[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2008 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2008

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for expanded 
  coverage of paramedic intercept services under the Medicare Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 7, 2003

Ms. DeLauro (for herself, Mr. Platts, and Ms. Slaughter) 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 provide for expanded 
  coverage of paramedic intercept services under the Medicare Program.

    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 Paramedic Intercept 
Services Coverage Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. EXPANDED COVERAGE OF PARAMEDIC INTERCEPT SERVICES UNDER THE 
              MEDICARE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 4531(c) of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 
is amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Payment for Paramedic Intercept Service Providers.--
            ``(1) In general.--In promulgating regulations to carry out 
        section 1861(s)(7) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1395x(s)(7)) with respect to the coverage of ambulance 
        services, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
        include coverage of advanced life support intercept services 
        (in this subsection referred to as `ALS intercept services').
            ``(2) Conditions of coverage.--For the purposes of this 
        subsection, ALS intercept services consist of a qualified 
        paramedic providing ALS level services in connection with the 
        transport of a patient by an ambulance qualified to provide 
        only a basic life support level of services if the following 
        conditions are met:
                    ``(A) The entity providing the ambulance 
                transportation is a public, non-profit, or volunteer 
                organization which--
                            ``(i) is certified as qualified to provide 
                        ambulance services under title XVIII of the 
                        Social Security Act; and
                            ``(ii) provides only basic life support 
                        services at the time of the intercept.
                    ``(B) The paramedic providing such services is not 
                employed or compensated by the entity providing the 
                ambulance transportation and the entity employing or 
                compensating such paramedic is not related to the 
                entity providing the ambulance transportation.
                    ``(C) The ALS intercept services are requested by 
                the entity providing the ambulance transportation or 
                are dispatched to coordinate with such entity and such 
                services are medically necessary based on the medical 
                condition for which they are dispatched.
                    ``(D) The entity that is employing or compensating 
                that paramedic--
                            ``(i) is certified as qualified to provide 
                        such services under such title; and
                            ``(ii) bills all individuals (or their 
                        insurers) who receive ALS intercept services 
                        from the entity, regardless of whether such 
                        individuals are beneficiaries under such title.
                    ``(E) The paramedic providing the intercept 
                services accompanies and provides an ALS assessment or 
                ALS intervention to the patient during the 
                transport.''.
    (b) Payments Not Counted in Computing Ambulance Fee Schedule 
Amounts.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall not take 
into account any payments made pursuant to the amendment made by 
subsection (a) in determining payment amounts under the ambulance fee 
schedule under section 1834(l) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395m(l)), or the aggregate amount of payments under such section, for 
any year.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to ambulance services provided on or after January 
1, 2004.
                                 <all>