[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3161 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3161

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require the Medicare 
  Payment Advisory Commission to conduct a study on certain hospital 
                                 costs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            October 5 (legislative day, September 22), 2000

   Mr. Hatch 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 the Medicare 
  Payment Advisory Commission to conduct a study on certain hospital 
                                 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 ``Blood Safety Improvement Act of 
2000''.

SEC. 2. MEDPAC STUDY ON COSTS OF BLOOD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission established under 
section 1805 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395b-6) (in this 
section referred to as ``MedPAC'') shall submit to the Committee on 
Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Finance of the Senate a report on the costs of blood safety 
improvements that includes--
            (1) an analysis of--
                    (A) the increased costs incurred by hospitals in 
                providing inpatient hospital services under the 
                medicare program under title XVIII of the Social 
                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) during the period 
                beginning on October 1, 1983, and ending on September 
                30, 1999, that are attributable to the adoption of new 
                blood safety measures and technologies; and
                    (B) the extent to which the prospective payment 
                system established under section 1886(d) of such Act 
                (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)) provides adequate and timely 
                recognition of such increased costs;
            (2) an analysis of the prospects for (and to the extent 
        practicable, the magnitude of) future cost increases in 
        providing such services that are attributable to new blood 
        safety measures and technologies (such as viral or pathogen 
        inactivation) during the next 10 years;
            (3) an evaluation of the feasibility and desirability of 
        establishing mechanisms under such payment system to provide 
        for more timely and accurate recognition of the costs of such 
        blood safety measures and technologies; and
            (4) if MedPAC concludes that such mechanisms are feasible 
        and desirable, recommendations for any changes in law that may 
        be necessary to implement such mechanisms.
    (b) Consultation.--In preparing the report submitted under 
subsection (a), MedPAC shall consult with representatives of the blood 
community (including hospitals, organizations involved in the 
collection, processing, and delivery of blood, and organizations 
involved in the development of new blood safety technologies).
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