Medicare Sequester Relief Act

Bill: 117-s-748
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2021-03-15
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Budget deficits and national debt

Budget process

Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Health programs administration and funding

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Medicare
Latest action: action_date: 2021-03-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-03-15
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Medicare Sequester Relief Act</strong></p> <p>This bill continues to exempt Medicare from sequestration until the end of the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). (Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.) </p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 748 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 15, 2021 Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Ms. Collins ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance A BILL To provide for an extension of the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration during the COVID–19 public health emergency.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Medicare Sequester Relief Act . 2. Extension of temporary suspension of medicare sequestration (a) In general Section 3709(a) of division A of the CARES Act ( 2 U.S.C. 901a note), as amended by section 102 of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 ( Public Law 116–136 ), is amended by striking March 31, 2021 and inserting the last day of the emergency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B) ) . (b) Extension of direct spending reductions through fiscal year 2031 Section 251A(6) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 ( 2 U.S.C. 901a(6) ) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (B), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking through 2030 and inserting through 2031 ; and (2) in subparagraph (C), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking fiscal year 2030 and inserting fiscal year 2031 . (c) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall take effect as if enacted as part of the CARES Act ( Public Law 116–136 ).