[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1737 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1737

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for a waiver 
 of the 35-mile drive requirement for designations of critical access 
                               hospitals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 28, 2007

 Mr. Sessions 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 for a waiver 
 of the 35-mile drive requirement for designations of critical access 
                               hospitals.

    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 ``Critical Access Hospital Flexibility 
Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. WAIVER OF 35-MILE DRIVE REQUIREMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 1820(c) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395i-4(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(B)(i), by striking ``is a hospital'' 
        and inserting ``subject to paragraph (3), is a hospital''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Waiver of certain requirements.--The Secretary may 
        waive the requirements under subclauses (I) and (II) of 
        paragraph (2)(B)(i) for designation of a critical access 
        hospital by a State in any case where the Secretary determines 
        such waiver is appropriate.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to cost reporting periods beginning on or after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
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