[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5392 Introduced in House (IH)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 5392

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide relief for 
small business concerns from Medicare consolidated billing requirements 
 and to exclude services of certain providers from the skilled nursing 
      facility prospective payment system, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 5, 2000

 Mr. Talent (for himself and Mr. Crane) 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

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                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide relief for 
small business concerns from Medicare consolidated billing requirements 
 and to exclude services of certain providers from the skilled nursing 
      facility prospective payment system, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. MEDICARE DIRECT PAYMENT TO SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS FOR ITEMS 
              FURNISHED TO SKILLED NURSING FACILITY AND HOME HEALTH 
              PATIENTS.

    Section 1842(b)(6) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395u) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: ``In the case of items or 
services furnished pursuant to clause (E) or (F) of the first sentence 
of this paragraph by a small business concern (as defined in section 
(3)(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(a)), payment shall be 
made directly to the small business concern upon submission (which may 
be in electronic form) of a request for payment verified by the skilled 
nursing facility or agency through which the item or service was 
furnished to the patient.''.

SEC. 2. MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRANSPORTATION OF PORTABLE MEDICAL 
              EQUIPMENT.

    (a) Exclusion From Payment Under the SNF Prospective Payment System 
of Services of Certain Providers and Transportation Costs for Portable 
Medical Equipment.--Section 1888(e)(2)(A)(ii) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395yy(e)(2)(A)(ii)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting after ``anesthetist,'' the following: 
        ``portable electrocardiograms, portable x-rays, portable 
        mammograms,''; and
            (2) by striking ``only with respect to services furnished 
        during 1998''.
    (b) Restoration of Payment for Transportation of EKG Equipment.--
Section 4559(a) of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 is amended by 
striking ``Effective only for electrocardiogram tests furnished during 
1998, the'' and inserting ``The''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section apply to 
items and services furnished on or after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
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