PACT Act

Bill: 116-s-1268
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI]
Introduced: 2019-05-01
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Blood and blood diseases

Cell biology and embryology

Hospital care

Immunology and vaccination

Medicare

Organ and tissue donation and transplantation
Latest action: action_date: 2019-05-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-05-01
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Patient Access to Cellular Transplant Act or the PACT Act</b></p> <p>This bill specifies that payment under Medicare to a hospital for the acquisition costs of an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (e.g., bone marrow transplant from a donor) must be made on a reasonable cost basis (similar to the current payment methodology for solid organ acquisitions). The Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services must determine included items through regulations.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1268 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 1, 2019 Ms. Stabenow (for herself, Mr. Burr , Mr. Brown , and Mr. Scott of South Carolina ) 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 ensure that hospitals receive adequate payment for the acquisition of hematopoietic stem cells under the Medicare program, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Patient Access to Cellular Transplant Act or the PACT Act . 2. Hematopoietic stem cell acquisition payments Section 1886 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395ww ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(4), in the second sentence, by inserting “for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2020, costs related to hematopoietic stem cell acquisition for the purpose of an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (as described in subsection (d)(5)(M)),” after “October 1, 1987),”; (2) in subsection (d)— (A) in paragraph (4)(C)(iii)— (i) by inserting or payments under paragraph (5)(M) (beginning with fiscal year 2021) after fiscal year 1991) ; and (ii) by inserting or payments under paragraph (5)(M) before the period at the end; and (B) in paragraph (5), by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (M) (i) For cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2020, in the case of a subsection (d) hospital that furnishes an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant to an individual during such a period, payment to such hospital for hematopoietic stem cell acquisition shall be made on a reasonable cost basis. The items included in such hematopoietic stem cell acquisition shall be specified by the Secretary through rulemaking. (ii) For purposes of this subparagraph, the term allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant means, with respect to an individual, the intravenous infusion of hematopoietic cells derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, or cord blood, but not including embryonic stem cells, of a donor to an individual that are or may be used to restore hematopoietic function in such individual having an inherited or acquired deficiency or defect. .