To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permit the 2-year phase-in for changes in hospital wage index classification from rural to urban without requiring waiver of a wage index increase, and for other purposes.

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit any subsection (d) hospital located in an area which after September 30, 2014, is reclassified from a rural to an urban area from being required to waive the application of a wage index increase in order to be eligible for such reclassification for the first two fiscal years for which the reclassification from rural to urban is effective.

(Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5531 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5531

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permit the 2-year 
 phase-in for changes in hospital wage index classification from rural 
  to urban without requiring waiver of a wage index increase, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2014

 Mr. Cartwright (for himself and Mr. Marino) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permit the 2-year 
 phase-in for changes in hospital wage index classification from rural 
  to urban without requiring waiver of a wage index increase, 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. PERMITTING 2-YEAR PHASE-IN OF HOSPITAL WAGE INDEX 
              RECLASSIFICATION FROM RURAL TO URBAN WITHOUT REQUIRING 
              WAIVER OF WAGE INDEX INCREASE.

    Section 1886(d)(13)(G) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395ww(d)(13)(G)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(G) A hospital'' and inserting ``(G)(i) 
        Except as provided in clause (ii), a hospital''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new clause:
    ``(ii) In the case of any hospital which is located in an area 
which, at any time after September 30, 2014, is reclassified from a 
rural to an urban area, such hospital shall not be required to waive 
the application of a wage index increase under this paragraph in order 
to be eligible for reclassification under paragraph (8)(E) (related to 
treating hospitals as being located in a rural area) for the first two 
fiscal years for which the reclassification from rural to urban is 
effective. The Secretary shall treat any hospital described in this 
clause that reclassifies as rural under paragraph (8)(E) during such 
two fiscal years as not having waived the application of the wage index 
increase under this paragraph.''.
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