Ask Your Legislators to Cosponsor These Hospital-Related Bills

DSH Reduction Relief Act (H.R.1920) Introduced by Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) Cosponsors from CHI congressional districts as of August recess: Representatives Heck (D-WA-10), Kilmer (D-WA-6), Loebsack (D-IA-2), McDermott (D-WA-7) and Moore (D-WI-4)

Purpose: Eliminates the first two years of the Affordable Care Act’s cuts to Medicare and Medicaid disproportionate share hospital programs (DSH) to allow expansion of health coverage to become more fully realized before DSH payments are cut.

(Draft letter on CHI’s Advocacy Action Center)

Protecting Access to Rural Therapy Services Act (S.1143/H.R.2801) Introduced by Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) Cosponsors from CHI states/districts as of August recess: Senators Boozman (D-AR), Franken (D-MN), Heitkamp (D-ND), Hoeven (R-ND) and Klobuchar (D-MN); Representatives Cramer (R-ND-AL), Loebsack (D-IA-2) and Peterson (D-MN-7)

Purpose: Creates a default standard of general physician supervision for hospital and critical access hospital (CAH) outpatient therapies with a process for identifying complex procedures that need direct physician supervision. Requires recognition of CAH Medicare conditions of participation when applying direct supervision to CAHs.

(Draft letters on CHI’s Advocacy Action Center)

Rural Hospital Access Act (S.842/H.R.1787) Introduced by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) and by Representatives (R-NY) and (D-VT) Cosponsors from CHI states/districts as of August recess: Senators Baldwin (D-WI), Franken (D-MN), Grassley (R-IA), Harkin (D-IA), Klobuchar (D-MN), and Moran (R-KS); Representatives Fortenberry (R-NE-1), King (R-IA-4), Loebsack (D-IA-2), Nolan (D-MN- 8), Olson (R-TX-22), Perlmutter (D-CO-7), and Peterson (D-MN-7)

Purpose: Extends the Medicare-dependent hospital program and the increased payments under the Medicare low-volume hospital program.

Medicare Audit Improvement Act (S.1012/H.R.1250) Introduced by Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR) and (R-MO) and Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO) and (D-CA) Cosponsors from CHI states/districts as of August recess: Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR); Representatives Barr (R-KY-6), Chabot (R-OH-1), Coffman (R-CO-6), Cramer (R-ND- AL), Guthrie (R-KY-2), Huelskamp (R-KS-1), Kilmer (D-WA-6), King (R-IA-4), Latham (R-IA-3), Loebsack (D-IA-2), Olson (R-TX-22), Perlmutter (D-CO-7), Peterson (D-MN-7), Poe (R-TX-2), Polis (D-CO-2), Stockman (R-TX-36), Terry (R-NE-2) and Walden (R- OR-2)

Purpose: Establishes a consolidated limit for medical record requests, imposes financial penalties for Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) that fail to comply with program requirements and allows denied inpatient claims to be billed as outpatient claims when appropriate.

(Draft letters on CHI’s Advocacy Action Center)

Fairness in Health Care Claims, Guidance and Investigations Act (H.R.2931) Introduced by Representatives Howard Coble (R-NC) and David Scott (D-GA) Cosponsors from CHI congressional districts as of August recess: None

Purpose: Requires federal agencies to review their own rules and regulations to determine whether a billing dispute should be pursued as fraud before launching an investigation. Assures that unintentional billing disputes are not penalized as harshly as fraud.

For additional information, please contact Marcia Desmond, Vice President Public Policy, at [email protected]

August 2013