[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1135 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1135
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a uniform
national medicare physician fee schedule.
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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 22, 2003
Mr. Hatch (for himself, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Grassley, Mrs. Lincoln, and
Mr. Bingaman) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Finance
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A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a uniform
national medicare physician fee schedule.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Physician Payment Equity
Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIFORM NATIONAL MEDICARE PHYSICIAN FEE
SCHEDULE.
(a) In General.--Section 1848(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395w-4(e)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``(B) and (C)'' and
inserting ``(B), (C), (D), and (E)'' in the matter preceding
clause (i);
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (F);
and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new
subparagraph:
``(D) Uniform national medicare physician fee
schedule rates.--For purposes of payment for services
furnished on or after January 1, 2007, the Secretary
shall set each geographic index in subparagraphs (A)
and (B) to 1.00 for any locality for which such a
geographic index is not 1.00.''.
(b) Transition for Elimination of Geographic Fee Differential.--
Section 1848(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-
4(e)(1)), as amended by subsection (a), is amended by inserting after
subparagraph (D) the following new subparagraph:
``(E) Phase-out of geographic adjustment indices.--
``(i) Three-year floor at 1.0 on geographic
physician work adjustment index.--After
calculating the geographic physician work
indices in subparagraph (A)(iii), for purposes
of payment for services furnished on or after
January 1, 2004, and before January 1, 2007,
the Secretary shall increase such physician
work index to 1.00 for any locality for which
such physician work index is less than 1.00.
``(ii) Two-year floor at 1.0 on geographic
cost-of-practice adjustment index.--After
calculating the geographic cost-of-practice
indices in subparagraphs (A)(i) and (B), for
purposes of payment for services furnished on
or after January 1, 2005, and before January 1,
2007, the Secretary shall increase such cost-
of-practice indices to 1.00 for any locality
for which such cost-of-practice indices are
less than 1.00.
``(iii) One-year floor at 1.0 on geographic
malpractice adjustment index.--After
calculating the geographic malpractice indices
in subparagraph (A)(ii), for purposes of
payment for services furnished during 2006, the
Secretary shall increase such malpractice index
to 1.00 for any locality for which such
malpractice index is less than 1.00.''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to payments for items and services provided on and after January
1, 2004.
SEC. 3. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON THE EFFECTS OF THE REVISIONS TO THE
MEDICARE PHYSICIAN FEE SCHEDULE.
(a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
conduct a study on the effects of the amendments made by section 2 on--
(1) the recruitment and retention of physicians;
(2) the access of medicare beneficiaries to physicians,
medical tests, and medical therapies in each fee schedule area
(as defined in section 1848(j)(2) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(j)(2)); and
(3) the use by medicare beneficiaries of items and services
for which payment may be made under the medicare program in
each such fee schedule area.
(b) Report.--Not later than the date that is 5 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to
Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a) together
with such recommendations as the Comptroller General determines to be
appropriate.
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