[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4702 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4702

   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for a 
     special payment rate for Medicare-dependent psychiatric units 
            furnishing services under the Medicare Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 20, 2000

  Mr. Sessions (for himself and Mr. Clement) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for a 
     special payment rate for Medicare-dependent psychiatric units 
            furnishing services under the Medicare Program.

    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 ``Rural Mental Health Relief Act of 
2000''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF SEPARATE CLASS OF PPS-EXEMPT PSYCHIATRIC 
              FACILITIES.

    (a) Establishment of Separate Class.--(1) Section 1886(b)(3)(H)(iv) 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(b)(3)(H)(iv)) is amended--
            (A) by redesignating subclauses (II) and (III) as 
        subclauses (III) and (IV), respectively;
            (B) in subclause (I), by inserting ``(other than medicare-
        dependent psychiatric units)'' after ``such subsection''; and
            (C) by inserting after subclause (I) the following new 
        subclause:
            ``(II) Medicare-dependent psychiatric units, as defined in 
        subparagraph (J).''.
    (2) Section 1886(b)(7)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(b)(7)(B)) 
is amended--
            (A) by redesignating clauses (ii) and (iii) as clauses 
        (iii) and (iv), respectively;
            (B) in clause (i), by inserting ``(other than medicare-
        dependent psychiatric units)'' after ``such subsection''; and
            (C) by inserting after clause (i) the following new clause:
            ``(ii) Medicare-dependent psychiatric units, as defined in 
        paragraph (3)(J).''.
    (b) Definition of Medicare-Dependent Psychiatric Units.--Section 
1886(b)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(b)(3)) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subparagraph:
    ``(J)(i) For purposes of subparagraph (H)(iv)(II) and paragraph 
(7)(B)(ii), the term `medicare-dependent psychiatric unit' means a 
psychiatric unit described in the matter following clause (v) of 
subsection (d)(1)(B) that--
            ``(I) has 12 or fewer beds,
            ``(II) is a distinct part of a hospital that has 150 or 
        fewer beds and that is located in a rural area (as defined in 
        section 1886(d)(2)(D)), and
            ``(III) is medicare-dependent.
    ``(ii) For purposes of clause (i)(III), the term `medicare-
dependent' means, with respect to a unit for a cost reporting period, 
that not less than 60 percent of inpatient days or discharges of the 
unit during the preceding cost reporting period were attributable to 
individuals who are entitled to benefits under part A and have attained 
age 65.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) 
shall take effect as if included in the enactment of the Balanced 
Budget Act of 1997.
                                 <all>