[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1643 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1643

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to delay for one year 
implementation of the per beneficiary limits under the interim payment 
 system to home health agencies, and to provide for a later base year 
  for the purposes of calculating new payment rates under the system.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 12, 1998

   Mr. Kennedy (for himself, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Leahy) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                          Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to delay for one year 
implementation of the per beneficiary limits under the interim payment 
 system to home health agencies, and to provide for a later base year 
  for the purposes of calculating new payment rates under the system.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DELAY OF PER BENEFICIARY LIMITS UNDER INTERIM PAYMENT SYSTEM 
              AND CHANGE OF BASE YEAR.

    (a) Delay in Per Beneficiary Limits Under Interim Payment System.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1861(v)(1)(L) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(v)(1)(L)), as amended by section 
        4602 of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, is amended in clauses 
        (v) and (vi) by striking ``October 1, 1997,'' each place it 
        appears and inserting ``October 1, 1998,''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Section 1861(v)(1)(L)(vii) of 
        the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(v)(1)(L)(vii)), as 
        added by section 4602(c) of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, is 
        amended--
                    (A) by striking ``April 1, 1998,'' and inserting 
                ``August 1, 1998,''; and
                    (B) by striking ``fiscal year 1998'' and inserting 
                ``fiscal year 1999''.
    (b) Change in Base Year.--Section 1861(v)(1)(L)(v)(I) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(v)(1)(L)(v)(I)) is amended by striking 
``ending during fiscal year 1994'' each place it appears and inserting 
``ending during fiscal year 1995 or, at the election of the agency, 
calendar year 1995''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) 
shall apply as if included in the enactment of the Balanced Budget Act 
of 1997.
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