S. 2368 would appropriate additional funding for the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals and the Departmental Appeals Board within the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill also would modify the hearings and appeals process for Medicare beneficiaries and health-care providers who challenge coverage and payment decisions within that program.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 2368 would increase direct spending by about $1.7 billion over the 2016-2026 period. In addition, implementing the bill would cost approximately $35 million over that same period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Pay-as-you-go procedures apply because enacting the legislation would affect direct spending. The legislation would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
S. 2368 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
