Fair Competition for Hospitals Act of 2013

Bill: 113-s-1791
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2013-12-10
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance

Health facilities and institutions

Hospital care

Medicare

Wages and earnings
Latest action: action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-12-10
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>Fair Competition for Hospitals Act of 2013 - Requires the wage index applying to a certain kind of subsection (d) hospital under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to be the highest wage index assigned to hospitals in the core-based statistical area in which the hospital is located (regardless of which state the hospital is located in) as a result of the requirement of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 that the area wage index applicable to any hospital which is not located in a rural area be not less than the area wage index applicable to hospitals located in rural areas in the state in which the hospital is located.</p> <p>(Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)</p> <p>Limits the application of this Act to a subsection (d) hospital: (1) located in a core-based statistical area comprising counties from more than one state, but (2) not located in a core-based statistical area in which one or more hospitals are subject to a specified minimum wage index, and (3) not located in a core-based statistical area in which the highest wage index applies to hospitals covered by this Act under a state Medicare reimbursement system.</p>

tv_txt: II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1791 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 10, 2013 Mr. Rockefeller introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance A BILL To provide for the treatment of certain hospitals under the Medicare program.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Fair Competition for Hospitals Act of 2013 . 2. Treatment of certain hospitals (a) Treatment (1) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, effective for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2014, for purposes of making payments under section 1886(d) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395ww ) to a hospital described in paragraph (2), the wage index that applies to such hospital under such section shall be the highest wage index assigned to hospitals in the core-based statistical area in which the hospital is located (regardless of which State the hospital is located in) as a result of the application of section 4410(a) of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 ( 42 U.S.C. 1395ww note). (2) Hospital described A hospital described in this paragraph is a hospital— (A) that is located in a core-based statistical area which is comprised of counties from more than 1 State; (B) that is not located in a core-based statistical area in which 1 or more hospitals are subject to the minimum wage index under paragraph (h)(4) of section 412.64 of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations; and (C) that is not located in a core-based statistical area in which the highest wage index described in paragraph (1) applies to hospitals described in such paragraph under a State reimbursement system under section 1814(b)(3) or 1886(c) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395f(b)(3) ; 1395ww(c)). (b) Rules Any increase in the wage index of a hospital as a result of the application of subsection (a) shall be treated as the result of a decision of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board under paragraph (10) of section 1886(d) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d) ) and subject to budget neutrality under paragraph (8)(D) of such section.