[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2549 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2549

    To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for 
      equitable reimbursement rates under the Medicare Program to 
                     Medicare+Choice organizations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 18, 2001

  Ms. Dunn of Washington (for herself, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Dicks, Mr. 
    Smith of Washington, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Inslee, Mr. 
  Nethercutt, and Mr. Baird) introduced the following bill; which was 
  referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the 
   Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 provide for 
      equitable reimbursement rates under the Medicare Program to 
                     Medicare+Choice organizations.

    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 Equity and Access Act of 
2001''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF REDUCTION IN MEDICARE+CHOICE PAYMENT RATES BY 
              BUDGET NEUTRALITY ADJUSTMENTS.

    Section 1853(c)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-
23(c)(1)(A)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``With 
respect to years beginning on or after January 1, 2002, in no case 
shall the budget neutrality adjustment provided for in the previous 
sentence result in a reduction of the payment amount that would 
otherwise be made under this subparagraph but for such adjustment.''.

SEC. 3. INCREASE IN BASELINE OF NATIONAL PER CAPITA MEDICARE+CHOICE 
              GROWTH PERCENTAGE FOR YEARS AFTER 2001.

    (a) In General.--Section 1853(c)(6)(B) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395w-23(c)(6)(B)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (i), by striking ``0.8 percentage points'' 
        and inserting ``0 percentage points''; and
            (2) in clause (ii), by striking ``0.5 percentage points'' 
        and inserting ``0 percentage points''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to payment rates calculated for months beginning on 
or after January 1, 2002.
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