United States 114th Congress Status: Enacted 1 R cosponsors

HR 2 — Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015

Last action — Became Public Law No: 114-10. (TXT | PDF)

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed House
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 24, 2015. Enacted.

Summary

Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 TITLE I--SGR REPEAL AND MEDICARE PROVIDER PAYMENT MODERNIZATION (Sec. 101) Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to: (1) remove sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology from the determination of annual conversion factors in the formula for payment for physicians' services, and (2) revise the update in rates for 2015 and subsequent years. Requires two separate conversion factors for each year beginning with 2026, one for items and services furnished by a qualifying alternative payment model (APM) participant (qualifying APM conversion factor), and the other for other items and services (nonqualifying APM conversion factor). Freezes the update to the single conversion factor at 0.0% for January through June 2015. Sets the same update at 0.5% for July1 through December 31, 2015, as well as for 2016 through 2019, then reduces it to 0.00% for 2020 through 2025. Sets the update to the qualifying APM conversion factor at 0.75%, and the update to the nonqualifying APM conversion factor at .0.25%, for 2026 and each subsequent year. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to report to Congress on the relationship between: (1) physician and other health professional utilization and expenditures (and their rate of increase) of items and services for which Medicare payment is made; and (2) total utilization and expenditures (and their rate of increase) under Medicare parts A (Hospital Insurance), B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), and D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program). Requires a separate report on the 2015-2019 update to physicians' services under Medicare. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to consolidate components of the three specified existing performance incentive programs into a new Merit-based Incentive Payment (MIP) system under which eligible professionals (including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists, but excluding most APM participants) shall receive annual payment increases or decreases based on their performance as measured by standards the Secretary shall establish according to specified criteria. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to: (1) evaluate the MIP System; (2) examine the similarities and differences in the use of quality measures under the original Medicare fee-for-service program under SSAct title XVIII parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), the Medicare Advantage program under SSAct title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice), selected state medical assistance programs under SSA title XIX (Medicaid), and private payer arrangements; and (3) make recommendations on how to reduce the administrative burden in applying such measures. Directs GAO also to: (1) examine whether entities that pool financial risk for physician practices, such as independent risk managers, can play a role in supporting such practices, particularly small physician practices, in assuming financial risk for the treatment of patients; (2) report on the transition of professionals in rural areas, health professional shortage areas, or medically underserved areas to an APM; and (3) make recommendations for removing administrative barriers to such arrangements, on the one hand, and practices, including small practices, in such areas to participate in APM models. Establishes an ad hoc Physician-Focused Payment Technical Advisory Committee to make comments and recommendations to the Secretary on physician-focused payment models.. Prescribes requirements for incentive payments to eligible APM participants. Directs the Secretary to study: (1) the feasibility of integrating APMs into the Medicare Advantage payment system; and (2) the applicability of federal fraud prevention laws to items and services paid for under an APM. (Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary to draft a plan for development of quality measures to assess professionals, including non-patient-facing professionals. (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary to make payments for chronic care management services furnished by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, or certified nurse midwife. Directs the Secretary to conduct an education and outreach campaign to inform relevant professionals and Medicare part B enrollees of the benefits of chronic care management services. (Sec. 104) Directs the Secretary to make publicly available, on an annual basis, information with respect to physicians and other eligible professionals on items and services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 105) Expands the kinds of uses of Medicare data available to qualified entities for quality improvement activities. Directs the Secretary to provide Medicare data to qualified clinical data registries to facilitate quality improvement or patient safety. (Sec. 106) Allows continuing renewals of any two-year period for which a physician or practitioner opts out of the Medicare claims process under a private contract. Directs the Secretary to make publicly available through an appropriate HHS website information on the number and characteristics of opt-out physicians and practitioners. Declares it a national objective to achieve widespread exchange of health information through interoperable certified electronic health records (EHR) technology nationwide by December 31, 2018. Directs the Secretary to establish related metrics. Requires the Secretary to examine the feasibility of establishing one or more mechanisms to assist providers in comparing and selecting certified EHR technology products Directs GAO to study specified telehealth and remote patient monitoring services. TITLE II--MEDICARE AND OTHER HEALTH EXTENDERS Subtitle A--Medicare Extenders (Sec. 201) Amends SSAct title XVIII to extend through calendar year 2017 the current 1.0 floor for the work geographic practice cost index for adjusting the Medicare fee schedule for physician services. (Sec. 202) Extends through calendar year 2017 the process under which an individual may, upon request, obtain an exception from the uniform dollar limitation for physical therapy services, speech-language pathology services, and occupational therapy services. Directs the Secretary, in place of the manual medical review process, to implement a targeted medical review process to identify and conduct medical reviews for outpatient therapy services furnished by a service provider or supplier. (Sec. 203) Extends through calendar year 2017 the temporary increase in payment for ground ambulance services, including urban, rural, and super rural ground ambulance services. (Sec. 204) Extends through FY2017 the increased inpatient hospital payment adjustment for certain low-volume (subsection [d]) hospitals. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) (Sec. 205) Extends through FY2016 the Medicare-dependent hospital program for certain small rural subsection (d) hospitals. (Sec. 206) Extends through calendar year 2018 the authority of specialized MA plans for special needs individuals to restrict enrollment to individuals within one or more classes of special needs individuals.

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read HR 2 on the official United States source →

Action History

  1. Became Public Law No: 114-10. (TXT | PDF)

  2. Signed by President.

  3. Presented to President.

  4. Message on Senate action sent to the House.

  5. Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 92 - 8. Record Vote Number: 144.

  6. Motion to waive all applicable budgetary discipline with respect to the measure agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 71 - 29. Record Vote Number: 143. (consideration: CR S2161)

  7. Point of order that the measure violates the CBA raised in Senate.

  8. S.Amdt.1119 Amendment SA 1119 ruled out of order by the chair.

  9. S.Amdt.1119 Motion to waive all applicable budgetary discipline with respect to amendment SA 1119 rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 58 - 42. Record Vote Number: 142. (consideration: CR S2160)

  10. S.Amdt.1119 Point of order that the amendment violates the CBA raised in Senate with respect to amendment SA 1119.

  11. S.Amdt.1119 Amendment SA 1119 proposed by Senator Cardin. (consideration: CR S2160)

  12. S.Amdt.1118 Amendment SA 1118 not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay. 11 - 89. Record Vote Number: 141.

  13. S.Amdt.1118 Amendment SA 1118 proposed by Senator Cotton. (consideration: CR S2159; text: CR S2159)

  14. S.Amdt.1117 Amendment SA 1117 ruled out of order by the chair.

  15. S.Amdt.1117 Motion to waive all applicable budgetary discipline with respect to amendment SA 1117 rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 43 - 57. Record Vote Number: 140. (consideration: CR S2159)

  16. S.Amdt.1117 Point of order that the amendment violates the CBA raised in Senate with respect to amendment SA 1117.

  17. S.Amdt.1117 Amendment SA 1117 proposed by Senator Murray. (consideration: CR S2158-2159)

  18. S.Amdt.1116 Amendment SA 1116 not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 42 - 58. Record Vote Number: 139.

  19. S.Amdt.1116 Amendment SA 1116 proposed by Senator Lee. (consideration: CR S2158; text: CR S2158)

  20. S.Amdt.1115 Amendment SA 1115 ruled out of order by the chair.

  21. S.Amdt.1115 Motion to waive all applicable budgetary discipline with respect to amendment SA 1115 rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 50 - 50. Record Vote Number: 138. (consideration: CR S2158)

  22. S.Amdt.1115 Point of order that the amendment violates the CBA raised in Senate with respect to amendment SA 1115.

  23. S.Amdt.1115 Amendment SA 1115 proposed by Senator Bennet. (consideration: CR S2157-2158)

  24. S.Amdt.1114 Amendment SA 1114, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 54 - 45. Record Vote Number: 137.

  25. S.Amdt.1114 Amendment SA 1114 proposed by Senator Cornyn. (consideration: CR S2156-2157; text: CR S2156)

  26. Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S2156-2161)

  27. Received in the Senate, read twice.

  28. Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

  29. On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 392 - 37 (Roll no. 144). (text: CR H2045-2070)

  30. The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H2083)

  31. DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 2.

  32. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 2 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Bill is closed to amendments.

  33. Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 173. (consideration: CR H2045-2083)

  34. Rule H. Res. 173 passed House.

  35. Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 173 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 2 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Bill is closed to amendments.

  36. Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.

  37. Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

  38. Referred to House Budget

  39. Referred to House Natural Resources

  40. Referred to House Agriculture

  41. Referred to House Judiciary

  42. Referred to House Ways and Means

  43. Referred to House Energy and Commerce

  44. Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and the Budget, 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.

  45. Introduced in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 546 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

Administrative law and regulatory procedures Administrative remedies Advisory bodies Alternative treatments Child health Civil actions and liability Congressional oversight Crime prevention Department of Health and Human Services Digestive and metabolic diseases Emergency medical services and trauma care Employment and training programs Family planning and birth control Fraud offenses and financial crimes Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Government trust funds Health care costs and insurance Health care coverage and access Health care quality Health facilities and institutions Health information and medical records Health personnel Health programs administration and funding Health technology, devices, supplies Home and outpatient care Hospital care Intergovernmental relations Licensing and registrations Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care Medicaid Medical education Medicare Minority health Neurological disorders Performance measurement Poverty and welfare assistance Prescription drugs Public contracts and procurement Rural conditions and development Sex and reproductive health State and local finance Surgery and anesthesia Tennessee Vocational and technical education Border security and unlawful immigration Correctional facilities and imprisonment Education programs funding Elementary and secondary education Forests, forestry, trees Health promotion and preventive care Land use and conservation Medical research Musculoskeletal and skin diseases Right of privacy State and local taxation Teenage pregnancy User charges and fees Wildlife conservation and habitat protection Women's health Health
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 2 do?
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 TITLE I--SGR REPEAL AND MEDICARE PROVIDER PAYMENT MODERNIZATION (Sec. 101) Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to: (1) remove sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology from the determination of annual conversion factors in the formula for payment for physicians' services, and (2) revise the update in rates for 2015 and subsequent years. Requires two separate conversion factors for each year beginning with 2026, one for items and services furnished by a qualifying alternative payment model (APM) participant (qualifying APM conversion factor), and the other for other items and services (nonqualifying APM conversion factor). Freezes the update to the single conversion factor at 0.0% for January through June 2015. Sets the same update at 0.5% for July1 through December 31, 2015, as well as for 2016 through 2019, then reduces it to 0.00% for 2020 through 2025. Sets the update to the qualifying APM conversion factor at 0.75%, and the update to the nonqualifying APM conversion factor at .0.25%, for 2026 and each subsequent year. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to report to Congress on the relationship between: (1) physician and other health professional utilization and expenditures (and their rate of increase) of items and services for which Medicare payment is made; and (2) total utilization and expenditures (and their rate of increase) under Medicare parts A (Hospital Insurance), B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), and D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program). Requires a separate report on the 2015-2019 update to physicians' services under Medicare. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to consolidate components of the three specified existing performance incentive programs into a new Merit-based Incentive Payment (MIP) system under which eligible professionals (including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists, but excluding most APM participants) shall receive annual payment increases or decreases based on their performance as measured by standards the Secretary shall establish according to specified criteria. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to: (1) evaluate the MIP System; (2) examine the similarities and differences in the use of quality measures under the original Medicare fee-for-service program under SSAct title XVIII parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), the Medicare Advantage program under SSAct title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice), selected state medical assistance programs under SSA title XIX (Medicaid), and private payer arrangements; and (3) make recommendations on how to reduce the administrative burden in applying such measures. Directs GAO also to: (1) examine whether entities that pool financial risk for physician practices, such as independent risk managers, can play a role in supporting such practices, particularly small physician practices, in assuming financial risk for the treatment of patients; (2) report on the transition of professionals in rural areas, health professional shortage areas, or medically underserved areas to an APM; and (3) make recommendations for removing administrative barriers to such arrangements, on the one hand, and practices, including small practices, in such areas to participate in APM models. Establishes an ad hoc Physician-Focused Payment Technical Advisory Committee to make comments and recommendations to the Secretary on physician-focused payment models.. Prescribes requirements for incentive payments to eligible APM participants. Directs the Secretary to study: (1) the feasibility of integrating APMs into the Medicare Advantage payment system; and (2) the applicability of federal fraud prevention laws to items and services paid for under an APM. (Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary to draft a plan for development of quality measures to assess professionals, including non-patient-facing professionals. (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary to make payments for chronic care management services furnished by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, or certified nurse midwife. Directs the Secretary to conduct an education and outreach campaign to inform relevant professionals and Medicare part B enrollees of the benefits of chronic care management services. (Sec. 104) Directs the Secretary to make publicly available, on an annual basis, information with respect to physicians and other eligible professionals on items and services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 105) Expands the kinds of uses of Medicare data available to qualified entities for quality improvement activities. Directs the Secretary to provide Medicare data to qualified clinical data registries to facilitate quality improvement or patient safety. (Sec. 106) Allows continuing renewals of any two-year period for which a physician or practitioner opts out of the Medicare claims process under a private contract. Directs the Secretary to make publicly available through an appropriate HHS website information on the number and characteristics of opt-out physicians and practitioners. Declares it a national objective to achieve widespread exchange of health information through interoperable certified electronic health records (EHR) technology nationwide by December 31, 2018. Directs the Secretary to establish related metrics. Requires the Secretary to examine the feasibility of establishing one or more mechanisms to assist providers in comparing and selecting certified EHR technology products Directs GAO to study specified telehealth and remote patient monitoring services. TITLE II--MEDICARE AND OTHER HEALTH EXTENDERS Subtitle A--Medicare Extenders (Sec. 201) Amends SSAct title XVIII to extend through calendar year 2017 the current 1.0 floor for the work geographic practice cost index for adjusting the Medicare fee schedule for physician services. (Sec. 202) Extends through calendar year 2017 the process under which an individual may, upon request, obtain an exception from the uniform dollar limitation for physical therapy services, speech-language pathology services, and occupational therapy services. Directs the Secretary, in place of the manual medical review process, to implement a targeted medical review process to identify and conduct medical reviews for outpatient therapy services furnished by a service provider or supplier. (Sec. 203) Extends through calendar year 2017 the temporary increase in payment for ground ambulance services, including urban, rural, and super rural ground ambulance services. (Sec. 204) Extends through FY2017 the increased inpatient hospital payment adjustment for certain low-volume (subsection [d]) hospitals. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) (Sec. 205) Extends through FY2016 the Medicare-dependent hospital program for certain small rural subsection (d) hospitals. (Sec. 206) Extends through calendar year 2018 the authority of specialized MA plans for special needs individuals to restrict enrollment to individuals within one or more classes of special needs individuals.
Who sponsors HR 2?
HR 2 is sponsored by Michael Burgess (R).
What is the current status of HR 2?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 24, 2015. Enacted.
Where can I track HR 2?
Track HR 2 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HR 2

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HR 2

Last checked for changes about 6 hours ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →