[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 610 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.610
One Hundred Seventeenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Sunday,
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty one
An Act
To address behavioral health and well-being among health care
professionals.
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 ``Protecting Medicare and American
Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act''.
SEC. 2. ADJUSTMENTS TO MEDICARE SEQUESTRATION REDUCTIONS.
(a) Extension of Temporary Suspension Through March 2022.--
(1) In general.--Section 3709(a) of division A of the CARES Act
(2 U.S.C. 901a note) is amended--
(A) in the subsection header by inserting ``and
Adjustment'' after ``Suspension''; and
(B) by striking ``December 31, 2021'' and inserting ``March
31, 2022''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraph (1) shall
take effect as if enacted as part of the CARES Act (Public Law 116-
136).
(b) Adjustments to Medicare Program Sequestration Reduction With
Respect to Fiscal Years 2022 and 2030.--Section 251A(6) of the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901a(6)) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (E); and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following new
subparagraphs:
``(C) Notwithstanding the 2 percent limit specified in
subparagraph (A) for payments for the Medicare programs
specified in section 256(d), the sequestration order of the
President under such subparagraph for fiscal year 2022 shall be
applied to such payments so that with respect to the period
beginning on April 1, 2022, and ending on June 30, 2022, the
payment reduction shall be 1.0 percent.
``(D) Notwithstanding the 2 percent limit specified in
subparagraph (A) for payments for the Medicare programs
specified in section 256(d), the sequestration order of the
President under such subparagraph for fiscal year 2030 shall be
applied to such payments so that--
``(i) with respect to the first 6 months in which such
order is effective for such fiscal year, the payment
reduction shall be 2.25 percent; and
``(ii) with respect to the second 6 months in which
such order is so effective for such fiscal year, the
payment reduction shall be 3 percent.''.
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF SUPPORT FOR PHYSICIANS AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN
ADJUSTING TO MEDICARE PAYMENT CHANGES.
(a) In General.--Section 1848 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395w-4) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c)(2)(B)(iv)(V), by striking ``2021'' and
inserting ``2021 or 2022''; and
(2) in subsection (t)--
(A) in the subsection header, by striking ``2021'' and
inserting ``2021 and 2022'';
(B) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``during 2021'' and inserting ``during
2021 and 2022''; and
(ii) by striking ``for such services furnished on or
after January 1, 2021, and before January 1, 2022, by 3.75
percent.'' and inserting ``for--
``(A) such services furnished on or after January 1, 2021,
and before January 1, 2022, by 3.75 percent; and
``(B) such services furnished on or after January 1, 2022,
and before January 1, 2023, by 3.0 percent.''; and
(C) in paragraph (2)(C)--
(i) in the subparagraph header, by striking ``2021''
and inserting ``2021 and 2022'';
(ii) by inserting ``for services furnished in 2021 or
2022'' after ``under this subsection''; and
(iii) by inserting ``or 2022, respectively'' before the
period at the end.
(b) Report.--Section 101(c) of division N of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260) is amended--
(1) in the first sentence--
(A) by striking ``April 1, 2022'' and inserting ``each of
April 1, 2022, and April 1, 2023''; and
(B) by striking ``, as added by subsection (a)'' and
inserting ``furnished during 2021 or 2022, respectively''; and
(2) in the second sentence--
(A) by striking ``Such report'' and inserting ``Each such
report''; and
(B) by inserting ``with respect to 2021 or 2022, as
applicable'' after ``under such section''.
SEC. 4. PRESERVING PATIENT ACCESS TO CRITICAL CLINICAL LAB SERVICES.
(a) Revised Phase-in of Reductions From Private Payor Rate
Implementation.--Section 1834A(b)(3) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395m-1(b)(3)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``through 2024'' and
inserting ``through 2025''; and
(2) in subparagraph (B)--
(A) in clause (ii), by striking ``for 2021'' and inserting
``for each of 2021 and 2022''; and
(B) in clause (iii), by striking ``2022 through 2024'' and
inserting ``2023 through 2025''.
(b) Revised Reporting Period for Reporting of Private Sector
Payment Rates for Establishment of Medicare Payment Rates.--Section
1834A(a)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m-1(a)(1)(B))
is amended--
(1) in clause (i), by striking ``December 31, 2021'' and
inserting ``December 31, 2022''; and
(2) in clause (ii)--
(A) by striking ``January 1, 2022'' and inserting ``January
1, 2023''; and
(B) by striking ``March 31, 2022'' and inserting ``March
31, 2023''.
SEC. 5. DELAY TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RADIATION ONCOLOGY MODEL
UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.
Section 133 of Division CC of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2021 (Public Law 116-260) is amended by striking ``January 1, 2022''
and inserting ``January 1, 2023''.
SEC. 6. MEDICARE IMPROVEMENT FUND.
Section 1898(b)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395iii(b)(1)) is amended by striking ``fiscal year 2021'' and all that
follows through the period at the end and inserting ``fiscal year 2021,
$101,000,000.''.
SEC. 7. PAYGO ANNUAL REPORT.
For the purposes of the annual report issued pursuant to section 5
of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 934) after
adjournment of the first session of the 117th Congress, and for
determining whether a sequestration order is necessary under such
section, the debit for the budget year on the 5-year scorecard, if any,
and the 10-year scorecard, if any, shall be deducted from such
scorecard in 2022 and added to such scorecard in 2023.
SEC. 8. EXPEDITED PROCEDURES FOR CONSIDERING AN INCREASE IN THE DEBT
LIMIT.
(a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``joint resolution''
means a joint resolution--
(1) that is introduced by the Majority Leader of the Senate, or
a designee, during the period beginning on the date of enactment of
this Act and ending on December 31, 2021;
(2) which does not have a preamble;
(3) the title of which is as follows: ``Joint resolution
relating to increasing the debt limit.''; and
(4) the matter after the resolving clause of which is as
follows: ``That the limitation under section 3101(b) of title 31,
United States Code, as most recently increased by Public Law 117-50
(31 U.S.C. 3101 note), is increased by $_________.'', the blank
space being appropriately filled in with the dollar amount of the
increase.
(b) Expedited Consideration in Senate.--
(1) Placement on calendar.--Upon introduction in the Senate,
the joint resolution shall be placed immediately on the calendar.
(2) Proceeding to consideration.--
(A) In general.--Notwithstanding rule XXII of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, it is in order, not later than January 15,
2022 (even though a previous motion to the same effect has been
disagreed to) to move to proceed to the consideration of the
joint resolution.
(B) Procedure.--For a motion to proceed to the
consideration of the joint resolution--
(i) all points of order against the motion are waived;
(ii) the motion is not debatable;
(iii) the motion is not subject to a motion to
postpone;
(iv) a motion to reconsider the vote by which the
motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be in order;
and
(v) if the motion is agreed to, the joint resolution
shall remain the unfinished business until disposed of.
(3) Floor consideration.--
(A) In general.--If the Senate proceeds to consideration of
the joint resolution--
(i) all points of order against the joint resolution
(and against consideration of the joint resolution) are
waived;
(ii) debate on the joint resolution, and all debatable
motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall be
limited to not more than 10 hours, which shall be divided
equally between the Chairman and Ranking Member of the
Committee on Finance;
(iii) an amendment to the joint resolution is not in
order;
(iv) a motion to postpone or a motion to commit the
joint resolution is not in order; and
(v) a motion to proceed to the consideration of other
business is not in order.
(B) Vote on passage.--The vote on passage shall occur
immediately following the conclusion of the debate on the joint
resolution and a single quorum call if requested in accordance
with the rules of the Senate.
(C) Rulings of the chair on procedure.--Appeals from the
decisions of the Chair relating to the application of this
paragraph or the rules of the Senate, as the case may be, to
the procedure relating to the joint resolution shall be decided
without debate.
(D) Single measure authorized.--It shall not be in order to
consider more than 1 joint resolution under the procedures
under this paragraph.
(E) Sunset.--It shall not be in order to consider a joint
resolution under the procedures under this paragraph after
January 16, 2022.
(4) Rules of the senate.--This subsection is enacted by
Congress--
(A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate,
and as such is deemed a part of the rules of the Senate, but
applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in
the Senate in the case of a joint resolution, and supersede
other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent with
such rules; and
(B) with full recognition of the constitutional right of
the Senate to change the rules (so far as relating to the
procedure of the Senate) at any time, in the same manner, and
to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the
Senate.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.