[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 142 (Monday, August 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S5380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2644. Mrs. BLACKBURN submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed to amendment SA 2499 proposed by Mr. McConnell to the bill S. 
178, to condemn gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims 
in Xinjiang, and calling for an end to arbitrary detention, torture, 
and harassment of these communities inside and outside China; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. FREEZE IN MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT FOR HOME PT/INR 
                   MONITORING SERVICES FURNISHED TO INDIVIDUALS ON 
                   WARFARIN THERAPY DURING THE COVID-19 PUBLIC 
                   HEALTH EMERGENCY.

       (a) In General.--Section 1848(b) of the Social Security Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(b)) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following new paragraph:
       ``(12) Treatment of home pt/inr monitoring services 
     furnished to individuals on warfarin therapy.--In the case of 
     home prothrombin time/international normalized ratio (PT/INR) 
     monitoring services furnished to an individual on warfarin 
     therapy (identified as of January 1, 2020, by HCPCS G-codes 
     G0248 and G0249) during any portion of the emergency period 
     described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) beginning on or after the 
     date of the enactment of this paragraph, the payment amount 
     for such services under the fee schedule established under 
     this subsection shall be equal to the payment amount for such 
     services under the fee schedule established for services 
     furnished during 2019.''.
       (b) Exemption From Budget Neutrality.--Section 
     1848(c)(2)(B)(iv) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     1395w-4(c)(2)(B)(iv)) is amended--
       (1) in subclause (III), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in subclause (IV), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following new subclause:

       ``(V) subsection (b)(12) shall not be taken into account in 
     applying clause (ii)(II) during any portion of the emergency 
     period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) beginning on or 
     after the date of the enactment of such subsection.''.

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