S 654 · 108th Congress 2003–2005, ended

Medicare Safety Net Access Act of 2003

Introduced Mar 18, 2003 Originated Senate Sponsor Olympia J. Snowe R-ME

Fact sheet

Latest action · Mar 18, 2003 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedMar 18, 2003
Passed SenateNot reached
Passed HouseNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Medicare Safety Net Access Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) provide for coverage of Medicare-covered ambulatory services by Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs); and (2) ensure FQHC reimbursement under hospital and skilled nursing facility prospective payment systems.

Amends SSA title XI with respect to criminal penalties for acts involving Federal health care programs, particularly illegal remunerations (kickbacks). Exempts from the prohibition against such remunerations any remuneration: (1) between a certain kind of public or nonprofit private health center entity and any individual or entity providing goods, items, services, donations, loans, or a combination, to such health center entity pursuant to an agreement, if such agreement contributes to the ability of the health center entity to maintain or increase the availability, or enhance the quality, of services provided to a medically underserved population served by the health center entity; and (2) between a FQHC (or an entity controlled by such a health center) and a Medicare+Choice organization pursuant to a specified written agreement.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish standards relating to the exception for health center entity arrangements to specified anti-kickback penalties.

Amends SSA title XVIII to revise the payment for certain FQHC services furnished to an individual enrolled with a Medicare+Choice organization under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice), allowing for supplemental reimbursement, among other changes.

Amends Medicare+Choice to add additional Medicare+Choice contract requirements.

Cosponsors 11

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 18, 2003 to May 23, 2003, with 3 there on the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-MO	Christopher S. Bond	Original	Mar 18, 2003
D-SC	Ernest F. Hollings	Original	Mar 18, 2003
D-NM	Jeff Bingaman	Original	Mar 18, 2003
R-OR	Gordon H. Smith		Apr 7, 2003
R-ME	Susan M. Collins		Apr 7, 2003
I-VT	James M. Jeffords		Apr 29, 2003
D-AR	Blanche L. Lincoln		Apr 30, 2003
D-MA	John F. Kerry		May 20, 2003
R-RI	Lincoln Chafee		May 20, 2003
D-NY	Hillary Rodham Clinton		May 22, 2003
D-VT	Patrick J. Leahy		May 23, 2003

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Mar 18, 2003Introduced in Senate
Mar 18, 2003Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Mar 18, 2003Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3901-3902)

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
HR 1377	Medicare Safety Net Access Act of 2003	Identical bill	Apr 10, 2003

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.