,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eajc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,november #ad1       
#bjai,mr4 ,peterson 7for himself and    
,mr4 ,tipton7 introduced the following  
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,ways and ,means  ,a      
,,bill  ,to amend title ,,xviii of the  
,social ,security ,act to extend the    
floor on the area wage index under the  
inpatient prospective payment system to 
certain sole community hospitals4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,rural ,hospital ,frontier          
,workforce ,fairness ,act4  #b4         
,extending floor on area wage index to  
certain sole community hospitals        
,section #ahhf7;d77#c77;,e77iii7 of the 
,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#acieww7d77#c77;,e77iii77 is amended--  
7#a7 in subclause 7,i71 by inserting    
before the period at the end the        
following3 and1 for discharges occurring
 on or after ,october #a1 #bjai1 the    
area wage index applicable under this   

subparagraph to any sole community      
hospital that is located not more than  
#ge miles from the closest frontier     
,state and that makes an election under 
subclause 7,v7 may not be less than     
#a4jj2 and  7#b7 by adding at the end   
the following new subclause3  7,v7 ,sole
 community hospital election ,the       
,secretary shall provide for a process  
under which a sole community hospital   
described in subclause 7,i7 may elect1  
at such time and in such manner as      
specified by the ,secretary1 to apply   
subclause 7,i7 to such sole community   
hospital4  4