Skip to main content
S 712 111th Congress Senate Health Health care coverage and access Health care quality Health facilities and institutions Health personnel Health programs administration and funding Medicare Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Rural conditions and development

Rural Medicare Equity Act of 2009

Introduced: March 26, 2009 See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 26, 2009
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3899-3900)
Mar 26, 2009
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3899)
Mar 26, 2009
Introduced in Senate
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Rural Medicare Equity Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate the geographic physician work adjustment factor from the geographic indices used to adjust payments under the physician fee schedule.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration grants project designed to provide financial or other incentives to hospitals to attract educators and clinical practitioners so that hospitals that serve Medicare beneficiaries residing in underserved areas may host clinical rotations.

Directs the Secretary to establish up to 10 demonstration projects to provide for improvements, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine, in the quality of health care provided to individuals residing in rural areas.

Amends SSA title XVIII to require proportional representation of rural area interests on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC).

Directs the Secretary to implement the recommendations contained in the March 2005 GAO report 05-119 entitled "Medicare Physician Fees: Geographic Adjustment Indices are Valid in Design, but Data and Methods Need Refinement."

What's happening now March 26, 2009

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3899-3900)

 Committees of jurisdiction 1