,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bafd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #bb1     
#bjbc,mr4 ,kennedy introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,finance 
,a ,,bill  ,to increase oversight and   
transparency with respect to ,medicare  
billing codes4  #a4 ,short title ,this  
,act may be cited as the ,accountability
 for ,long ,term ,medicare ,solvency    
,act4  #b4 ,increasing oversight and    
transparency with respect to ,medicare  
billing codes  7a7 ,,hhs ,,oig study and
 report  7#a7 ,study ,the ,inspector    
,general of the ,department of ,health  
and ,human ,services shall conduct a    
comprehensive study of the processes    
used by the ,centers for ,medicare      
,medicaid ,services for adding1         
modifying1 and removing billing codes   
under the ,medicare program under title 
,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act   
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acie et seq474 ,such    
study shall include an analysis of--    

7,a7 the level and types of data and    
analysis considered2  7,b7 trends in the
 number and types of codes added1       
modified1 removed1 or revalued2  7,c7   
areas or specialties with the highest   
growth2  7,d7 efforts by the ,centers   
for ,medicare  ,medicaid ,services to   
monitor effects on outcomes1 costs over 
time1 and other issues4  7#b7 ,report   
,not later than #ab months after the    
date of enactment of this ,act1 the     
,inspector ,general shall submit to     
,congress a report containing the       
results of the study conducted under    
paragraph 7#a71 together with           
recommendations for such legislation and
 administrative action the ,inspector   
,general determines appropriate to      
improve transparency and oversight of   
the processes described in such         
paragraph4  7b7 ,annual reporting on new
 ,medicare billing codes ,not later than
 ,june #a of each year 7beginning with  
#bjbd71 the ,secretary of ,health and   
,human ,services shall submit to        

,congress and make publicly available on
 the internet website of the ,centers   
for ,medicare  ,medicaid ,services a    
report listing any billing codes added  
under the ,medicare program under title 
,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act   
during the preceding year1 along with   
the associated volume and expenditures  
for such codes under the ,medicare      
program4