,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cajg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #bi1     
#bjaf ,mr4 ,isakson 7for himself1 ,mr4  
,bennet1 ,mr4 ,gardner1 and ,mr4        
,perdue7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill  ,to 
amend title ,,xviii of the ,social      
,security ,act to provide for a         
temporary exception to the application  
of the ,medicare long-term care hospital
 site neutral provisions for certain    
spinal cord specialty hospitals4  #a4   
,temporary exception to the application 
of the ,medicare ,,ltch site neutral    
provisions for certain spinal cord      
specialty hospitals  7a7 ,exception     
,section #ahhf7m77#f7 of the ,social    
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#acieww7m77#f77 is amended-- 7#a7 in    
subparagraph 7,a77i7 by striking and    
7,e7 and inserting 1 7,e71 and 7,f72 and
  7#b7 by adding at the end the         
following new subparagraph3  7,f7       

,temporary exception for certain spinal 
cord specialty hospitals ,for discharges
 in cost-reporting periods beginning    
during fiscal years #bjah through #bjbc1
 subparagraph 7,a77i7 shall not apply   
7and payment shall be made to a         
long-term care hospital without regard  
to this paragraph7 if such discharge is 
from a long-term care hospital that1 in 
its cost-reporting period that began    
during fiscal year #bjae--  7i7 was a   
not-for-profit long-term care hospital2 
7ii7 primarily provided extensive       
medical1 surgical1 or rehabilitation    
services with respect to                
,,ms-,,ltc-,d,r,gs relating to          
catastrophic spinal cord or acquired    
brain injuries or other paralyzing      
neuromuscular conditions2 and  7iii7    
admitted inpatients 7including both     
individuals entitled to1 or enrolled for
 benefits under this title and          
individuals not so entitled or enrolled7
 from at least #bj different ,states1   
determined based on data submitted by   

the hospital to the ,secretary4  4  7b7 
,study and report on the status and     
viability of certain spinal cord        
specialty long-,term care hospitals     
7#a7 ,study ,the ,secretary of ,health  
and ,human ,services shall conduct a    
study on the status and viability of    
long-term care hospitals described in   
section #ahhf7m77#f77;,f7 of the ,social
 ,security ,act1 as added by subsection 
7a74 ,such report shall include an      
analysis of the following3  7,a7        
,challenges related to classification   
and facility licensure by ,state        
agencies for such long-term care        
hospitals1 as demonstrated by such      
hospitals4  7,b7 ,the adequacy of       
,medicare payment rates for such        
long-term care hospitals4  7,c7         
,utilization data to determine the      
prevalence of ,medicare beneficiaries   
who have been diagnosed with            
catastrophic spinal cord or acquired    
brain injuries or other paralyzing      
neuromuscular conditions4  7#b7 ,report 

,not later than ,september #cj1 #bjbb1  
the ,secretary of ,health and ,human    
,services shall submit to ,congress a   
report on the study conducted under     
paragraph 7#a71 together with           
recommendations for such legislation and
 administrative action as the ,secretary
 determines appropriate4