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[DOCID: f:s1866is.txt]






107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1866

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to phase in the fee 
 schedule for ambulance services to provide for equitable treatment of 
suppliers of such services that are required to equip all ambulances to 
                provide advanced life support services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            December 20 (legislative day, December 18), 2001

 Mrs. Lincoln 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 phase in the fee 
 schedule for ambulance services to provide for equitable treatment of 
suppliers of such services that are required to equip all ambulances to 
                provide advanced life support 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 ``Assurance of Advanced Life Support 
Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The statutory directive for the establishment of the 
        fee schedule for ambulance services under the medicare program 
        under title XVIII of the Social Security Act requires the 
        Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to phase in the 
        payment rates under that fee schedule in a fair and efficient 
        manner.
            (2) The provision of the proposed rule published in the 
        Federal Register on June 17, 1997, that would have defined 
        ambulance services as either basic life support or advanced 
        life support and linked payment under the medicare program to 
        the type of service required to treat the medicare 
        beneficiary's condition, if implemented in the manner described 
        in the proposed rule published in the Federal Register on 
        September 12, 2000, would have a devastating impact on those 
        suppliers of ambulance services that are required by a local 
        ordinance or a contract to provide advanced life support 
        services to each medicare beneficiary without regard to the 
        beneficiary's condition.
            (3) To implement the ambulance fee schedule under the 
        medicare program in a fair and efficient manner as required by 
        the statutory directive, it is necessary to ensure that the 
        Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services phase out the basis 
        for reimbursement that applied before the implementation of the 
        fee schedule for ambulance services under the medicare program 
        with respect to suppliers of ambulance services that are 
        described in paragraph (2) at the same rate as the other 
        provisions of such fee schedule are phased in under that 
        program.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to phase out the basis for reimbursement 
under the medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act 
that applied before the implementation of the fee schedule for 
ambulance services under section 1834(l) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395m(l)) with respect to suppliers of ambulance services that 
are mandated by a local ordinance or a contract to provide advanced 
life support services to each medicare beneficiary without regard to 
the beneficiary's condition at the same rate as the other provisions of 
such fee schedule are phased in under paragraph (2)(E) of such section.

SEC. 4. PHASE IN OF FEE SCHEDULE WITH RESPECT TO REQUIRED LEVELS OF 
              AMBULANCE SERVICE.

    Section 1834(l) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(l)) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating the second paragraph (8) (as added by 
        section 221(a) of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits 
        Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 2763A-486), 
        as enacted into law by section 1(a)(6) of Public Law 106-554) 
        as paragraph (9); and
            (2) by adding at the end of the following new paragraph:
            ``(10) Phase in of fee schedule with respect to required 
        levels of ambulance service.--Notwithstanding any other 
        provision of this subsection and not later than April 1, 2002, 
        the Secretary shall revise the fee schedule established under 
        paragraph (1) so that the provisions of the fee schedule that 
        apply with respect to the level of ambulance service required 
        to treat the condition of a beneficiary (as such provisions 
        apply to suppliers of ambulance services that are mandated by a 
        local ordinance or a contract to provide advanced life support 
        services to each medicare beneficiary without regard to the 
        beneficiary's condition) are phased out under paragraph (2)(E) 
        in the same manner as the other portions of such fee schedule 
        are phased in under such paragraph. The revision required under 
        the preceding sentence shall be subject to the requirements of 
        paragraph (3).''.
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