Rural Healthcare Improvement Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-3549
Sponsor: Rep. Hill, Baron P. [D-IN-9]
Introduced: 2003-11-20 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Accreditation (Medical care)
Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Aircraft
Ambulances
Ambulatory care
Auditing
Capital investments
Case mix (Medical care)
Clinics
Commerce
Community health services
Commuting
Conflict of interests
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Contracts
Cost of living adjustments
Critically ill
Demography
Department of Health and Human Services
Diabetes
Drugs
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Electronic government information
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to health facilities
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Higher education
Home care services
Hospital care
Hospital personnel
Hospital rates
Hospitals
Housing and Community Development
Imaging systems in medicine
Income tax
Indian medical care
Insurance premiums
Internet
Judicial review
Kidney diseases
Labor and Employment
Law
Liability insurance
Medicaid
Medical economics
Medical education
Medical ethics
Medical fees
Medical laboratories
Medical malpractice
Medical residents
Medical supplies
Medical technology
Medical tests
Medicare
Mental health services
Minorities
Nurse practitioners
Nurses
Nursing homes
Patient satisfaction
Physicians
Physicians' assistants
Prescription pricing
Psychiatric hospitals
Puerto Rico
Quality of care
Restrictive trade practices
Rural health
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Tax exemption
Taxation
Technological innovations
Telemedicine
Terminal care
Transportation and Public Works
Wages
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2003-11-20
text: 
Rural Healthcare Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to services in rural areas, inpatient hospital services, physician services, physician updates, home health services, and the Office of Rural Health Policy.
 
Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to provide for a special, temporary increase in disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments on a one-time, non-cumulative basis, and an increase in the floor for treatment as a low DSH State. Provides for allotment adjustments for FY 2004 and 2005 for States without a DSH allotment owing to revocation or termination of a certain waiver.
 
(The Medicare provisions of H.R. 3549 are identical to title I of S. 1926, the Support Our Health Care Providers Act of 2003, which in turn is identical, except with respect to any provider cuts or premium increases, to title IV of the conference report of H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003, which became Public Law 108-173 on December 8, 2003. The Medicaid provision is very similar to one in title VI, subtitle A of H.R. 3549.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-12-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-12-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-11-20
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-11-20
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-11-20
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-11-20
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-11-20
text: Introduced in House