P.L. 98–21, Approved April 20, 1983 (97 Stat. 65)

Social Security Amendments of 1983

Sec. 101. 

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(e) [42 U.S.C. 410 note]  Nothing in this Act shall reduce the accrued entitlements to future benefits under the Federal Retirement System of current and retired Federal employees and their families.

Sec. 102. 

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(d) [26 U.S.C. 3121 note]  The period for which a certificate is in effect under section 3121(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 may not be terminated under paragraph (1)(D) or (2) thereof on or after March 31, 1983; but no such certificate shall be effective with respect to any service to which the amendments made by this section apply.

(e)(1) [42 U.S.C. 414 note]  If any individual—

(A)  on January 1, 1984, is age 55 or over, and is an employee of an organization described in section 210(a)(8)(B) of the Social Security Act (A) which does not have in effect (on that date) a waiver certificate under section 3121(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and (B) to the employees of which social security coverage is extended on January 1, 1984, solely by reason of the enactment of this section, and

(B)  after December 31, 1983, acquires the number of quarters of coverage (within the meaning of section 213 of the Social Security Act) which is required for purposes of this subparagraph under paragraph (2),

then such individual shall be deemed to be a fully insured individual (as defined in section 214 of the Social Security Act) for all of the purposes of title II of such Act.

(2)  The number of quarters of coverage which is required for purposes of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) shall be determined as follows:

In the case of an individual who on January 1, 1984, is— The number of quarters of coverage so required shall be—
age 60 or over 6
age 59 or over but less than age 60 8
age 58 or over but less than age 59 12
age 57 or over but less than age 58 16
age 55 or over but less than age 57 20.

Sec. 111. 

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(d) [42 U.S.C. 415 note]  Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in section 215(i) of the Social Security Act, the “base quarter” (as defined in paragraph (1)(A)(i) of such section) in the calendar year 1983 shall be a “cost-of-living computation quarter” within the meaning of paragraph (1)(B) of such section (and shall be deemed to have been determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be a “cost-of-living computation quarter” under paragraph (2)(A) of such section) for all of the purposes of such Act as amended by this section and by other provisions of this Act, without regard to the extent by which the Consumer Price Index has increased since the last prior cost-of-living computation quarter which was established under such paragraph (1)(B).

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Sec. 121. 

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(e) [42 U.S.C. 401 note]  Transfers to Trust Funds.—

(1)  In general.—(A) There are hereby appropriated to each payor fund amounts equivalent to (i) the aggregate increase in tax liabilities under chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which is attributable to the application of sections 86 and 871(a)(3) of such Code (as added by this section) to payments from such payor fund, less (ii) the amounts equivalent to the aggregate increase in tax liabilities under chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which is attributable to the amendments to section 86 of such Code made by section 13215 of the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993.

(B)  There are hereby appropriated to the hospital insurance trust fund amounts equal to the increase in tax liabilities described in subparagraph (A)(ii). Such appropriated amounts shall be transferred from the general fund of the Treasury on the basis of estimates of such tax liabilities made by the Secretary of the Treasury. Transfers shall be made pursuant to a schedule made by the Secretary of the Treasury that takes into account estimated timing of collection of such liabilities.

(2)  Transfers.— The amounts appropriated by paragraph (1)(A) to any payor fund shall be transferred from time to time (but not less frequently than quarterly) from the general fund of the Treasury on the basis of estimates made by the Secretary of the Treasury of the amounts referred to in such paragraph. Any such quarterly payment shall be made on the first day of such quarter and shall take into account social security benefits estimated to be received during such quarter. Proper adjustments shall be made in the amounts subsequently transferred to the extent prior estimates were in excess of or less than the amounts required to be transferred.

(3)  Definitions.—For purposes of this subsection—

(A)  Payor fund.—The term “payor fund” means any trust fund or account from which payments of social security benefits are made.

(B)  Hospital insurance trust fund.—The term “hospital insurance trust fund” means the fund established pursuant to section 1817 of the Social Security Act.

(C)  Social security benefits.—The term “social security benefits” has the meaning given such term by section 86(d)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

(4)  Reports.—The Secretary of the Treasury shall submit annual reports to the Congress and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Railroad Retirement Board on—

(A)  the transfers made under this subsection during the year, and the methodology used in determining the amount of such transfers and the funds or account to which made, and

(B)  the anticipated operation of this subsection during the next 5 years.

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Sec. 151. 

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(b)  *  *  *

(3) [42 U.S.C. 429 note]  *  *  *

(B)(i)  Within thirty days after the date of the enactment of this Act[352], the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to each such Trust Fund, from amounts in the general fund of the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, an amount equal to the amount determined with respect to such Trust Fund under subparagraph (A), less any amount appropriated to such Trust Fund pursuant to the provisions of section 229(b) of the Social Security Act prior to the date of the determination made under subparagraph (A) with respect to wages deemed to have been paid for calendar years prior to 1984.

(ii)  The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall revise the amount determined under clause (i) with respect to each such Trust Fund within one year after the date of the transfer made to such Trust Fund under clause (i), as determined appropriate by such Secretary from data which becomes available to him after the date of the transfer under clause (i). Within 30 days after any such revision, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to such Trust Fund, from amounts in the general fund of the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, or from such Trust Fund to the general fund of the Treasury, such amounts as the Secretary of Health and Human Services certifies as necessary to take into account such revision.

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Sec. 305. 

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(e) [42 U.S.C. 428 note]  The Secretary shall increase the amounts specified in section 228 of the Social Security Act, as amended by this section, to take into account any general benefit increases (as referred to in section 215(i)(3) of such Act), and any increases under section 215(i) of such Act, which have occurred after June 1974 or may hereafter occur.

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Sec. 309. 

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(q)  *  *  *

(2) [42 U.S.C. 426 note]  For purposes of determining entitlement to hospital insurance benefits under section 226(e)(3) of such Act, as amended by paragraph (1), an individual becoming entitled to such hospital insurance benefits as a result of the amendment made by such paragraph shall, upon furnishing proof of his or her disability within twelve months after the month in which this Act is enacted, under such procedures as the Secretary of Health and Human Services may prescribe, be deemed to have been entitled to the widow’s or widower’s benefits referred to in such section 226(e)(3), as so amended, as of the time such individual would have been entitled to such widow’s or widower’s benefits if he or she had filed a timely application therefor.

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Sec. 310. [42 U.S.C. 402 note] 

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(b)  Nothing in any amendment made by this part shall be construed as affecting the validity of any benefit which was paid, prior to the effective date of such amendment, as a result of a judicial determination.

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Sec. 601.  (a)*  *  *

(3) [42 U.S.C. 1395ww note]  It is the intent of Congress that, in considering the implementation of a system for including capital-related costs under a prospectively determined payment rate for inpatient hospital services, costs related to capital projects for which expenditures are obligated on or after the effective date of the implementation of such a system, may or may not be distinguished and treated differently from costs of projects for which expenditures were obligated before such date.

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(g) [42 U.S.C. 1395ww note]  In determining whether a hospital is in an urban or rural area for purposes of section 1886(d) of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall classify any hospital located in New England as being located in an urban area if such hospital was classified as being located in an urban area under the Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area system of classification in effect in 1979.

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Sec. 602. 

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(k) [42 U.S.C. 1395y note]  (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services may, for any cost reporting period beginning prior to October 1, 1986, waive the requirements of sections 1862(a)(14) and 1866(a)(1)(H) of the Social Security Act in the case of a hospital which has followed a practice, since prior to October 1, 1982, of allowing direct billing under part B of title XVIII of such Act for services (other than physicians’ services) so extensively, that immediate compliance with those requirements would threaten the stability of patient care. Any such waiver shall provide that such billing may continue to be made under part B of such title but that the payments to such hospital under part A of such title shall be reduced by the amount of the billings for such services under part B of such title. If such a waiver is granted, at the end of the waiver period the Secretary may provide for such methods of payments under part A as is appropriate, given the organizational structure of the institution.

(2)  In the case of a hospital which is receiving payments pursuant to a waiver under paragraph (1), payment of the adjustment for indirect costs of approved educational activities shall be made as if the hospital were receiving under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act all the payments which are made under part B of such title solely by reason of such waiver.

(3)  Any waiver granted under paragraph (1) shall provide that, with respect to those items and services billed under part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act solely by reason of such waiver—

(A)  payment under such part shall be equal to 100 percent of the reasonable charge or other applicable payment base for the items and services; and

(B)  the entity furnishing the items and services must agree to accept the amount paid pursuant to subparagraph (A) as the full charge for the items and services.

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(b) [42 U.S.C. 1395b-1 note]  *  *  *

(1)  Except as provided in paragraph (2), the amendments made by this title (amending sections 1320a-1, 1320c-2, 1395f, 1395i-2, 1395n, 1395r, 1395v, 1395w, 1395x, 1395y, 1395cc, 1395mm, 1395oo, 1395rr, 1395ww, and 1395xx of this title [XVIII], enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and sections 1395r, 1395x, 1395y, 1395cc, and 1395ww of this title, and amending provisions set out as a note under section 1395x of this title [XVIII]) shall not affect the authority of the Secretary to develop, carry out, or continue experiments and demonstration projects.

(2)  The Secretary shall provide that, upon the request of a State which has a demonstration project, for payment of hospitals under title XVIII of the Social Security Act approved under section 402(a) of the Social Security Amendments of 1967 or section 222(a) of the Social Security Amendments of 1972, which (A) is in effect as of March 1, 1983, and (B) was entered into after August 1982 (or upon the request of another party to demonstration project agreement), the terms of the demonstration agreement shall be modified so that the demonstration project is not required to maintain the rate of increase in medicare hospital costs in that State below the national rate of increase in medicare hospital costs.

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(d) [42 U.S.C. 1395b-1 note]  The Secretary shall conduct demonstrations with hospitals in areas with critical shortages of skilled nursing facilities to study the feasibility of providing alternative systems of care or methods of payment.

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[Internal References.—SSAct Title II and §§201 and 228 headings have footnotes referring to P.L. 98-21.]



[352]  April 20, 1983.