S. 3500: Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (HoPE) Act of 2006
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S. 3500: Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (HoPE) Act of 2006
109th Congress · introduced 2006-06-13 · Health · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5790-5793)
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2006-06-13 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Thomas, Craig [R-WY] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5790-5793) Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (HoPE) Act of 2006
Plain summary
Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (HoPE) Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals; (2) extension of the temporary increase in payments to certain rural hospitals (Medicare hold harmless provision) under the prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services; (3) the definition of low-volume hospital for purposes of the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment; (4) critical access hospitals; (5) extension of the Medicare incentive payment program for physician scarcity areas; (6) extension of the 1.00 floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment to payments for physician services; (7) Medicare home health care planning; (8) rural health clinics; (9) use of medical conditions for coding ambulance services; (10) extension of increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services in rural areas; and (11) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 with respect to the extension of: (1) Medicare wage index reclassifications for certain hospitals; and (2) Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospital patients in certain rural areas. Amends the Public Health Service Act with respect to: (1) a capital infrastructure revolving loan program; and (2) community health center collaborative access. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct pilot projects to provide incentives to home health agencies to utilize remote home monitoring and communications technologies; and (2) facilitate the provision of telehealth services across state lines.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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Official text
Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (HoPE) Act of 2006
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Thomas, Craig [R-WY] · 24 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Susan M. Collins (R-ME), John Thune (R-SD), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Patty Murray (D-WA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (1)
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Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-109s3500.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/109/s>
Record fed-us-cong109-s3500 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong109 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong109