[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 557-558]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      RURAL COMMUNITY HOSPITAL DEMONSTRATION EXTENSION ACT OF 2015

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 181, S. 607.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 607) to amend title XVIII of the Social Security 
     Act to provide for a five-year extension of the rural 
     community hospital demonstration program, and for other 
     purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Finance, with an 
amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Community Hospital 
     Demonstration Extension Act of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION OF THE MEDICARE RURAL COMMUNITY 
                   HOSPITAL DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

       (a) Extension.--Section 410A of the Medicare Prescription 
     Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 
     108-173; 42 U.S.C. 1395ww note), as amended by sections 3123 
     and 10313 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 
     (Public Law 111-148), is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(5), by striking ``5-year extension 
     period'' and inserting ``10-year extension period''; and
       (2) in subsection (g)--
       (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Five-Year'' 
     and inserting ``Ten-Year'';
       (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``additional 5-year'' and 
     inserting ``additional 10-year'';
       (C) by striking ``5-year extension period'' and inserting 
     ``10-year extension period'' each place it appears;
       (D) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the following 
     new sentence: ``Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, after 
     the date of the enactment of this sentence, only hospitals 
     described in paragraph (4) or (5) may participate in 
     demonstration program under this section.''
       (E) in paragraph (4)(B)--
       (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by inserting ``each 
     5-year period in'' after ``hospital during''; and
       (ii) in clause (i), by inserting ``each applicable 5-year 
     period in'' after ``the first day of''; and
       (F) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(5) Other hospitals in demonstration program.--During the 
     second 5 years of the 10-year extension period, the Secretary 
     shall apply the provisions of paragraph (4) to rural 
     community hospitals that are not described in paragraph (4) 
     but are participating in the demonstration program under this 
     section as of December 30, 2014, in a similar manner as such 
     provisions apply to rural community hospitals described in 
     paragraph (4).''.
       (b) Change in Timing for Report.--Subsection (e) of such 
     section 410A is amended by striking ``Not later than 6 months 
     after the completion'' and inserting ``Not later than August 
     1, 2018''.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Grassley amendment at the desk be agreed to; that the committee-
reported amendment, as amended, be agreed to; that the bill, as 
amended, be read a third time and passed; that the title amendment be 
agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and 
laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 2952) was agreed to, as follows:

                     (Purpose: To improve the bill)

       Strike section 2 and insert the following:

     SEC. 2. FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION OF THE RURAL COMMUNITY HOSPITAL 
                   DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

       (a) Extension.--Section 410A of the Medicare Prescription 
     Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 
     108-173; 42 U.S.C. 1395ww note), as amended by sections 3123 
     and 10313 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 
     (Public Law 111-148), is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(5), by striking ``5-year extension 
     period'' and inserting ``10-year extension period''; and
       (2) in subsection (g)--
       (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Five-Year'' 
     and inserting ``Ten-Year'';
       (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``additional 5-year'' and 
     inserting ``additional 10-year'';
       (C) by striking ``5-year extension period'' and inserting 
     ``10-year extension period'' each place it appears;
       (D) in paragraph (4)(B)--
       (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by inserting ``each 
     5-year period in'' after ``hospital during''; and
       (ii) in clause (i), by inserting ``each applicable 5-year 
     period in'' after ``the first day of''; and
       (E) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(5) Other hospitals in demonstration program.--During the 
     second 5 years of the 10-year extension period, the Secretary 
     shall apply the provisions of paragraph (4) to rural 
     community hospitals that are not described in paragraph (4) 
     but are participating in the demonstration program under this 
     section as of December 30, 2014, in a similar manner as such 
     provisions apply to rural community hospitals described in 
     paragraph (4).
       ``(6) Expansion of demonstration program to rural areas in 
     any state.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall, notwithstanding 
     subsection (a)(2) or paragraph (2) of this subsection, not 
     later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this 
     paragraph, issue a solicitation for applications to select up 
     to the maximum number of additional rural community hospitals 
     located in any State to participate in the demonstration 
     program under this section for the second 5 years of the 10-
     year extension period without exceeding the limitation under 
     paragraph (3) of this subsection.
       ``(B) Priority.--In determining which rural community 
     hospitals that submitted an application pursuant to the 
     solicitation under subparagraph (A) to select for 
     participation in the demonstration program, the Secretary--
       ``(i) shall give priority to rural community hospitals 
     located in one of the 20 States with the lowest population 
     densities (as determined by the Secretary using the 2015 
     Statistical Abstract of the United States); and

[[Page 558]]

       ``(ii) may consider--

       ``(I) closures of hospitals located in rural areas in the 
     State in which the rural community hospital is located during 
     the 5-year period immediately preceding the date of the 
     enactment of this paragraph; and
       ``(II) the population density of the State in which the 
     rural community hospital is located.''.

       (b) Change in Timing for Report.--Subsection (e) of such 
     section 410A is amended--
       (1) by striking ``Not later than 6 months after the 
     completion of the demonstration program under this section'' 
     and inserting ``Not later than August 1, 2018''; and
       (2) by striking ``such program'' and inserting ``the 
     demonstration program under this section''.

  The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute, as 
amended, was agreed to.
  The bill (S. 607), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                 S. 607

       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 Community Hospital 
     Demonstration Extension Act of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION OF THE RURAL COMMUNITY HOSPITAL 
                   DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

       (a) Extension.--Section 410A of the Medicare Prescription 
     Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 
     108-173; 42 U.S.C. 1395ww note), as amended by sections 3123 
     and 10313 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 
     (Public Law 111-148), is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(5), by striking ``5-year extension 
     period'' and inserting ``10-year extension period''; and
       (2) in subsection (g)--
       (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Five-Year'' 
     and inserting ``Ten-Year'';
       (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``additional 5-year'' and 
     inserting ``additional 10-year'';
       (C) by striking ``5-year extension period'' and inserting 
     ``10-year extension period'' each place it appears;
       (D) in paragraph (4)(B)--
       (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by inserting ``each 
     5-year period in'' after ``hospital during''; and
       (ii) in clause (i), by inserting ``each applicable 5-year 
     period in'' after ``the first day of''; and
       (E) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(5) Other hospitals in demonstration program.--During the 
     second 5 years of the 10-year extension period, the Secretary 
     shall apply the provisions of paragraph (4) to rural 
     community hospitals that are not described in paragraph (4) 
     but are participating in the demonstration program under this 
     section as of December 30, 2014, in a similar manner as such 
     provisions apply to rural community hospitals described in 
     paragraph (4).
       ``(6) Expansion of demonstration program to rural areas in 
     any state.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall, notwithstanding 
     subsection (a)(2) or paragraph (2) of this subsection, not 
     later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this 
     paragraph, issue a solicitation for applications to select up 
     to the maximum number of additional rural community hospitals 
     located in any State to participate in the demonstration 
     program under this section for the second 5 years of the 10-
     year extension period without exceeding the limitation under 
     paragraph (3) of this subsection.
       ``(B) Priority.--In determining which rural community 
     hospitals that submitted an application pursuant to the 
     solicitation under subparagraph (A) to select for 
     participation in the demonstration program, the Secretary--
       ``(i) shall give priority to rural community hospitals 
     located in one of the 20 States with the lowest population 
     densities (as determined by the Secretary using the 2015 
     Statistical Abstract of the United States); and
       ``(ii) may consider--

       ``(I) closures of hospitals located in rural areas in the 
     State in which the rural community hospital is located during 
     the 5-year period immediately preceding the date of the 
     enactment of this paragraph; and
       ``(II) the population density of the State in which the 
     rural community hospital is located.''.

       (b) Change in Timing for Report.--Subsection (e) of such 
     section 410A is amended--
       (1) by striking ``Not later than 6 months after the 
     completion of the demonstration program under this section'' 
     and inserting ``Not later than August 1, 2018''; and
       (2) by striking ``such program'' and inserting ``the 
     demonstration program under this section''.

  The committee-reported title amendment was agreed to, as follows:

       Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to provide for a 
     five-year extension of the Medicare rural community hospital 
     demonstration program.''.

                          ____________________