I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1273 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to apply the additional 

Medicare HITECH payment provisions to hospitals in Puerto Rico. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 30, 2011 

Mr. PIERLUISI (for himself, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. 

CONYERS, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, 

Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, and Mr. SABLAN) 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 apply 

the additional Medicare HITECH payment provisions 

to hospitals in Puerto Rico. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Puerto Rico Hospital 

5 HITECH Amendments of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF MEDICARE HITECH PAYMENTS TO 

2 HOSPITALS IN PUERTO RICO. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (n)(6)(B) of section 

4 1886 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww) is 

5 amended by striking ‘‘subsection (d) hospital’’ and insert6 ing ‘‘hospital that is a subsection (d) hospital or a sub7 section (d) Puerto Rico hospital’’. 

8 (b) OFFSETTING REDUCTION.—Subsection (n)(2) of 

9 such section is amended by adding at the end the following 

10 new subparagraph: 

11 ‘‘(H) BUDGET NEUTRALITY ADJUST12 MENT.—The Secretary shall reduce the applica13 ble amounts that would otherwise be deter14 mined under this subsection with respect to— 

15 ‘‘(i) fiscal year 2012 by an amount 

16 that the Secretary estimates would ensure 

17 that estimated aggregate payments under 

18 this subsection for fiscal years 2011 and 

19 2012 are not increased as a result of the 

20 amendment made by subsection (a) of sec21 tion 2 of the Puerto Rico Hospital 

22 HITECH Amendments of 2011; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) a succeeding fiscal year by an 

24 amount that the Secretary estimates would 

25 ensure that estimated aggregate payments 

26 under this subsection for such fiscal year 


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1 are not increased as a result of the amend2 ments made by subsections (a) and (c) of 

3 such section.’’. 

4 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—(1) Subsection 

5 (b)(3)(B)(ix) of such section is amended— 

6 (A) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘(n)(6)(A)’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘(n)(6)(B)’’; and 

8 (B) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘subsection 

9 (d) hospital’’ and inserting ‘‘an eligible hospital’’. 

10 (2) Paragraphs (2) and (4)(A) of section 1853(m) of 

11 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–23(m)) are 

12 each amended by striking ‘‘1886(n)(6)(A)’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘1886(n)(6)(B)’’. 

14 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.—Notwithstanding any other 

15 provision of law, the Secretary of Health and Human 

16 Services may implement the amendments made by sub17 sections (a), (b) and (c) by program instruction or other18 wise. 

19 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

20 this section shall apply as if included in the enactment 

21 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 

22 (Public Law 111–3). 

Æ 


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