Medicare Late Enrollment Assistance Act of 2006 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate months in 2006 from the calculation of any late enrollment penalty under Medicare part D.
Makes appropriations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for FY2007 to: (1) make grants to states for state health insurance counseling programs receiving assistance under the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990; and (2) enable the Assistant Secretary on Aging to provide grants to states for area agencies on aging to provide eligible Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare benefits information.
Amends SSA title XVIII to set additional limitations on the total amount of expenditures from the Medicare Advantage Regional Plan Stabilization Fund for periods prior to October 1, 2007, and between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2011.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2810 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]
Calendar No. 434
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2810
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate months in
2006 from the calculation of any late enrollment penalty under the
Medicare part D prescription drug program and to provide for additional
funding for State health insurance counseling programs and area
agencies on aging, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 16, 2006
Mr. Grassley (for himself, Mr. Baucus, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Nelson of
Florida, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Carper, Mr. Talent, Mrs. Lincoln, Ms. Snowe, Ms.
Cantwell, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Burns, Mr. Conrad, Ms. Murkowski,
Mrs. Murray, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Hatch) introduced the following bill;
which was read the first time
May 17, 2006
Read the second time and placed on the calendar
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate months in
2006 from the calculation of any late enrollment penalty under the
Medicare part D prescription drug program and to provide for additional
funding for State health insurance counseling programs and area
agencies on aging, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Late Enrollment Assistance
Act of 2006''.
SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF MONTHS IN 2006 FROM THE CALCULATION OF ANY LATE
ENROLLMENT PENALTY UNDER MEDICARE PART D.
(a) Elimination.--Section 1860D-13(b)(3)(B) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1895w-113(b)(3)(B)) is amended by adding at the end the
following new sentence: ``In no case shall any month in 2006 be
considered to be an uncovered month under this subsection.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall take
effect as if included in the enactment of section 101(a) of the
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
(Public Law 108-173; 117 Stat. 2071).
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR STATE HEALTH INSURANCE COUNSELING
PROGRAMS.
(a) In General.--Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise
appropriated, there are appropriated $13,000,000 to the Secretary of
Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2007, for the purpose of
providing grants to States for State health insurance counseling
programs receiving assistance under section 4360 of the Omnibus
Reconciliation Act of 1990.
(b) Allocation.--
(1) Allocation based on percentage of low-income
beneficiaries.--The amount of a grant to a State under this
section from \1/2\ of the total amount made available under
subsection (a) shall be based on the number of individuals that
meet the requirement under section 1860D-14(a)(3)(A)(ii) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-114(a)(3)(A)(ii)) relative
to the total number of part D eligible individuals (as defined
in section 1860D-1(a)(3)(A) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-
101(a)(3))) in each State, as estimated by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
(2) Allocation based on percentage of rural
beneficiaries.--The amount of a grant to a State under this
section from \1/2\ of the total amount made available under
subsection (a) shall be based on the number of part D eligible
individuals (as so defined) residing in a rural area (as
determined by the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services) relative to the total number of such
individuals in each State, as estimated by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
(c) Availability.--Amounts made available under subsection (a)
shall remain available--
(1) for obligation until November 1, 2006; and
(2) for expenditure until June 30, 2008.
SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR AREA AGENCIES ON AGING.
(a) In General.--Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise
appropriated, there are appropriated $5,000,000 to the Secretary of
Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2007, to enable the Assistant
Secretary on Aging to provide grants to States for area agencies on
aging (as defined in section 102 of the Older American Act of 1965 (42
U.S.C. 3002)). Such assistance shall be used to provide eligible
Medicare beneficiaries with information regarding benefits under title
XVIII of the Social Security Act.
(b) Allocation Based on Percentage of Low-Income and Rural
Beneficiaries.--The amount of a grant to a State under this section
from the total amount made available under subsection (a) shall be
determined in the same manner as the amount of a grant to a State under
section 4 from the total amount made available under subsection (a) of
such section is determined under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection
(b) of such section.
(c) Availability.--Amounts made available under subsection (a)
shall remain available--
(1) for obligation until November 1, 2006; and
(2) for expenditure until June 30, 2008.
SEC. 5. MEDICARE ADVANTAGE REGIONAL PLAN STABILIZATION FUND REVISIONS.
(a) In general.--Section 1858(e)(5) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395w-27a(e)(5)) is amended by adding at the end the following
new subparagraph:
``(C) Additional limitation.--In no case may the
total expenditures from the Fund--
``(I) prior to October 1, 2007,
exceed $566,000,000;
``(II) during the period beginning
on October 1, 2007, and ending on
September 30, 2011, exceed
$4,507,000,000.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take
effect as if included in the enactment of section 221(c) of the
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
(Public Law 108-173; 117 Stat. 2181).
Calendar No. 434
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2810
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate months in
2006 from the calculation of any late enrollment penalty under the
Medicare part D prescription drug program and to provide for additional
funding for State health insurance counseling programs and area
agencies on aging, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
May 17, 2006
Read the second time and placed on the calendar
Introduced in Senate
Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4621)
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 434.
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