billing by hospital for services furnished to outpatients

billing by hospital for services furnished to outpatients Sec. 130. (a) Section 1835(a) of the Social Security Act (as amended by section 129(c)(9)(A) of this Act) is further amended by striking out “Except as provided in subsection (b),” and inserting in lieu thereof “Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c),”. (b) Section 1835 of such Act (as amended by section 129(c)(9)(B) of this Act) is amended by redesignating subsection (c)(as redesignated) as subsection (d), and by inserting after subsection (b) the following new subsection: “(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section and sections 1832, 1833, and 1866(a)(1)(A), a hospital may, subject to such limitations as may be prescribed by regulations, collect from an individual the customary charges for services specified in section 1861 (s) and furnished to him by such hospital as an outpatient, but only if such charges for such services do not exceed $50, and such customary charges shall be regarded as expenses incurred by such individual with respect to which benefits are payable in accordance with section 1833 (a)(1). Payments under this title to hospitals which have elected to make collections from individuals in accordance with the preceding sentence shall be adjusted periodically to place the hospital in the same position it would have been had it instead been reimbursed in accordance with section 1833(a)(2).” (c) The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to services furnished after March 31, 1968.