,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #adi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,february #b1       
#bjba,ms4 ,cortez ,masto 7for herself   
and ,mr4 ,cassidy7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,finance 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend title ,,xi of the  
,social ,security ,act to provide       
,secretarial authority to temporarily   
waive or modify application of certain  
,medicare requirements with respect to  
ambulance services furnished during     
certain emergency periods4  #a4         
,secretarial authority to temporarily   
waive or modify application of certain  
,medicare requirements with respect to  
ambulance services furnished during     
certain emergency periods  7a7 ,waiver  
authority ,section #aace7;b7 of the     
,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#acbj;b-#e7;b77 is amended-- 7#a7 in the
 first sentence-- 7,a7 in paragraph     
7#g71 by striking and at the end2  7,b7 
in paragraph 7#h71 by striking the      

period at the end and inserting 2 and2  
and  7,c7 by inserting after paragraph  
7#h7 the following new paragraph3  7#i7 
any requirement under section           
#ahfa7s77#g7 or section #ahcd7l7 that an
 ambulance service include the transport
 of an individual to the extent         
necessary to allow payment for ground   
ambulance services furnished in response
 to a #iaa call 7or the equivalent in   
areas without a #iaa call system7 in    
cases in which an individual would have 
been transported to a destination       
permitted under ,medicare regulations   
7as described in section #daj4dj to     
title #db1 ,code of ,federal            
,regulations 7or successor regulations77
 but such transport did not occur as a  
result of community-wide emergency      
medical service 7,,ems7 protocols due to
 the public health emergency described  
in subsection 7g77#a77;,b74  2 and  7#b7
 in the flush matter at the end1 by     
adding at the end the following3 ,ground
 ambulance services for which payment is

 made pursuant to paragraph 7#i7 shall  
be paid at the base rate that would have
 been paid under the fee schedule       
established under #ahcd7l7 7excluding   
any mileage payment7 if the individual  
had been so transported and1 with       
respect to ambulance services furnished 
by a critical access hospital or an     
entity described in paragraph 7#h7 of   
such section1 at the amount that        
otherwise would be paid under such      
paragraph44  7b7 ,emergency period      
exception ,section #aace7;g77#a77;,b7 of
 the ,social ,security ,act 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;b-#e7;g77#a77;,b77 is   
amended1 in the matter preceding clause 
7i71 by striking subsection 7b77#h7 and 
inserting paragraphs 7#h7 and 7#i7 of   
subsection 7b74