A U.S. senator is pushing his colleagues to change a law that can leave retirees and others on Medicare on the hook for huge hospital bills.

Under the rule, Medicare won't pay for skilled nursing care after a hospital stay that lasts less than three days. Time spent in the hospital for observation before admission is not counted.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, wants to make observation time count toward the three days. His bill would also allow those who were hit by hospital charges after Jan. 1, 2013, to appeal within 90 days of the law's passage.

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