Bill > S1444

This bill, the Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2013, aims to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure that Medicare Part A (which covers hospital services) pays for anesthesia services provided by an anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals on a "reasonable cost basis." This means these services would be reimbursed based on the actual costs incurred by the hospital, similar to how payments are already made for anesthesia services provided by Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and anesthesiologist assistants in those same rural hospitals. The bill specifically references existing provisions from the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 and 1989 that established these payment rules for CRNAs, and it seeks to extend that same payment structure to anesthesiologists in these designated rural facilities, with the Secretary of Health and Human Services having the authority to specify relevant dates for implementation.