Rural Home Health Payment Fairness Act of 2003

Rural Home Health Payment Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase payment by ten percent for home health services furnished in a rural area on or after April 1, 2003; but prohibits the Secretary from reducing the standard prospective payment system amount (or amounts) applicable to such services furnished during a period to offset the payment increase resulting from such requirement.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 636 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 636

   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for a 
 permanent increase in medicare payments for home health services that 
                     are furnished in rural areas.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 17, 2003

 Ms. Collins (for herself and Mr. Bond) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for a 
 permanent increase in medicare payments for home health services that 
                     are furnished in rural areas.

    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 Home Health Payment Fairness 
Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. PERMANENT INCREASE IN MEDICARE PAYMENT FOR HOME HEALTH SERVICES 
              FURNISHED IN A RURAL AREA.

    (a) In General.--Section 1895 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395fff) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Increase in Payment for Services Furnished in a Rural Area.--
            ``(1) In general.--In the case of home health services 
        furnished in a rural area (as defined in section 1886(d)(2)(D)) 
        on or after April 1, 2003, the Secretary shall increase the 
        payment amount otherwise made under this section for such 
        services by 10 percent.
            ``(2) Waiver of budget neutrality.--The Secretary shall not 
        reduce the standard prospective payment amount (or amounts) 
        under this section applicable to home health services furnished 
        during a period to offset the increase in payments resulting 
        from the application of paragraph (1).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to services furnished on or after April 1, 2003.
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