113 STAT. 1501A-360 PUBLIC LAW 106-113—APPENDIX F and Trade Relief Extension Act of 1998 (contained in division J of Public Law 105-277)) is amended to read as follows: "(i) IN GENERAL.—Under such system the Secretary shall provide for computation of a standard prospective payment amount (or amounts) as follows: "(I) Such amount (or amounts) shall initially be based on the most current audited cost report data available to the Secretary and shall be computed in a manner so that the total amounts pay- able under the system for the 12-month period beginning on the date the Secretary implements the system shall be equal to the total amount that would have been made if the system had not been in effect. "(II) For periods beginning after the period described in subclause (I), such amount (or amounts) shall be equal to the amount (or amounts) that would have been determined under subclause (I) that would have been made for fiscal year 2001 if the system had not been in effect but if the reduction in limits described in clause (ii) had been in effect, updated under subparagraph (B). Each such amount shall be standardized in a manner that eliminates the effect of variations in relative case mix and area wage adjustments among different home health agencies in a budget neutral manner consistent with the case mix and wage level adjustments provided under paragraph (4)(A). Under the system, the Secretary may recognize regional differences or differences based upon whether or not the services or agency are in an urbanized area.". (c) REPORT.— Not later than the date that is six months after the date the Secretary of Health and Human Services implements the prospective payment system for home health services under section 1895 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395flff), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report analyzing the need for the 15 percent reduction under subsection (b)(3)(A)(ii) of such section, or for any reduction, in the computation of the base payment amounts under the prospective payment system for home health services established under such section. SEC. 303. INCREASE IN PER BENEFICIARY LIMITS. (a) INCREASE IN PER BENEFICIARY LIMITS. —Section 1861(v)(l)(L) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(v)(l)(L)), as amended by section 5101 of the Tax and Trade Relief Extension Act of 1998 (contained in Division J of Public Law 105-277), is amended— (1) by redesignating clause (ix) as clause (x); and (2) by inserting after clause (viii) the following new clause: "(ix) Notwithstanding the per beneficiary limit under clause (viii), if the limit imposed under clause (v) (determined without regard to this clause) for a cost reporting period beginning during or after fiscal year 2000 is less than the median described in clause (vi)(I) (but determined as if any reference in clause (v) to '98 percent' were a reference to '100 percent'), the limit otherwise
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