I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1837
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide certain Medicare
beneficiaries with an exemption to the financial limitations imposed on
physical, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services
under part B of the Medicare Program, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 18, 1999
Mr. BURR of North Carolina (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. MCCRERY, and
Mr. PALLONE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and
Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide
certain Medicare beneficiaries with an exemption to the
financial limitations imposed on physical, speech-lan-
guage pathology, and occupational therapy services under
part B of the Medicare Program, and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Medicare Rehabilita-
tion Benefit Improvement Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are as follows:
(1) To provide certain medicare beneficiaries
with an exemption to the financial limitations im-
posed on physical, speech-language pathology, and
occupational therapy services under section 1833(g)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(g)).
(2) To direct the Secretary of Health and
Human Services to conduct a study on the imple-
mentation of such exemption and to submit a report
to Congress that includes recommendations regard-
ing alternatives to such financial limitations.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF EXEMPTION TO CAP ON PHYS-
ICAL, SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY, AND
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1833(g) of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(g)) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
‘‘(4)(A) The limitations in this subsection shall not
apply to an individual described in subparagraph (B).
‘‘(B) An individual described in this subparagraph is
an individual that meets any of the following criteria:
‘‘(i) The individual has received services de-
scribed in paragraph (1) or (3) in a calendar year
and is subsequently diagnosed with an illness, in-
jury, or disability that requires the provision in such
to the amendments to such section made by section
3 of this Act) and subsequently receive physical,
speech-language pathology, or occupational therapy
services in such year at an outpatient hospital de-
partment.
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and
Human Services shall submit a detailed report to Congress
on the study conducted pursuant to paragraph (1), and
shall include in the report recommendations regarding al-
ternatives to the financial limitations on physical, speech-
language pathology, and occupational therapy services
under section 1833(g) of the Social Security Act and any
other recommendations determined appropriate by the
Secretary. Such report shall be included in the report re-
quired to be submitted to Congress pursuant to section
4541(d)(2) of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (42
U.S.C. 1395l note).
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