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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10844 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10844
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure equitable
payments for items and services furnished by mobile stroke units under
the Medicare program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 19, 2026
Mr. Cohen (for himself, Mrs. Beatty, and Mr. Garbarino) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means,
and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure equitable
payments for items and services furnished by mobile stroke units under
the Medicare program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Mobile Stroke Units Improve Health
Outcomes Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. ENSURING EQUITABLE PAYMENTS FOR ITEMS AND SERVICES FURNISHED BY
MOBILE STROKE UNITS UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Section 1833(t) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395l(t)) is amended by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(23) Payment for services furnished by mobile stroke
units.--
``(A) In general.--In the case of an item or
service furnished on or after January 1, 2027, by a
mobile stroke unit (as defined in subparagraph (C))
operated by a hospital for purposes of diagnosis,
evaluation, or treatment of symptoms of an acute stroke
that would be considered a covered OPD service if such
item or service were furnished by an outpatient
department of a provider, such item or service shall be
deemed to have been furnished by an outpatient
department of provider located on the campus of such
provider and payable under this subsection in lieu of
any other payment for such item or service under this
part (including any such payment under section 1834(l)
or under any other payment basis under this part).
``(B) Payment increase for certain items and
services.--In the case of an item or service described
in subparagraph (A) that is furnished to an individual
under an MSU rendezvous model, if such item or service
is furnished in a rural area (or, in the case of such
an item or service that is not furnished in a rural
area, if such item or service is furnished to an
individual where the transport of such individual by a
provider or supplier of ambulance services originated
in a rural area), the amount of payment for such item
or service otherwise determined under this subsection
shall be increased by 5 percent.
``(C) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
``(i) MSU rendezvous model.--The term `MSU
rendezvous model' means a model of providing
items or services described in subparagraph (A)
under which a mobile stroke unit is dispatched
to meet an individual being transported by a
provider or supplier of ambulance services at a
location between the location at which such
transportation originated and the destination
of such transportation in order to more quickly
furnish such items and services.
``(ii) Mobile stroke unit.--The term
`mobile stroke unit' has the meaning given such
term for purposes of section 1834(m)(6).
``(iii) Rural area.--The term `rural area'
has the meaning given such term in section
1886(d)(2)(D).''.
(b) Exclusion From Inpatient Operating Costs.--Section 1886(a)(4)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(a)(4)) is amended by
inserting ``services, items and services described in section
1833(t)(23)(A),'' after ``ambulance''.
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