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[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2992 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2992

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reimburse essential 
access home health providers for the reasonable costs of providing home 
                    health services in rural areas.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2000

  Mr. Baucus 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 reimburse essential 
access home health providers for the reasonable costs of providing home 
                    health services 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 ``Restoring Essential Access to Care 
in the Home (REACH) Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. REIMBURSEMENT FOR HOME HEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED BY ESSENTIAL 
              ACCESS HOME HEALTH PROVIDERS.

    (a) Exemption From Home Health Interim Payment System.--Section 
1861(v)(1)(L) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(v)(1)(L)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new clause:
    ``(xi) The preceding provisions of this subparagraph shall not 
apply to home health services that are furnished on or after October 1, 
2000, by an essential access home health provider (as defined in 
section 1861(uu)).''.
    (b) Exemption From Home Health Prospective Payment System.--
            (1) 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:
    ``(e) Exemption.--The prospective payment system established under 
this section shall not apply in determining payments for home health 
services furnished by an essential access home health provider (as 
defined in section 1861(uu)).''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 1833(a)(2)(A) of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395(a)(2)(A)) is amended by 
        inserting ``home health services described in section 1895(e) 
        and other than'' after ``other than''.
            (3) Technical amendment.--Section 1833(a)(2)(A) of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395(a)(2)(A)) is amended by 
        striking ``drug) (as defined in section 1861(kk))'' and 
        inserting ``drug (as defined in section 1861(kk)))''.
            (4) Effective date.--The amendments made by this subsection 
        shall apply to cost reporting periods beginning on or after 
        October 1, 2000.
    (c) Essential Access Home Health Provider Defined.--Section 1861 of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection:

                ``Essential Access Home Health Provider

    ``(uu) The term `essential access home health provider' means a 
home health agency (as defined in subsection (o)) that is--
            ``(1) the only home health agency serving a locality;
            ``(2) a provider of home health services with an agreement 
        for the provision of such services under the State medicaid 
        program under title XIX; and
            ``(3)(A) owned and operated by a critical access hospital, 
        a rural health clinic, a Federally qualified health center, a 
        public health department, or a rural hospital that has less 
        than 50 beds; or
            ``(B) recognized by a State as an essential provider of 
        home health services to a rural population within a defined 
        area.''.
                                 <all>
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