119-s553

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 553 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 553

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a floor on 
payments to sole community hospitals located in Alaska and Hawaii under 
 the hospital outpatient prospective payment system.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 12, 2025

 Mr. Sullivan (for himself, Mr. Schatz, and Ms. Murkowski) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
 on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a floor on 
payments to sole community hospitals located in Alaska and Hawaii under 
 the hospital outpatient prospective payment system.

 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 ``Save our Lone Emergency Services 
Act'' or the ``SOLES Act''.

SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF SOLE COMMUNITY HOSPITALS LOCATED IN ALASKA AND 
 HAWAII UNDER HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT 
 SYSTEM.

 

Section 1833

    (t) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l

    (t) ) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
 ``

    (23) Treatment of sole community hospitals located in 
 alaska and hawaii.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--If the Secretary determines that 
 the amount of payment under this subsection for covered 
 OPD services furnished by a sole community hospital (as 
 defined in 

section 1886
            (d) (5)
            (D) 
            (iii) ) that is located 
 in Alaska or Hawaii is less than 94 percent of the 
 reasonable costs (as defined in 

section 1861
            (v) ) of the 
 hospital providing such services, the amount of payment 
 under this subsection shall be increased by the amount 
 of such difference.
 ``
        (B) No effect on copayments.--Nothing in this 
 paragraph shall be construed to affect the copayment 
 amount under paragraph

    (8) .
 ``
            (C) Application without regard to budget 
 neutrality.--The additional payments made under this 
 paragraph--
 ``
            (i) shall not be considered an adjustment 
 under paragraph

    (2)
        (E) ; and
 ``
            (ii) shall not be implemented in a budget 
 neutral manner.
 ``
            (D) Rulemaking.--Not later than 6 months after 
 the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary 
 shall promulgate regulations to carry out this 
 paragraph, which shall be effective with respect to 
 covered OPD services furnished on or after the first 
 January 1 after such date.''.
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