P.L. 106–113, Approved November 29, 1999 (113 Stat. 1501)

Consolidated Appropriations For Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2000

TITLE VII—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

SECTION 1. [42 U.S.C. 1305 note]  SHORT TITLE; AMENDMENTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY ACT; REFERENCES TO BBA; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a)  Short Title.—This Act may be cited as the “Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999”.

(b)  Amendments to Social Security Act.—Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in this Act an amendment is expressed in terms of an amendment to or repeal of a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to that section or other provision of the Social Security Act.

(c)  References to the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.—In this Act, the term “BBA” means the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-33).

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

TITLE I—PROVISIONS RELATING TO PART A

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

Subtitle B—PPS Hospitals

SEC. 112. [42 U.S.C. 1395ww note]  DECREASE IN REDUCTIONS FOR DISPROPORTIONATE SHARE HOSPITALS; DATA COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

(b)  Data Collection.—

(1)  In general.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall require any subsection (d) hospital (as defined in section 1886(d)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(1)(B))) to submit to the Secretary, in the cost reports submitted to the Secretary by such hospital for discharges occurring during a fiscal year, data on the costs incurred by the hospital for providing inpatient and outpatient hospital services for which the hospital is not compensated, including non-medicare bad debt, charity care, and charges for medicaid and indigent care.

(2)  Effective date.—The Secretary shall require the submission of the data described in paragraph (1) in cost reports for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2001.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

Subtitle C - PPS Exempt Hospitals

SEC. 123. [None Assigned]  PER DISCHARGE PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR LONG-TERM CARE HOSPITALS.

(a)  Development of System.—

(1)  In general.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall develop a per discharge prospective payment system for payment for inpatient hospital services of long term care hospitals described in section 1886(d)(1)(B)(iv) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(1)(B)(iv)) under the medicare program. Such system shall include an adequate patient classification system that is based on diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) and that reflects the differences in patient resource use and costs, and shall maintain budget neutrality.

(b)  Collection of Data and Evaluation.—In developing the system described in paragraph (1), the Secretary may require such long-term care hospitals to submit such information to the Secretary as the Secretary may require to develop the system.

(c)  Implementation of Prospective Payment System.—Notwithstanding section 1886(b)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(b)(3)), the Secretary shall provide, for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2002, for payments for inpatient hospital services furnished by long-term care hospitals under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) in accordance with the system described in subsection (a).

SEC. 124. [42 U.S.C. 1395ww note]  PER DIEM PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

(c)  Implementation of Prospective Payment System.—Notwithstanding section 1886(b)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(b)(3)), the Secretary shall provide, for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2002, for payments for inpatient hospital services furnished by psychiatric hospitals and units under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) in accordance with the prospective payment system established by the Secretary under this section in a budget neutral manner.

TITLE II—PROVISIONS RELATING TO PART B

Subtitle A—Hospital Outpatient Services

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

SEC. 201. [42 U.S.C. 13951 note]  OUTLIER ADJUSTMENT AND TRANSITIONAL PASS-THROUGH FOR CERTAIN MEDICAL DEVICES, DRUGS, AND BIOLOGICALS.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

(l)  Congressional Intention Regarding Base Amounts in Applying the HOPD PPS.—With respect to determining the amount of copayments described in paragraph (3)(A)(ii) of section 1833(t) of the Social Security Act, as added by section 4523(a) of BBA, Congress finds that such amount should be determined without regard to such section, in a budget neutral manner with respect to aggregate payments to hospitals, and that the Secretary of Health and Human Services has the authority to determine such amount without regard to such section.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

Subtitle E—Studies and Reports

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

SEC. 553. [42 U.S.C. 1395w-21 note]  GAO STUDIES, AUDITS, AND REPORTS.

(b)  GAO Audit and Reports on the Provision of Medicare+Choice Health Information to Beneficiaries.—

(1)  In general.—Beginning in 2000, the Comptroller General shall conduct an annual audit of the expenditures by the Secretary of Health and Human Services during the preceding year in providing information regarding the Medicare+Choice program under part C of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-21 et seq.) to eligible medicare beneficiaries.

(3)  [396] Reports.—Not later than March 31 of 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2010, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to Congress on the results of the audit of the expenditures of the preceding 3 years conducted pursuant to subsection (a), together with an evaluation of the effectiveness of the means used by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in providing information regarding the Medicare+Choice program under part C of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-21 et seq.) to eligible medicare beneficiaries.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

[Internal References.—SSAct §§1886, 1895 headings and 1886(m) have footnotes referring to P.L. 106-113.]



[396]  As in original. No paragraph (2).