[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1655 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1655

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revise the criteria 
             for designation as a critical access hospital.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 28, 1999

   Ms. Snowe 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 revise the criteria 
             for designation as a critical access hospital.

    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 Hospital Flexibility Act of 
1999''.

SEC. 2. REVISION OF CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION AS A CRITICAL ACCESS 
              HOSPITAL.

    (a) Criteria for Designation.--Section 1820(c)(2)(B)(iii) (42 
U.S.C. 1395i-4(c)(2)(B)(iii)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``to exceed 96 hours'' and inserting ``to 
        exceed, on average, 96 hours per patient'';
            (2) by striking ``, except'' and all that follows before 
        the semicolon.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
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