Title: Rural Hospital Access Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Rural Hospital Access Act of 2017
This bill permanently extends the Medicare-Dependent Hospital program (which provides increased payments to certain smaller, rural hospitals that serve a proportionally high number of Medicare patients) and the program for increased payments under Medicare for low-volume hospitals.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1955 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 hospital (MDH) program and the 
   increased payments under the Medicare low-volume hospital program.

    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 ``Rural Hospital Access Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF THE MEDICARE-DEPENDENT HOSPITAL (MDH) PROGRAM.

    (a) Extension of Payment Methodology.--Section 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 October 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 fiscal 
                year 2017'' and inserting ``or a subsequent fiscal 
                year''.
            (2) Permitting hospitals to decline reclassification.--
        Section 13501(e)(2) of the Omnibus 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''.

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 fiscal years 
                2005 through 2010'' after ``increase''; 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 ``fiscal 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 ``Temporary 
                applicable percentage increase'' and inserting 
                ``applicable percentage increase beginning with fiscal 
                year 2011'';
                    (B) by striking ``fiscal years 2011 through 2017,'' 
                and inserting ``fiscal year 2011 and each subsequent 
                fiscal year''; and
                    (C) by striking ``or the portion of fiscal year'' 
                each place it appears.
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