S. 3688

119 S3688 IS: Rural Underpayment Remedy through Adjusted Local Rate Act
 U.S. Senate
 2026-01-15
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 3688  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   January 15, 2026   Mr. Sullivan  introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Finance    A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase the floor for the practice expense and work geographic indices for certain areas.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Rural Underpayment Remedy through Adjusted Local Rate Act   or the   RURAL Rate Act  .
2.
Increase of the floor for practice expense and work geographic indices for certain areas
Section 1848(e)(1)(G) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(e)(1)(G) ) is amended—
(1)
in the second sentence—
(A)
by inserting  and before January 1, 2026,  after  January 1, 2009, ; and
(B)
by inserting a period at the end; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following new sentence:  For purposes of payment for services furnished in the State described in the first sentence on or after January 1, 2026, after calculating the practice expense and work geographic indices in clauses (i) and (iii) of subparagraph (A) and in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall increase either such index to 1.67 if such index would otherwise be less than 1.67. .