage
index before October 1, 2009, and the Secretary shall
recompute and apply the final Medicare hospice wage index for
fiscal year 2009 as if there had been no reduction in the
budget neutrality adjustment factor.
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