Beneficiary Access to Care and Medicare Equity Act of 2002

Summary

Beneficiary Access to Care and Medicare Equity Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make a variety of changes with regard to rural health care and such matters as: (1) urban and rural standardized payment amounts under the Medicare inpatient hospital prospective payment system (PPS); (2) disproportionate share hospital (DSH) treatment for rural hospitals and urban hospitals with under 100 beds; (3) a temporary increase in payments for certain services furnished by small rural hospitals and for hospice care furnished in a frontier area; (4) the critical access hospital program; (5) the physician fee schedule geographic adjustment factor; (6) the Medicare incentive payment program; and (7) exclusion of certain rural health clinic and federally qualified health center services from the Medicare PPS for skilled nursing facilities. Amends the Public Health Service Act to give the Secretary the authority to make and guarantee loans from the loan fund to any rural entity for projects for capital improvements. Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to revising updates and restoring payments under: (1) Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) relating to inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facility services, and hospice services; (2) Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) relating to physicians' and other services; and (3) both parts A and B relating to home health services, eliminating the 15 percent reduction in PPS payment rates. Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with respect to: (1) the minimum percentage increase for 2003 and 2004; (2) authority regarding disapproval of unreasonable beneficiary cost-sharing; (3) specialized Medicare+Choice plans for special needs beneficiaries; and (4) extension of new entry bonus. Revises requirements for Medicare appeals, regulatory procedures, contracting, education and outreach, prepayment review, overpayment recovery, and enforcement. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) with respect to: (1) Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments; (2) extension of Medicare cost-sharing for part B premiums for certain additional low-income Medicare beneficiaries; and (3) inpatient drug prices in the best price exemptions for the Medicaid drug rebate program. Amends SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) with respect to SCHIP allotments. Amends SSA title XI on the process for the development and implementation of Medicaid and SCHIP waivers. Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for additional temporary grants for State fiscal relief. Establishes the Safety Net Organizations and Patient Advisory Commission to review health care safety net programs.

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Documents

3 official files

• Placed on Calendar Senate (text)

  Placed on Calendar Senate · EN · 2 October 2002

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• Placed on Calendar Senate (PDF)

  Placed on Calendar Senate · EN · 2 October 2002

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 1 October 2002

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