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 
S. 610—2 

‘‘(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’’. 
S. 610—3 

(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 

$lllllllll.’’, 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 
S. 610—4 

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 
S. 610—5 

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.