[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 716 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 716

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve care for 
                     ventilator-dependent patients.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 26, 2009

Ms. Stabenow (for herself and Mr. Levin) 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 preserve care for 
                     ventilator-dependent patients.

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

SECTION 1. PRESERVING CARE FOR VENTILATOR-DEPENDENT PATIENTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1886(d)(5)(F)(vi) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(5)(F)(vi)) is amended, in the flush matter 
following subclause (II), by adding at the end the following: ``In the 
case of a hospital which provides acute care services to ventilator-
dependent patients who are entitled to benefits under part A and are 
eligible for medical assistance under a State plan approved under title 
XIX, the Secretary shall not exclude from the numerator in subclause 
(II) for such period any patient days of such ventilator-dependent 
patients unless such patient days are included in the numerator in 
subclause (I).''
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall take 
effect as if included in and effective upon the enactment of the 
Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act 
of 2000 (as enacted into law by section 1(a)(6) of Public Law 106-554).
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