[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5222 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5222

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide attending 
    physicians greater authority in determining whether a medicare 
  beneficiary is eligible for hospice care under the medicare program.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2000

 Mr. Salmon (for himself, Mr. McCollum, Mr. McIntyre, Mr. McHugh, and 
 Mr. Hansen) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
 Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide attending 
    physicians greater authority in determining whether a medicare 
  beneficiary is eligible for hospice care 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. REVISION OF DEFINITION OF TERMINALLY ILL WITH RESPECT TO 
              HOSPICE CARE.

    (a) In General.--Section 1861(dd)(3)(A) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395x(dd)(3)(A)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(3)(A) An individual is considered to be `terminally ill' if--
            ``(i) the individual has been diagnosed as having a 
        terminal illness; and
            ``(ii) the individual's attending physician determines that 
        hospice care furnished under a hospice program is appropriate 
        for the individual.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) applies 
with respect to individuals making initial elections for hospice care 
under the medicare program on or after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
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