Rural Hospital Assistance Act of 2008
Latest action · Jul 22, 2008 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S7300)
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.
- IntroducedJul 22, 2008
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Rural Hospital Assistance Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the additional inpatient hospital service payment (payment adjustment) for low-volume hospitals (usually meaning a "subsection (d) hospital" located more than 25 road miles from another subsection (d) hospital and having less than 800 discharges during the fiscal year.)
Redefines low-volume hospital, for discharges occurring during FY2009 only, as a "subsection (d) hospital" located more than 15 (instead of 25) road miles from another "subsection (d) hospital" and having less than 1,500 (instead of 800) discharges of individuals entitled to, or enrolled for, Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) benefits ("tweeners,'' or hospitals too large to be critical access hospitals, but too small to be financially viable under the Medicare hospital prospective payment system (PPS)).
Revises, for FY2009 only, the temporary applicable percentage in the formula for determining the payment adjustment for such hospitals.
Requires the use of the non-wage adjusted prospective payment rate (PPS) rate during FY2009 under the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program.
Prescribes requirements for hospitals to qualify for a Medicare hospital exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals to hospitals in which such physicians have an ownership or investment interest in the entity. (Eliminates the Medicare hospital exception for physician-owned hospitals, but provides a limited exception for existing facilities.)
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Sep 18, 2008.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-IA | Tom Harkin | Sep 18, 2008 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 22, 2008Introduced in Senate
- Jul 22, 2008Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S7300)
- Jul 22, 2008Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7075)
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 6912 | Rural Hospital Assistance Act of 2008 | Identical bill | Sep 16, 2008 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 22, 2008Introduced in Senate
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.