To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to address the systemic inequities of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement that lead to access problems in rural areas, including access to primary care and outpatient services, hospitals, and an adequate supply of providers in the workforce.

SA 799. Mr. BENNET (for himself and Mr. Roberts) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the concurrent resolution S. Con. Res. 13, setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2010, revising the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal year 2009, and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2011 through 2014; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in title II, insert the following:

SEC. __. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND TO ADDRESS THE SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES OF MEDICARE AND MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT THAT LEAD TO ACCESS PROBLEMS IN RURAL AREAS.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Budget may revise the allocations of a committee or committees, aggregates, and other appropriate levels and limits in this resolution for one or more bills, joint resolutions, amendments, motions, or conference reports that would address the systemic inequities of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement that lead to access problems in rural areas, including access to primary care and outpatient services, hospitals, and an adequate supply of providers in the workforce, by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over either the period of the total of fiscal years 2009 through 2014 or the period of the total of fiscal years 2009 through 2019.