Removing Waste and Protecting Medicare Act
Bill: H.R.6144 | Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Jason (R-MO)
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance

Summary:
Removing Waste and Protecting Medicare Act
This bill makes several budgetary changes, including (1) prohibiting sequestration orders in 2022, (2) rescinding certain COVID-19 state and local relief funds, and (3) extending certain adjustments under Medicare with respect to sequestration and payments under the physician fee schedule. It also modifies requirements relating to federal programs and benefits, such as permanently requiring taxpayers to include Social Security numbers on their tax returns in order to qualify for the child tax credit.

To delay and offset the sequester to occur in January 2022 under the 
      Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Removing Waste and Protecting 
Medicare Act''.

SEC. 2. PAYGO ACT SEQUESTER DELAY.

    No sequester shall be ordered during calendar year 2022 after 
Congress adjourns to end the 1st session of the 117th Congress under 
section 5 of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.

SEC. 3. OFFSET OF SEQUESTER DELAY.

    (a) Reinstatement of Public Charge Rule.--The rule relating to 
inadmissibility on public charge grounds (84 Fed. Reg. 41292, published 
on August 14, 2019) as in effect on October 15, 2019, shall be 
considered to be in effect as of the date of enactment of this Act, and 
the Department of Homeland Security shall reimplement such rule as soon 
as may be practicable.
    (b) Social Security Number Requirements for Child Tax Credit.--
            (1) In general.--Section 24(e) of the Internal Revenue Code 
        of 1986 is amended to read as follows:
    ``(e) Social Security Number Requirements.--
            ``(1) Taxpayer.--No credit shall be allowed under this 
        section to any taxpayer who does not include on the return of 
        tax for the taxable year--
                    ``(A) such individual's social security number, and
                    ``(B) if the individual is married, the social 
                security number of such individual's spouse.
            ``(2) Qualifying children.--No credit shall be allowed 
        under this section to a taxpayer with respect to any qualifying 
        child unless the taxpayer includes the social security number 
        of such child on the return of tax for the taxable year.
            ``(3) Social security number.--For purposes of this 
        subsection, the term `social security number' means a social 
        security number issued to an individual by the Social Security 
        Administration, but only if the social security number is 
        issued--
                    ``(A) to a citizen of the United States or pursuant 
                to subclause (I) (or that portion of subclause (III) 
                that relates to subclause (I)) of section 
                205(c)(2)(B)(i) of the Social Security Act, and
                    ``(B) before the due date of the return of tax 
                referred to in paragraph (1) or (2), as the case may 
                be.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 24(h) of such Code is 
        amended by striking paragraph (7).
            (3) Effective date.--The amendments made by this subsection 
        shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021.
    (c) Reinstatement of SNAP Work Requirement Rule.--The rule relating 
to work requirements under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
Program (84 Fed. Reg. 66782, published on December 5, 2019) as in 
effect on April 1, 2020, shall be considered to be in effect as of the 
date of enactment of this Act, and the Department of Agriculture shall 
reimplement such rule as soon as may be practicable.
    (d) Rescission of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery 
Funds.--Of the total amount of unobligated amounts available under 
sections 602 and 603 of title VI of the Social Security Act, 
$53,500,000,000 are hereby permanently rescinded.
    (e) Rescission of Capital Projects Funds.--The total amount of 
unobligated amounts available under section 604 of title VI of the 
Social Security Act are hereby permanently rescinded.

SEC. 4. ADJUSTMENTS TO MEDICARE PROGRAM SEQUESTRATION REDUCTION WITH 
              RESPECT TO FISCAL YEAR 2022.

    (a) Extension.--
            (1) In general.--Section 3709(a) of division A of the CARES 
        Act (2 U.S.C. 901a note) is amended 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) Adjustment.--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 (D); 
        and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
                    ``(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.''.

SEC. 5. 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. 6. 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''.
    (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. 7. 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. 8. 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, 
$102,000,000.''.
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