Medicare Equity and Accessibility Act of 2007

Medicare Equity and Accessibility Act of 2007 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to certain factors and indices in geographic adjustments to the fee schedule for determination of payments for physicians' services.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase the practice expense geographic index to 1.0 for any location for which the practice expense geographic index is less than 1.0.

Repeals the current termination date in order to extend permanently the 1.0 floor for the work expense geographic index.

[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2827 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2827

To amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a 
    floor of 1.0 for the practice expense and for the work expense 
  geographic practice cost indices (GPCI) under the Medicare Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 22, 2007

 Mr. Braley of Iowa (for himself and Mr. Smith of Nebraska) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
  Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a 
    floor of 1.0 for the practice expense and for the work expense 
  geographic practice cost indices (GPCI) under the Medicare Program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Equity and Accessibility 
Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. MEDICARE GPCI FLOORS.

    (a) Floor of 1.0 for Practice Expenses.--Section 1848(e)(1) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(e)(1)) is amended by inserting 
after subparagraph (E) the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(F) Floor at 1.0 for practice expense index.--
                After calculating the practice expense index in 
                subparagraph (A)(ii), for purposes of payment for 
                services furnished on or after January 1, 2008, the 
                Secretary shall increase the practice expense 
                geographic index to 1.00 for any locality for which 
                such practice expense geographic index is less than 
                1.00.''.
    (b) Extension of Floor of 1.0 for Work Expenses.--Subparagraph (E) 
of such section is amended by striking ``and before January 1, 2008,''.
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