Scope of benefits
Entitlement to payment for inpatient hospital services, post-hospital extended care services, home health services, and hospice care
The benefits provided to an individual by the insurance program under this part shall consist of entitlement to have payment made on his behalf or, in the case of payments referred to in section 1395f(d)(2) of this title to him (subject to the provisions of this part) for—
inpatient hospital services or inpatient critical access hospital services for up to 150 days during any spell of illness minus 1 day for each day of such services in excess of 90 received during any preceding spell of illness (if such individual was entitled to have payment for such services made under this part unless he specifies in accordance with regulations of the Secretary that he does not desire to have such payment made);
post-hospital extended care services for up to 100 days during any spell of illness, and (B) to the extent provided in subsection (f), extended care services that are not post-hospital extended care services;
in the case of individuals not enrolled in part B, home health services, and in the case of individuals so enrolled, post-institutional home health services furnished during a home health spell of illness for up to 100 visits during such spell of illness;
in lieu of certain other benefits, hospice care with respect to the individual during up to two periods of 90 days each and an unlimited number of subsequent periods of 60 days each with respect to which the individual makes an election under subsection (d)(1); and
for individuals who are terminally ill, have not made an election under subsection (d)(1), and have not previously received services under this paragraph, services that are furnished by a physician (as defined in section 1395x(r)(1) of this title) who is either the medical director or an employee of a hospice program and that—
consist of—
an evaluation of the individual’s need for pain and symptom management, including the individual’s need for hospice care; and
counseling the individual with respect to hospice care and other care options; and
may include advising the individual regarding advanced care planning.
Services not covered
Payment under this part for services furnished an individual during a spell of illness may not (subject to subsection (c)) be made for—
inpatient hospital services furnished to him during such spell after such services have been furnished to him for 150 days during such spell minus 1 day for each day of inpatient hospital services in excess of 90 received during any preceding spell of illness (if such individual was entitled to have payment for such services made under this part unless he specifies in accordance with regulations of the Secretary that he does not desire to have such payment made);
post-hospital extended care services furnished to him during such spell after such services have been furnished to him for 100 days during such spell; or
inpatient psychiatric hospital services furnished to him after such services have been furnished to him for a total of 190 days during his lifetime.
Payment under this part for post-institutional home health services furnished an individual during a home health spell of illness may not be made for such services beginning after such services have been furnished for a total of 100 visits during such spell.
Inpatients of psychiatric hospitals
Hospice care; election; waiver of rights; revocation; change of election
Payment under this part may be made for hospice care provided with respect to an individual only during two periods of 90 days each and an unlimited number of subsequent periods of 60 days each during the individual’s lifetime and only, with respect to each such period, if the individual makes an election under this paragraph to receive hospice care under this part provided by, or under arrangements made by, a particular hospice program instead of certain other benefits under this subchapter.
Except as provided in subparagraphs (B) and (C) and except in such exceptional and unusual circumstances as the Secretary may provide, if an individual makes such an election for a period with respect to a particular hospice program, the individual shall be deemed to have waived all rights to have payment made under this subchapter with respect to—
hospice care provided by another hospice program (other than under arrangements made by the particular hospice program) during the period, and
services furnished during the period that are determined (in accordance with guidelines of the Secretary) to be—
related to the treatment of the individual’s condition with respect to which a diagnosis of terminal illness has been made or
equivalent to (or duplicative of) hospice care;
except that clause (ii) shall not apply to physicians’ services furnished by the individual’s attending physician (if not an employee of the hospice program) or to services provided by (or under arrangements made by) the hospice program.
After an individual makes such an election with respect to a 90-day period or a subsequent 60-day period, the individual may revoke the election during the period, in which case—
the revocation shall act as a waiver of the right to have payment made under this part for any hospice care benefits for the remaining time in such period and (for purposes of subsection (a)(4) and subparagraph (A)) the individual shall be deemed to have been provided such benefits during such entire period, and
the individual may at any time after the revocation execute a new election for a subsequent period, if the individual otherwise is entitled to hospice care benefits with respect to such a period.
An individual may, once in each such period, change the hospice program with respect to which the election is made and such change shall not be considered a revocation of an election under subparagraph (B).
For purposes of this subchapter, an individual’s election with respect to a hospice program shall no longer be considered to be in effect with respect to that hospice program after the date the individual’s revocation or change of election with respect to that election takes effect.
Services taken into account
Coverage of extended care services without regard to three-day prior hospitalization requirement
The Secretary shall provide for coverage, under clause (B) of subsection (a)(2), of extended care services which are not post-hospital extended care services at such time and for so long as the Secretary determines, and under such terms and conditions (described in paragraph (2)) as the Secretary finds appropriate, that the inclusion of such services will not result in any increase in the total of payments made under this subchapter and will not alter the acute care nature of the benefit described in subsection (a)(2).
The Secretary may provide—
for such limitations on the scope and extent of services described in subsection (a)(2)(B) and on the categories of individuals who may be eligible to receive such services, and
notwithstanding sections 1395f, 1395x(v), and 1395ww of this title, for such restrictions and alternatives on the amounts and methods of payment for services described in such subsection,
as may be necessary to carry out paragraph (1).
“Spell of illness” defined
Source
(Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title XVIII, § 1812, as added Pub. L. 89–97, title I, § 102(a),Notes
Amendments
Effective Date of 2003 Amendment
Effective Date of 1999 Amendment
Effective Date of 1997 Amendment
Effective Date of 1994 Amendment
Effective Date of 1990 Amendment
Effective Date of 1989 Amendment
Effective Date of 1988 Amendment
In general.—
Except as provided in paragraph (2) and subsection (b), the amendments made by this subtitle [subtitle A (§§ 101–104) of title I of Pub. L. 100–360, amending this section and sections 1395c, 1395e, 1395f, 1395i–2, 1395k, 1395x, 1395cc, and 1395tt of this title] shall take effect on
to the inpatient hospital deductible for 1989 and succeeding years,
to care and services furnished on or after
to premiums for January 1989 and succeeding months, and
to blood or blood cells furnished on or after
Elimination of post-hospital requirement for extended care services.—
The amendments made by this subtitle, insofar as they eliminate the requirement (under section 1812(a)(2) of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395d(a)(2)]) that extended care services are only covered under title XVIII of such Act [42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.] if they are post-hospital extended care services, shall only apply to extended care services furnished pursuant to an admission to a skilled nursing facility occurring on or after
Effective Date of 1983 Amendment
Effective Date of 1982 Amendment
Effective Date of 1981 Amendment
Effective Date of 1980 Amendment
Effective Date of 1968 Amendment
Medicare Hospice Concurrent Care Demonstration Program
Establishment.—
In general.—
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘Secretary’) shall establish a Medicare Hospice Concurrent Care demonstration program at participating hospice programs under which Medicare beneficiaries are furnished, during the same period, hospice care and any other items or services covered under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) from funds otherwise paid under such title to such hospice programs.
Duration.—
The demonstration program under this section shall be conducted for a 3-year period.
Sites.—
The Secretary shall select not more than 15 hospice programs at which the demonstration program under this section shall be conducted. Such hospice programs shall be located in urban and rural areas.
Independent Evaluation and Reports.—
Independent evaluation.—
The Secretary shall provide for the conduct of an independent evaluation of the demonstration program under this section. Such independent evaluation shall determine whether the demonstration program has improved patient care, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness for Medicare beneficiaries participating in the demonstration program.
Reports.—
The Secretary shall submit to Congress a report containing the results of the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1), together with such recommendations as the Secretary determines appropriate.
Budget Neutrality.—
With respect to the 3-year period of the demonstration program under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that the aggregate expenditures under title XVIII [42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.] for such period shall not exceed the aggregate expenditures that would have been expended under such title if the demonstration program under this section had not been implemented.”
Protecting Home Health Benefits
Rural Hospice Demonstration Project
In General.—
The Secretary [of Health and Human Services] shall conduct a demonstration project for the delivery of hospice care to medicare beneficiaries in rural areas. Under the project medicare beneficiaries who are unable to receive hospice care in the facility for lack of an appropriate caregiver are provided such care in a facility of 20 or fewer beds which offers, within its walls, the full range of services provided by hospice programs under section 1861(dd) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(dd)).
Scope of Project.—
The Secretary shall conduct the project under this section with respect to no more than 3 hospice programs over a period of not longer than 5 years each.
Compliance With Conditions.—
Under the demonstration project—
the hospice program shall comply with otherwise applicable requirements, except that it shall not be required to offer services outside of the home or to meet the requirements of section 1861(dd)(2)(A)(iii) of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395x(dd)(2)(A)(iii)]; and
payments for hospice care shall be made at the rates otherwise applicable to such care under title XVIII of such Act [42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.].
The Secretary may require the program to comply with such additional quality assurance standards for its provision of services in its facility as the Secretary deems appropriate.
Report.—
Upon completion of the project, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the project and shall include in the report recommendations regarding extension of such project to hospice programs serving rural areas.”
OIG Report on Notices Relating to Use of Hospital Lifetime Reserve Days
the extent to which hospitals provide notice to medicare beneficiaries in accordance with applicable requirements before they use the 60 lifetime reserve days described in section 1812(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395d(a)(1)); and
the appropriateness and feasibility of hospitals providing a notice to such beneficiaries before they completely exhaust such lifetime reserve days.”
MedPAC Report on Access to, and Use of, Hospice Benefit
Transition
In general.—
Notwithstanding any provision of title XVIII of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.], the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a transition for the aggregate amount of expenditures that are transferred from part A, to part B, of title XVIII of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395c et seq., 1395j et seq.], as a result of the amendments made by this section [amending this section and sections 1395u, 1395x, and 1395ff of this title], during each of the years during the period beginning with 1998 and ending with 2002 according to this subsection. Under the transition for each such year, the Secretary shall effect such transfer, between the trust funds under such parts, as will result in only the proportion (specified in paragraph (2)) of such aggregate expenditures for the year being transferred from such part A to such part B.
Proportion specified.—
The proportion specified in this paragraph for—
1998 is ⅙,
1999 is ⅓,
2000 is ½,
2001 is ⅔, and
2002 is ⅚.
Application in establishing monthly premiums for 1998 through 2003.—
In general.—
For purposes only of computing the monthly premium under section 1839 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395r), the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over shall be computed as though any reference in paragraph (1) of this subsection to 2002 were a reference to 2003 and as if the following proportions were substituted for the proportions specified in paragraph (2):
For 1998, ⅐.
For 1999, 2⁄7.
For 2000, 3⁄7.
For 2001, 4⁄7.
For 2002, 5⁄7.
For 2003, 6⁄7.
No impact on government contribution.—
Subparagraph (A) does not apply in determining the amount of the Government contribution under section 1844 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w).”