[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2007 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2007

To amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a 
    floor of 1.0 for the practice expense and for the work expense 
  geographic practice cost indices (GPCI) under the Medicare Program.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 3, 2007

  Mr. Harkin introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a 
    floor of 1.0 for the practice expense and for the work expense 
  geographic practice cost indices (GPCI) 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 Equity and Accessibility 
Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. MEDICARE GPCI FLOORS.

    (a) Floor of 1.0 for Practice Expenses.--Section 1848(e)(1) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(e)(1)) is amended by inserting 
after subparagraph (E) the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(F) Floor at 1.0 for practice expense index.--
                After calculating the practice expense index in 
                subparagraph (A)(ii), for purposes of payment for 
                services furnished on or after January 1, 2008, the 
                Secretary shall increase the practice expense 
                geographic index to 1.00 for any locality for which 
                such practice expense geographic index is less than 
                1.00.''.
    (b) Extension of Floor of 1.0 for Work Expenses.--Subparagraph (E) 
of such section is amended by striking ``and before January 1, 2008,''.
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