II 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 300 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 7, 2005 Ms. Collins (for herself, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Lugar, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Burns, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Bond, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Santorum, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Conrad, and Mr. Leahy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance A BILL To extend the temporary increase in payments under the medicare program for home health services furnished in a rural area.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Medicare Rural Home Health Payment Fairness Act of 2005.

2.

Two-year extension of temporary medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area

Section 421 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (42 U.S.C. 1395fff note) is amended— (1) in the section heading, by striking one-year and inserting temporary; and (2) in subsection (a), by striking 2005 and inserting 2007.