[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5118 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5118

   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act and the Medicare 
Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend 
 certain Medicare payment methodologies provided for rural health care 
                               providers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 6, 2006

  Mr. Walden of Oregon (for himself, Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. Alexander, Mr. 
 Allen, Mr. Berry, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Boucher, Mr. Boyd, Mrs. 
  Capito, Mr. Case, Mr. Costello, Mrs. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia, Mr. 
 Davis of Tennessee, Mr. DeFazio, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Evans, Mr. Graves, 
Mr. Hastings of Washington, Ms. Herseth, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Hinojosa, Ms. 
Hooley, Mr. Kind, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Matheson, 
   Mr. McHugh, Mr. McIntyre, Miss McMorris, Mr. Moran of Kansas, Mr. 
Oberstar, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Paul, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Peterson 
  of Pennsylvania, Mr. Renzi, Mr. Ross, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Shuster, Mr. 
 Simpson, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Sweeney, Mr. Tanner, Mr. Taylor 
of Mississippi, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Whitfield, Mr. Wicker, and 
Mr. Young of Alaska) 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 and the Medicare 
Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend 
 certain Medicare payment methodologies provided for rural health care 
                               providers.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Rural 
Health Provider Payment Extension Act of 2006''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Extension of medicare rural hospital hold harmless provision 
                            under the prospective payment system for 
                            hospital outpatient department (HOPD) 
                            services.
Sec. 3. Extension of medicare incentive payment program for physician 
                            scarcity areas.
Sec. 4. Extension of medicare increase payments for ground ambulance 
                            services in rural areas.
Sec. 5. Extension of floor on medicare work geographic adjustment.
Sec. 6. Extension of medicare reasonable costs payments for certain 
                            clinical diagnostic laboratory tests 
                            furnished to hospital patients in certain 
                            rural areas.
Sec. 7. Extension of temporary medicare payment increase for home 
                            health services furnished in a rural area.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF MEDICARE RURAL HOSPITAL HOLD HARMLESS PROVISION 
              UNDER THE PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR HOSPITAL 
              OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT (HOPD) SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1833(t)(7)(D)(i) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t)(7)(D)(i)), as amended by section 5105 of the 
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, is amended--
            (1) in subclause (I)--
                    (A) by striking ``(I)''; and
                    (B) by striking ``2006'' and inserting ``2010''; 
                and
            (2) by striking subclause (II).
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to covered OPD services furnished on or after January 1, 2006.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF MEDICARE INCENTIVE PAYMENT PROGRAM FOR PHYSICIAN 
              SCARCITY AREAS.

    Section 1833(u)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395l(u)(1)) is amended by striking ``2008'' and inserting `` 2011''.

SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF MEDICARE INCREASE PAYMENTS FOR GROUND AMBULANCE 
              SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS.

    Section 1834(l)(13) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395m(l)(13)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) in the matter before clause (i), by striking 
                ``furnished on or after July 1, 2004, and before 
                January 1, 2007,'';
                    (B) in clause (i), by inserting ``for services 
                furnished on or after July 1, 2004, and before January 
                1, 2011,'' after ``in such paragraph,''; and
                    (C) in clause (ii), by inserting ``for services 
                furnished on or after July 1, 2004, and before January 
                1, 2007,'' after ``in clause (i),''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) in the heading, by striking ``after 2006'' and 
                inserting ``for subsequent periods'';
                    (B) by inserting ``clauses (i) and (ii) of'' before 
                ``subparagraph (A)''; and
                    (C) by striking ``in such subparagraph'' and 
                inserting ``in the respective clause''.

SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF FLOOR ON MEDICARE WORK GEOGRAPHIC ADJUSTMENT.

    Section 1848(e)(1)(E) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-
4(e)(1)(E)) is amended by striking ``2007'' and inserting ``2011''.

SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF MEDICARE REASONABLE COSTS PAYMENTS FOR CERTAIN 
              CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY TESTS FURNISHED TO 
              HOSPITAL PATIENTS IN CERTAIN RURAL AREAS.

    Section 416(b) of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and 
Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-173; 117 Stat. 2282; 42 
U.S.C. 1395l-4(b)) is amended by striking ``2-year'' and inserting ``7-
year''.

SEC. 7. EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY MEDICARE PAYMENT INCREASE FOR HOME 
              HEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED IN A RURAL AREA.

    (a) In General.--Section 421 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, 
Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-173; 117 
Stat. 2283; 42 U.S.C. 1395fff note), as amended by section 5201(b) of 
the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, is amended--
            (1) in the heading, by striking ``one-year'' and inserting 
        ``temporary''; and
            (2) in subsection (a) by striking ``before April 1, 2005, 
        and episodes and visits beginning on or after January 1, 2006, 
        and before January 1, 2007'' and inserting ``before December 
        31, 2011''.
    (b) Application to Certain Home Health Services Furnished Prior to 
Date of Enactment.--For episodes and visits for home health services 
furnished on or after April 1, 2005, and before the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
provide for a lump sum payment, not later than 60 days after such 
enactment, of amounts due under the amendment made by subsection 
(a)(2).
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to episodes and visits on or after April 1, 2005.
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