[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2346 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2346

   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase by 20 
 percent the payment under the Medicare Program for ambulance services 
          furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 27, 2001

  Mr. Murtha introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and 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 increase by 20 
 percent the payment under the Medicare Program for ambulance services 
          furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas.

    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 ``Medicare Rural Ambulance Service 
Equity Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. 20 PERCENT PAYMENT INCREASE FOR RURAL AMBULANCE SERVICES.

    Section 1834(l) of the Social Security Act, as amended by sections 
205(a) and 221(a) of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits 
Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 2763A-482, 486), as 
enacted into law by section 1(a)(6) of Public Law 106-554, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (8), as added by such 
        section 221(a), as paragraph (9), and
            (2) by inserting after that paragraph the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(10) Increase for rural ambulance services.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Effective for ambulance services 
                furnished on or after January 1, 2002, for which the 
                transportation originates in a rural area (described in 
                paragraph (9)) or in a rural census tract (described in 
                paragraph (9)), notwithstanding the previous provisions 
                of this subsection, the Secretary shall provide for an 
                additional payment for such services equal to 20 
                percent of the payment amount otherwise made under this 
                section for such services.
                    ``(B) Waiver of budget neutrality.--This paragraph 
                shall be applied without regard to paragraph (3).''.
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