Fixing Medicare Hospital Payments Act of 2016

Bill: 114-hr-6399
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-3]
Introduced: 2016-11-29
Policy area: Health
Latest action: action_date: 2016-11-29
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Summaries:
action_date: 2016-11-29
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Fixing Medicare Hospital Payments Act of 2016</strong></p> <p>This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish, with respect to calculating payment for inpatient hospital services under Medicare's prospective payment system, a minimum area wage index for hospitals located in metropolitan areas. (Under a prospective payment system, payment is made according to a predetermined, fixed amount.)</p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6399 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 29, 2016 Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania ) 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 create a Medicare hospital wage index metropolitan floor, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Fixing Medicare Hospital Payments Act of 2016 . 2. Creating a Medicare hospital wage index metropolitan floor Section 1886(d)(3)(E) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(3)(E) ) is amended by adding at the end the following new clause: (iv) Floor on area wage index for hospitals in metropolitan areas (I) In general For discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2017, the area wage index applicable under this subparagraph to any hospital which is located in a metropolitan area (as defined in subclause (II)) may not be less than 0.94. (II) Metropolitan area defined For purposes of this clause, the term metropolitan area means a large urban area (as defined in paragraph (2)(D)) that has a population of not less than 2,000,000 individuals, as determined by the Secretary based on the most recent available population data published with respect to such area by the Bureau of the Census. (III) No expenditures over otherwise-applicable fiscal year 2018 levels The Secretary shall implement this clause in a manner that ensures that the aggregate payments made under this section to all hospitals located in metropolitan areas for discharges occurring in a fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 2018) are not greater than the aggregate payments that would have been made under this section to such hospitals for such discharges if such discharges had occurred in fiscal year 2018 and if this clause had not applied with respect to such fiscal year 2018. The Secretary shall implement the preceding sentence by establishing, pursuant to rulemaking and applicable with respect to discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2017, a maximum area wage index that shall be applicable under this subparagraph to any hospital located in a metropolitan area. .