Title: Fairness for Our Hospitals Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Fairness for Our Hospitals Act of 2017
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow a hospital that meets specified criteria and is located in a state with no rural areas to be considered a Medicare-dependent hospital. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall establish and implement a process for reimbursing impacted hospitals for any underpayments resulting from this bill's implementation.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 986 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 986

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permit hospitals in 
all-urban States to be considered Medicare dependent hospitals, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 27, 2017

   Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Booker, Mr. Carper, and Mr. Coons) 
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 permit hospitals in 
all-urban States to be considered Medicare dependent hospitals, 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 ``Fairness for Our Hospitals Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. PERMITTING HOSPITALS IN ALL-URBAN STATES TO BE CONSIDERED 
              MEDICARE DEPENDENT HOSPITALS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1886(d)(5)(G)(iv)(I) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(5)(G)(iv)(I)) is amended to read as 
follows:
                                    ``(I) that--
                                            ``(aa) is located in a 
                                        rural area; or
                                            ``(bb) for discharges 
                                        occurring on or after January 
                                        1, 2011, is located in a State 
                                        with no rural area (as defined 
                                        in paragraph (2)(D)) and 
                                        satisfies any of the criteria 
                                        in subclause (I), (II), (III), 
                                        or (IV) of paragraph 
                                        (8)(E)(ii),''.
    (b) Process for Recalculating Payments.--Not later than 120 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall establish and implement a process under which 
the Secretary shall reimburse hospitals impacted by the amendment made 
by subsection (a) for any underpayments under title XVIII of the Social 
Security Act that are a result of the implementation of such amendment.
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