[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1593 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1593

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to enhance the access 
 of Medicare beneficiaries who live in medically underserved areas to 
   critical primary and preventive health care benefits at Federally 
                       qualified health centers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 29, 2005

Ms. Snowe (for herself and Mr. Bingaman) 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 enhance the access 
 of Medicare beneficiaries who live in medically underserved areas to 
   critical primary and preventive health care benefits at Federally 
                       qualified health centers.

    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 Payment Adjustment To 
Community Health Centers (PATCH) Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. DELIVERY OF MEDICARE-COVERED PRIMARY AND PREVENTIVE SERVICES AT 
              FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS.

    (a) Coverage of Medicare-Covered Ambulatory Services by FQHCs.--
Section 1861(aa)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)(3)) 
is amended to read as follows:
    ``(3) The term `Federally qualified health center services' means--
            ``(A) services of the type described in subparagraphs (A) 
        through (C) of paragraph (1), and such other services furnished 
        by a Federally qualified health center for which payment may 
        otherwise be made under this title if such services were 
        furnished by a health care provider or health care professional 
        other than a Federally qualified health center; and
            ``(B) preventive primary health services that a center is 
        required to provide under section 330 of the Public Health 
        Service Act,
when furnished to an individual as a patient of a Federally qualified 
health center and such services when provided by a health care provider 
or health care professional employed by or under contract with a 
Federally qualified health center shall be treated as billable visits 
for purposes of payment to the Federally qualified health center.''.
    (b) Ensuring FQHC Reimbursement for Patients of Hospitals and 
Critical Access Hospitals Under the Hospital Prospective Payment 
System.--Section 1862(a)(14) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395y(a)) is amended by inserting ``Federally qualified health center 
services,'' after ``qualified psychologist services,''.
    (c) Technical Corrections.--Clauses (i) and (ii)(II) of section 
1861(aa)(4)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)(4)(A)) 
are each amended by striking ``(other than subsection (h))''.
    (d) Effective Dates.--The amendments made--
            (1) by subsections (a) and (b) shall apply to services 
        furnished on or after January 1, 2006; and
            (2) by subsection (c) shall take effect as if included in 
        the enactment of the Health Centers Consolidation Act of 1996 
        (Public Law 104-299).
                                 <all>