The purpose of this section is to assure that Federal funds appropriated under subchapters XVIII and XIX are not used to support unnecessary capital expenditures made by or on behalf of health care facilities which are reimbursed under any of such subchapters and that, to the extent possible, reimbursement under such subchapters shall support planning activities with respect to health services and facilities in the various States.
The Secretary shall pay any such State from the general fund in the Treasury, in advance or by way of reimbursement as may be provided in the agreement with it (and may make adjustments in such payments on account of overpayments or underpayments previously made), for the reasonable cost of performing the functions specified in subsection (b).
Where a person obtains under lease or comparable arrangement any facility or part thereof, or equipment for a facility, which would have been subject to an exclusion under subsection (d) if the person had acquired it by purchase, the Secretary shall (1) in computing such person’s rental expense in determining the Federal payments to be made under subchapters XVIII and XIX with respect to services furnished in such facility, deduct the amount which in his judgment is a reasonable equivalent of the amount that would have been excluded if the person had acquired such facility or such equipment by purchase, and (2) in computing such person’s return on equity capital deduct any amount deposited under the terms of the lease or comparable arrangement.
Any person dissatisfied with a determination by the Secretary under this section may within six months following notification of such determination request the Secretary to reconsider such determination. A determination by the Secretary under this section shall not be subject to administrative or judicial review.
For the purposes of this section, a “capital expenditure” is an expenditure which, under generally accepted accounting principles, is not properly chargeable as an expense of operation and maintenance and which (1) exceeds $600,000 (or such lesser amount as the State may establish), (2) changes the bed capacity of the facility with respect to which such expenditure is made, or (3) substantially changes the services of the facility with respect to which such expenditure is made. For purposes of clause (1) of the preceding sentence, the cost of the studies, surveys, designs, plans, working drawings, specifications, and other activities essential to the acquisition, improvement, expansion, or replacement of the plant and equipment with respect to which such expenditure is made shall be included in determining whether such expenditure exceeds the dollar amount specified in clause (1).
The provisions of this section shall not apply to a religious nonmedical health care institution (as defined in section 1395x(ss)(1) of this title).