I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1955 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent the 
extension of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program and the 
increased payments under the Medicare low-volume hospital program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 5, 2017 
Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. WELCH) 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 make 
permanent the extension of the Medicare-dependent hos-
pital (MDH) program and the increased payments under 
the Medicare low-volume hospital program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Hospital Access 
Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF THE MEDICARE-DEPENDENT HOS-
PITAL (MDH) PROGRAM. 
(a) EXTENSION OF PAYMENT METHODOLOGY.—Sec-
tion 1886(d)(5)(G) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395ww(d)(5)(G)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘, and before Octo-
ber 1, 2017’’; and 
(2) in clause (ii)(II), by striking ‘‘, and before 
October 1, 2017’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) EXTENSION OF TARGET AMOUNT.—Section 
1886(b)(3)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395ww(b)(3)(D)) is amended— 
(A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 
striking ‘‘, and before October 1, 2017’’; and 
(B) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘through fis-
cal year 2017’’ and inserting ‘‘or a subsequent 
fiscal year’’. 
(2) PERMITTING HOSPITALS TO DECLINE RE-
CLASSIFICATION.—Section 13501(e)(2) of the Omni-
bus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 
1395ww note) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year 
2000 through fiscal year 2017’’ and inserting ‘‘a 
subsequent fiscal year’’. 
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SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF THE INCREASED PAYMENTS UNDER 
THE 
MEDICARE 
LOW-VOLUME 
HOSPITAL 
PROGRAM. 
Section 1886(d)(12) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(12)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘FOR FIS-
CAL
YEARS
2005
THROUGH
2010’’ after ‘‘IN-
CREASE’’; and 
(B) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 
striking ‘‘and for discharges occurring in fiscal 
year 2018 and subsequent fiscal years’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (C)(i)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2011 through 
2017’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘fis-
cal year 2011 and each subsequent year’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘or portion of fiscal year’’; 
and 
(3) in subparagraph (D)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘TEM-
PORARY APPLICABLE PERCENTAGE INCREASE’’ 
and inserting ‘‘APPLICABLE
PERCENTAGE
IN-
CREASE BEGINNING WITH FISCAL YEAR 2011’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2011 through 
2017,’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2011 and 
each subsequent fiscal year’’; and 
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(C) by striking ‘‘or the portion of fiscal 
year’’ each place it appears. 
Æ 
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