[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 560 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 560

  To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to ensure 
proportional representation of rural interests on the Medicare Payment 
   Advisory Commission and the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access 
 Commission, and to provide for greater transparency in proceedings of 
                           those Commissions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 8, 2011

   Mr. Walden (for himself, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Ross of 
   Arkansas, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers, and Mr. Matheson) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
  Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to ensure 
proportional representation of rural interests on the Medicare Payment 
   Advisory Commission and the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access 
 Commission, and to provide for greater transparency in proceedings of 
                           those Commissions.

    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 ``Rural Representation and 
Transparency Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. ENSURING PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION OF INTERESTS OF RURAL 
              AREAS ON THE MEDICARE PAYMENT ADVISORY COMMISSION 
              (MEDPAC) AND GREATER TRANSPARENCY OF MEDPAC PROCEEDINGS.

    (a) Rural Representation.--Paragraph (2) of section 1805(c) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395b-6(c)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``consistent with 
        subparagraph (E)'' after ``rural representatives''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(E) Proportional representation of interests of 
                rural areas.--In order to provide a balance between 
                urban and rural representatives under subparagraph (A), 
                the proportion of members of the Commission who 
                represent the interests of health care providers and 
                Medicare beneficiaries located in rural areas shall be 
                no less than the proportion of the total number of 
                Medicare beneficiaries who reside in rural areas.''.
    (b) Greater Transparency of Proceedings.--Such section is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(7) Greater transparency of proceedings.--The Commission 
        shall provide through the Internet or such easy public access 
        to and full and timely public disclosure of its proceedings, 
        such as through the posting of audio or video coverage of its 
        proceedings and of transcripts of its proceedings, as may be 
        practicable within the resources available to the 
        Commission.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to appointments to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission made 
after the date of enactment of this Act and the amendment made by 
subsection (b) shall apply to proceedings occurring on or after the 
date that is 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. ENSURING PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION OF INTERESTS OF RURAL 
              AREAS ON THE MEDICAID AND CHIP PAYMENT AND ACCESS 
              COMMISSION (MACPAC) AND GREATER TRANSPARENCY OF MACPAC 
              PROCEEDINGS.

    (a) Rural Representation.--Paragraph (2) of section 1900(c) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396(c)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``consistent with 
        subparagraph (E)'' after ``rural representation''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(E) Proportional representation of interests of 
                rural areas.--In order to provide a balance between 
                urban and rural representation under subparagraph (A), 
                the proportion of members of MACPAC who represent the 
                interests of health care providers and Medicaid 
                beneficiaries located in rural areas shall be no less 
                than the proportion of the total number of Medicaid 
                beneficiaries who reside in rural areas.''.
    (b) Greater Transparency of Proceedings.--Such section is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(7) Greater transparency of proceedings.--The MACPAC 
        shall provide through the Internet for such easy public access 
        to and full and timely public disclosure of its proceedings, 
        such as through the posting of audio or video coverage of its 
        proceedings and of transcripts of its proceedings, as may be 
        practicable within the resources available to MACPAC.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to appointments to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access 
Commission made after the date of enactment of this Act and the 
amendment made by subsection (b) shall apply to proceedings occurring 
on or after the date that is 6 months after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
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