Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-980
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]
Introduced: 2017-04-27
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health facilities and institutions

Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care

Medicare

Rural conditions and development
Latest action: action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-04-27
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2017</strong></p> <p>This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow payment under Medicare for certain services furnished to hospice patients by rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).</p> <p>With respect to a patient who elects to receive hospice care under Medicare, current law generally limits payment for services that are either duplicative of&nbsp;such care or related to the treatment of the individual's terminal illness. However, current law exempts from this limitation: (1)&nbsp;physicians' services furnished by an attending physician not employed by the hospice program; and (2) services provided or arranged by the hospice program.</p> <p>The bill expands this exemption with regard to rural health clinic and FQHC services. Specifically, the payment limitation shall not apply to such services that: (1) would otherwise be physicians' services if furnished by an individual&nbsp;unaffiliated with a rural health clinic or FQHC; and (2) are either&nbsp;arranged by the hospice program or furnished by an attending physician not employed by the hospice program.</p>

tv_txt: II 115th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 980 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 27, 2017 Mrs. Capito (for herself, Mrs. Shaheen , Mr. Franken , and Mrs. Gillibrand ) 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 provide for payments for certain rural health clinic and Federally qualified health center services furnished to hospice patients under the Medicare program.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2017 . 2. Medicare payment for certain rural health clinic and Federally qualified health center services furnished to hospice patients (a) In general Section 1812(d)(2) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395d(d)(2) ) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (A)— (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C) and inserting the succeeding provisions of this paragraph ; (B) in clause (ii)(II), by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting a period; and (C) by striking the flush matter following clause (ii)(II); and (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (E) Subparagraph (A)(ii) shall not apply to— (i) physicians' services furnished by the individual's attending physician (as defined in section 1861(dd)(3)(B)), if not an employee of the hospice program; (ii) services provided by (or under arrangements made by) the hospice program; or (iii) rural health clinic services (as defined in paragraph (1) of section 1861(aa)) and Federally qualified health center services (as defined in paragraph (3) of such section) if such services— (I) would otherwise be physicians' services if furnished by an individual not affiliated with a rural health clinic (as defined in paragraph (2) of such section) or a Federally qualified health center (as defined in paragraph (4) of such section); and (II) are— (aa) furnished by the individual's attending physician (as so defined), if not an employee of the hospice program; or (bb) provided under arrangements made by the hospice program. . (b) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall apply to services furnished on or after the date that is six months after the date of the enactment of this Act.