[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7248 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7248

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary 
 of Human Services to solicit information from providers and suppliers 
  of services on ways to reduce administrative and regulatory burdens 
  under the Medicare program, to provide for transparency and public 
 feedback for evaluating a post-acute care prospective payment system 
               under such title, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 11, 2018

  Mr. Marchant (for himself and Ms. Sewell of Alabama) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, 
 and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 title XVIII of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary 
 of Human Services to solicit information from providers and suppliers 
  of services on ways to reduce administrative and regulatory burdens 
  under the Medicare program, to provide for transparency and public 
 feedback for evaluating a post-acute care prospective payment system 
               under such title, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Reducing Administrative Burden and 
Becoming Increasingly Transparent Act''.

SEC. 2. DIRECTING THE SECRETARY OF HUMAN SERVICES TO SOLICIT 
              INFORMATION FROM PROVIDERS AND SUPPLIERS OF SERVICES ON 
              WAYS TO REDUCE ADMINISTRATIVE AND REGULATORY BURDENS 
              UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.

    (a) Part A.--Section 1816 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395h) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(l) Reduction of Administrative and Regulatory Burdens.--
            ``(1) In general.--
                    ``(A) Public input.--Each year (beginning with 
                2019), the Secretary shall solicit input from the 
                public, including providers and suppliers of services 
                receiving payment under this part, on ways to reduce 
                administrative and regulatory burdens under this title 
                on such providers and suppliers. In soliciting input 
                pursuant to the previous sentence, the Secretary shall 
                use requests for information (which may be included as 
                part of rulemaking) in addition to any other methods 
                determined appropriate by the Secretary.
                    ``(B) Review of input.--The Secretary shall review 
                input received pursuant to subparagraph (A) and 
                consider changes to requirements under this part 
                determined appropriate by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Updates.--For 2019 and each subsequent year, the 
        Secretary shall post on the public website of the Centers for 
        Medicare & Medicaid Services descriptions of actions and 
        activities undertaken by the Secretary during such year to 
        reduce administrative and regulatory burdens on providers and 
        suppliers of services under this title, including the extent to 
        which input received pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) or section 
        1842(v)(1) was considered or addressed.''.
    (b) Part B.--Section 1842 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395u) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(v) Reduction of Administrative and Regulatory Burdens.--
            ``(1) Public input.--Each year (beginning with 2019), the 
        Secretary shall solicit input from the public, including 
        providers and suppliers of services receiving payment under 
        this part, on ways to reduce administrative and regulatory 
        burdens under this title on such providers and suppliers. In 
        soliciting input pursuant to the previous sentence, the 
        Secretary shall use requests for information (which may be 
        included as part of rulemaking) in addition to any other 
        methods determined appropriate by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Review of input.--The Secretary shall review input 
        received pursuant to paragraph (1) and consider changes to 
        requirements under this part determined appropriate by the 
        Secretary.''.

SEC. 3. TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC FEEDBACK FOR EVALUATING MEDICARE POST-
              ACUTE CARE PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM.

    Section 2(b)(2) of the IMPACT Act of 2014 is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) Transparency and public feedback for 
                evaluating pac prospective payment system.--
                            ``(i) Request for information.--Beginning 
                        during 2019, the Secretary shall use at least 
                        one request for information (which may be 
                        included as part of rulemaking for each PAC 
                        payment system (as defined in subsection 
                        (a)(2)(D) of section 1899B of the Social 
                        Security Act)) to solicit comments from PAC 
                        providers (as defined in subsection (a)(2)(A) 
                        of such section) on regulatory alignment issues 
                        with respect to such providers achieving a PAC 
                        prospective payment system described in 
                        subparagraph (A).
                            ``(ii) Public disclosure of tep meeting 
                        summaries.--Beginning during 2019, the 
                        Secretary shall, in the case of any technical 
                        expert panel convened pursuant to subparagraph 
                        (A), not later than 60 days after the date of a 
                        meeting of such panel, post on the public 
                        website established under clause (iii) a 
                        summary of the issues discussed during such 
                        meeting.
                            ``(iii) Stakeholder feedback on development 
                        of pac prospective payment system.--Beginning 
                        during 2019, the Secretary shall establish a 
                        website location for the public to submit 
                        comments related to the development and 
                        implementation of a PAC prospective payment 
                        system described in subparagraph (A).''.

SEC. 4. REQUIRING THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TO CONDUCT 
              ANNUAL OPEN DOOR FORUMS WITH CERTAIN PROVIDERS OF 
              SERVICES UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that activities 
carried out by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that 
directly engage providers and suppliers of services under the Medicare 
program help serve to reduce administrative burdens under such program 
and ultimately lead to a more streamlined experience for Medicare 
beneficiaries receiving items and services from such providers and 
suppliers.
    (b) Requirement.--Section 1816 of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395h), as amended by section 2(a), is further amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(m) Open Door Forums.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not less frequently than annually, and 
        with respect to each type of provider of services described in 
        paragraph (2), the Secretary shall conduct real-time 
        informational forums (either in-person or through the use of 
        telecommunications technology) open to the public through which 
        the Secretary--
                    ``(A) provides relevant information to such 
                providers with respect to furnishing items and services 
                to individuals entitled to benefits under this part or 
                enrolled under part B, including applicable updates or 
                changes to requirements under this title associated 
                with furnishing such items and services; and
                    ``(B) answers questions from such providers with 
                respect to furnishing such items and services or 
                complying with such requirements.
            ``(2) Applicable providers.--Providers of services 
        described in this paragraph are--
                    ``(A) skilled nursing facilities;
                    ``(B) home health agencies;
                    ``(C) inpatient rehabilitation facilities;
                    ``(D) long-term care hospitals; and
                    ``(E) hospice programs.''.
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