,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cejj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march #ab1    
#bjbj,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4  
,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,carper1 ,mr4 ,booker1
 ,mr4 ,reed1 and ,mr4 ,coons7 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
 codify and permanently extend the      
,medicare hospital wage index imputed   
rural floor4  #a4 ,short title ,this    
,act may be cited as the ,medicare ,wage
 ,index ,parity ,act of #bjbj4  #b4     
,imputed floor on the area wage index   
,section #ahhf7;d77#c77;,e7 of the      
,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#acieww7d77#c77;,e77 is amended by      
adding at the end the following new     
clause3  7iv7 ,floor on wage index for  
hospitals in all-urban ,states  7,i7 ,in
 general ,for purposes of applying the  
area wage index applicable under this   
subparagraph1 for discharges occurring  

on or after ,october #a1 #bjah1 the     
,secretary shall establish a minimum    
wage index for all-urban ,states 7as    
defined in subclause 7,,iv774  7,,ii7   
,minimum wage index ,for purposes of    
subclause 7,i71 the minimum wage index  
for all-urban ,states shall be          
established by the ,secretary using the 
methodology described in section        
#dab4fd7;h77#d7 of title #db1 ,code of  
,federal ,regulations1 as in effect for 
fiscal year #bjah4  7,,iii7             
,administration ,the ,secretary shall   
administer the minimum wage index       
described in this clause in the same    
manner described in section #cada of    
,public ,law #aaa-adh 7through a        
uniform1 national adjustment to the area
 wage index74  7,,iv7 ,all-urban ,state 
defined ,in this clause1 the term       
all-urban ,state means a ,state in which
 there are no rural areas 7as defined in
 subsection 7d77#b77;,d7 of section     
#ahhf of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db
 ,u4,s4,c4 #acieww7d77#b77;,d7771 or a  

,state in which there are no hospitals  
classified as rural under such section4 
4