[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1367 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1367

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide appropriate 
     reimbursement under the medicare program for ambulance trips 
                      originating in rural areas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 3, 2001

  Ms. Collins (for herself and Mr. Feingold) 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 provide appropriate 
     reimbursement under the medicare program for ambulance trips 
                      originating 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 Relief Act 
of 2001''.

SEC. 2. HOLD HARMLESS PROVISION FOR RURAL AMBULANCE SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1834(l) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395m(l)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ``(other than 
        increases required by paragraph (10))'' after ``part'';
            (2) in paragraph (3)(A), by inserting ``and if the services 
        for which payment is made under paragraph (10) were paid under 
        such fee schedule'' after ``in effect'';
            (3) by redesignating paragraph (8), as added by section 
        221(a) of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits 
        Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 2763A-486), 
        as enacted into law by section 1(a)(6) of Public Law 106-554, 
        as paragraph (9); and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(10) Hold harmless provision for rural ambulance 
        services.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding the fee schedule 
                established under paragraph (1), in the case of 
                ambulance services furnished on or after the date on 
                which the phase-in required under paragraph (2)(E) is 
                initially implemented and before the date on which the 
                fee schedule established under this subsection is 
                modified to incorporate the adjustments authorized 
                under section 221(c) of the Medicare, Medicaid, and 
                SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 
                (or the date on which the Secretary determines that 
                such a modification is unnecessary), for which the 
                transportation originates in a rural area (as defined 
                in section 1886(d)(2)(D)) or in a rural census tract of 
                a metropolitan statistical area (as determined under 
                the most recent modification of the Goldsmith 
                Modification, originally published in the Federal 
                Register on February 27, 1992 (57 Fed. Reg. 6725)), the 
                amount of payment under this subsection for such 
                services shall be the greater of--
                            ``(i) the amount determined under the fee 
                        schedule established under paragraph (1) 
                        (without regard to any phase-in established 
                        under paragraph (2)(E)); or
                            ``(ii) the amount that would have been paid 
                        for such service if the amendments made by 
                        section 4531(b) of the Balanced Budget Act of 
                        1997 had not been enacted.
                    ``(B) Prohibiting certain reductions.--
                Notwithstanding paragraph (3), the Secretary shall not 
                reduce the payment amounts under the fee schedule 
                established under paragraph (1) to offset the increase 
                in payments resulting from the application of 
                subparagraph (A).''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 1833(a)(1)(R)(i) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(a)(1)(R)(i)) is amended by inserting 
``(or, in the case of ambulance services to which paragraph (10) of 
such section applies, 80 percent of the lesser of the actual charge for 
such service or the amount determined under such paragraph)'' after 
``1834(l)''.
                                 <all>