[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2828 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2828

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require that the 
 Secretary of Health and Human Services wage adjust the actual, rather 
     than the estimated, proportion of a hospital's costs that are 
             attributable to wages and wage-related costs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 29, 2000

  Mr. Grassley (for himself, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Baucus, Mr. 
Thomas, and Mr. Cochran) 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 require that the 
 Secretary of Health and Human Services wage adjust the actual, rather 
     than the estimated, proportion of a hospital's costs that are 
             attributable to wages and wage-related costs.

    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 ``Geographic Adjustment Fairness Act 
of 2000''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT THAT THE ACTUAL PROPORTION OF A HOSPITAL'S COSTS 
              ATTRIBUTABLE TO WAGES AND WAGE-RELATED COSTS BE WAGE 
              ADJUSTED.

    (a) In General.--The first sentence of section 1886(d)(3)(E) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(3)(E)) is amended by striking 
``, (as estimated by the Secretary from time to time) of hospitals' 
costs'' and inserting ``of each hospital's costs (based on the most 
recent data available to the Secretary with respect to the hospital)''.
    (b) Special Rule For Hospitals Located in Puerto Rico.--Section 
1886(d)(3)(E) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(3)(E)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``In the case 
of a hospital located in Puerto Rico, the first sentence of this 
subparagraph shall be applied as in effect on the day before the date 
of enactment of the Geographic Adjustment Fairness Act of 2000.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to discharges occurring on or after January 1, 2001.
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