S. 2082: Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014

113th Congress · introduced 2014-03-05 · Health · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2014-03-05 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] · 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. 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.

What does this mean?

Official title

Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014

Plain summary

Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop appropriate criteria with regard to the two-midnight rule for payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for a short inpatient hospital stay. (The two-midnight rule allows Medicare coverage of only hospital stays for which a physician admits to a hospital a beneficiary expected to require care that crosses two midnights, but generally denies coverage of care expected to require less than a two-midnight stay.) Requires the criteria developed by the Secretary to: (1) account for medical necessity and the appropriateness of an inpatient stay that is less than the two-midnight benchmark, and (2) be developed in consultation with interested stakeholders. Directs the Secretary to develop a budget-neutral Medicare payment methodology for hospitals for short inpatient hospital stays. Allows the methodology to be: (1) a reduced payment amount than would otherwise apply to inpatient hospital services if paid for under the Medicare prospective payment schedule, or (2) an alternative payment methodology. Directs the Secretary to develop: (1) general equivalency maps to link the relevant International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-10 codes (used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures) to relevant Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, and the relevant CPT codes to relevant ICD-10 codes, in order to permit comparison of inpatient hospital services and hospital outpatient department services; and (2) a second crosswalk between Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) codes for inpatient hospital services and Ambulatory Payment Class (APC) codes for outpatient hospital services. Prohibits the Secretary from enforcing the two-midnight rule for admissions occurring: (1) before October 1, 2014; and (2) on or after that date until October 1, 2015, or the new two-midnight rule criteria are implemented, if sooner (applicable date). Prohibits a Medicare review contractor from denying a claim for inpatient hospital services furnished by a hospital, or inpatient critical access hospital services furnished by a critical access hospital, on the basis of the two-midnight rule for discharges occurring before the applicable date for: (1) medical necessity due to the length of an inpatient stay in such hospital or due to a determination that the services could have been provided on an outpatient basis; or (2) requirements for orders, certifications, or recertifications, and associated documentation relating to such matters. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude the Secretary from continuing the conduct by Medicare administrative contractors of the Medicare Probe and Educate program for hospital admissions during the delayed enforcement of the two-midnight rule. Prohibits the Secretary from increasing the sample of claims selected for prepayment review under the Medicare Probe and Educate program above the number and type established by the Secretary as of November 4, 2013, such as 10 claims for most hospitals and 25 claims for large hospitals.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] · 17 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Patty Murray (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 (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

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-113s2082.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/s>

Record fed-us-cong113-s2082 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113