RUSH Protection Act of 2021

Rural and Underserved Small Hospital Protection Act of 2021 or the RUSH Protection Act of 2021

This bill applies certain modified payment limits to rural health clinics that temporarily enrolled in Medicare during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) or that applied to enroll by December 31, 2020. The bill applies retroactively.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1885 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1885

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to adjust certain rural 
           health clinic payments under the Medicare program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2021

   Mr. Kind (for himself, Mr. LaHood, Ms. Schrier, Mr. Griffith, Mr. 
  Costa, and Mrs. Walorski) 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 title XVIII of the Social Security Act to adjust certain rural 
           health clinic payments 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 ``Rural and Underserved Small Hospital 
Protection Act of 2021'' or the ``RUSH Protection Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. RURAL HEALTH CLINIC PAYMENTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1833(f)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395l(f)(3)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) in clause (i), by striking subclauses (I) and 
                (II) and inserting the following:
                            ``(I) with respect to a rural health clinic 
                        that had a per visit payment amount established 
                        for services furnished in 2020--
                                    ``(aa) the per visit payment amount 
                                applicable to such rural health clinic 
                                for rural health clinic services 
                                furnished in 2020, increased by the 
                                percentage increase in the MEI 
                                applicable to primary care services 
                                furnished as of the first day of 2021; 
                                or
                                    ``(bb) the limit described in 
                                paragraph (2)(A); and
                            ``(II) with respect to a rural health 
                        clinic that did not have a per visit payment 
                        amount established for services furnished in 
                        2020--
                                    ``(aa) the per visit payment amount 
                                applicable to such rural health clinic 
                                for rural health clinic services 
                                furnished in 2021; or
                                    ``(bb) the limit described in 
                                paragraph (2)(A); and''; and
                    (B) in clause (ii)(I), by striking ``under clause 
                (i)(I)'' and inserting ``under subclause (I) or (II) of 
                clause (i), as applicable,''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking 
                ``2019, was'' and inserting ``2020'';
                    (B) in clause (i), by inserting ``was'' after 
                ``(i)''; and
                    (C) by striking clause (ii) and inserting the 
                following:
                    ``(ii)(I) was enrolled under section 1866(j) 
                (including temporary enrollment during the emergency 
                period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) for such 
                period); or
                    ``(II) submitted an application for enrollment 
                under section 1866(j) (or requested such a temporary 
                enrollment for such period) that was received not later 
                than December 31, 2020.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260).
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