109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5704
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for
a budget-neutral two-year moratorium on certain Medicare physician payment
reductions for imaging services.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 28, 2006
Mr. PITTS (for himself, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mr.
BASS, Mr. GILLMOR, Mr. HALL, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. PICKERING, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mrs.
CAPPS, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. INSLEE, Mr.
PALLONE, Mr. ROSS, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. WYNN, Mrs. MCCARTHY, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania,
Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. DENT,
Mr. FITZPATRICK of Pennsylvania, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. LATOURETTE,
Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. RAMSTAD,
Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. WELDON
of Pennsylvania, Mr. WELLER, Mr. BOYD, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. HINCHEY,
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, and Mr. JEFFERSON) 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 provide for
a budget-neutral two-year moratorium on certain Medicare physician payment
reductions for imaging services.
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 `Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2006'.
SEC. 2. BUDGET-NEUTRAL TWO-YEAR MORATORIUM ON CERTAIN MEDICARE PHYSICIAN
PAYMENT REDUCTIONS FOR IMAGING SERVICES.
(a) Moratorium- Subsections (b)(4)(A) and (c)(2)(B)(v)(II) of section 1848
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4), as added by section 5102
of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, are each amended by striking `2007'
and inserting `2009'.
(1) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including
subclause (II) of section 1848(c)(2)(B)(ii) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(c)(2)(B)(ii)), for 2007 and for 2008 the Secretary
of Health and Human Services shall reduce the payment amounts otherwise
provided under this part and part A (and not under parts C and D) in a
manner so as to provide for a reduction in aggregate expenditures under
this part and part A for each such year of an amount equivalent to the
increase in expenditures under such section for such year that the Secretary
estimates will result from the application of the amendments made by subsection
(a).
(2) NO EFFECT ON SUBSEQUENT PERIODS- The reduction in payment effected
under paragraph (1) for a year shall not apply to (or be taken into account
in) the computation of payment amounts for a subsequent year.
(c) GAO Study on Patient Access to Imaging Services-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct
a comprehensive study on patient access and service issues relating to
the availability and quality of imaging services in physician offices
and freestanding clinics that would have resulted (but for subsection
(a)) from payment changes made by the amendments made by section 5102(b)
of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
(2) DETAILS- Such study also shall examine--
(A) reductions in review application to multiple procedure reductions
multiple procedures and additional reductions associated with changes
in physician practice expense, with particular attention to rural and
medically underserved areas; and
(B) the appropriateness of using the hospital outpatient department
prospective payment system methodology to set reimbursement under the
medicare program for all imaging services, regardless of site of service.
(3) REPORT- Not later than July 31, 2008, the Comptroller General shall
submit to Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services a report
on the study under this subsection and shall include in the report such
recommendations regarding extending the moratorium imposed under the amendments
made by subsection (a) or such other changes in medicare reimbursement
for imaging services as the Comptroller General deems appropriate.
END
