Bill Summary
The "Rural Hospital Frontier Fairness Act" aims to amend two existing laws, the Social Security Act and the Public Health Service Act. The first amendment extends the minimum wage requirement for certain sole community hospitals, which are located within 75 miles of a frontier state, under the inpatient prospective payment system. The second amendment expands eligibility for discounted drug prices under the 340B drug pricing program to these same sole community hospitals. The effective date for these changes is set to take place 60 days after the enactment of the Act.
Possible Impacts
1. The Rural Hospital Frontier Fairness Act could affect people living in rural communities by extending the floor on the area wage index to certain sole community hospitals. This could potentially result in higher wages for employees at these hospitals, making it more attractive for healthcare professionals to work in these areas and improving the overall quality of healthcare in these communities.
2. The Act could also affect people living near sole community hospitals located within 75 miles of a frontier state by allowing them to receive discounted drug prices under the 340B drug pricing program. This could make healthcare more affordable for individuals and families who rely on these hospitals for their medical needs.
3. The Act may also impact the budgets of these sole community hospitals, as they may need to make changes to comply with the new requirements and elect to apply for certain provisions. This could potentially lead to changes in services and resources available to patients, affecting their access to healthcare.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1323 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1323
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend the floor on
the area wage index under the inpatient prospective payment system to
certain sole community hospitals and to amend the Public Health Service
Act to provide eligibility for certain sole community hospitals to
discounted drug prices under the 340B drug pricing program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 22, 2019
Mr. Peterson (for himself and Mr. Tipton) 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 extend the floor on
the area wage index under the inpatient prospective payment system to
certain sole community hospitals and to amend the Public Health Service
Act to provide eligibility for certain sole community hospitals to
discounted drug prices under the 340B drug pricing 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 Hospital Frontier Fairness
Act''.
SEC. 2. EXTENDING FLOOR ON AREA WAGE INDEX TO CERTAIN SOLE COMMUNITY
HOSPITALS.
Section 1886(d)(3)(E)(iii) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395ww(d)(3)(E)(iii)) is amended--
(1) in subclause (I), by inserting before the period at the
end the following: ``and, for discharges occurring on or after
October 1, 2019, the area wage index applicable under this
subparagraph to any sole community hospital that is located not
more than 75 miles from the closest frontier State and that
makes an election under subclause (V) may not be less than
1.00''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subclause:
``(V) Sole community hospital
election.--The Secretary shall provide
for a process under which a sole
community hospital described in
subclause (I) may elect, at such time
and in such manner as specified by the
Secretary, to apply subclause (I) to
such sole community hospital.''.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN SOLE COMMUNITY HOSPITALS FOR DISCOUNTED
DRUG PRICES UNDER THE 340B DRUG PRICING PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Section 340B(a)(4) of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 256b(a)(4)) is amended by adding at the end the
following new subparagraph:
``(P) An entity that is a sole community hospital
(as defined in section 1886(d)(5)(C)(iii) of the Social
Security Act), that was classified as such a hospital
before October 1, 2015, and that is located not more
than 75 miles from the closest frontier State (as
defined in section 1886(d)(3)(E)(iii)(II) of such
Act).''.
(b) Effective Date.--
(1) In general.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall
apply to drugs purchased on or after the first day of the first
month that begins more than 60 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(2) Conforming 340b agreements.--The Secretary of Health
and Human Services shall provide for such timely modification
of agreements entered into under section 340B of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256b) as is necessary to provide
for the application of the amendment made by subsection (a) on
a timely basis consistent with paragraph (1).
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