Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009
Latest action · Jan 26, 2009 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.
- IntroducedJan 26, 2009
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) extend Medicare flex grants; (2) revise requirements for the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program; (3) revise the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals; (4) eliminate temporarily the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment cap; and (5) extend and revise the Medicare hold harmless provision under the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department (HOPD) services for certain hospitals.
Revises requirements for the treatment of rural sole community hospitals and Medicare dependent, small rural hospitals under the PPS for HOPD services.
Provides for recognition of equality of physician work in all geographic areas under the Medicare physician fee schedule.
Revises the practice expense geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule.
Extends the treatment of certain physician pathology services, and increased Medicare payments for rural ground ambulance services.
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to set $92 as the maximum rate of payment per visit in 2010 for independent rural health clinics.
Requires the Secretary to exempt from competitive acquisition requirements rural areas and small metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with a population of 600,000 or less.
Permits physician assistants to order post-hospital extended care services. Recognizes attending physician assistants as attending physicians for the purpose of serving hospice patients.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Apr 29, 2009.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Apr 29, 2009 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Finance Committee | Referred Jan 26, 2009 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 26, 2009Introduced in Senate
- Jan 26, 2009Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S835-836)
- Jan 26, 2009Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S835 | Chuck Grassley R-IA | Jan 26, 2009 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to health care under the Medicare program for beneficiaries residing in rural areas.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 26, 2009Introduced 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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
