To allow individuals to choose to opt out of the Medicare part A benefit and to allow individuals opting out of such benefit to be eligible for health savings accounts.

Allows any individual who is otherwise entitled to benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to elect to opt out of such entitlement.

Allows an individual who has opted out of Medicare to opt back in without penalty.

Prohibits any requirement to opt out of SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) as a condition for opting out of Medicare.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make individuals who opt out of Medicare part A eligible for health savings accounts.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3498 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3498

   To allow individuals to choose to opt out of the Medicare part A 
   benefit and to allow individuals opting out of such benefit to be 
                 eligible for health savings accounts.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 14, 2013

  Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas (for himself and Mr. Perry) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To allow individuals to choose to opt out of the Medicare part A 
   benefit and to allow individuals opting out of such benefit to be 
                 eligible for health savings accounts.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ALLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO CHOOSE TO OPT OUT OF THE MEDICARE 
              PART A BENEFIT.

    (a) In General.--Any individual who is otherwise entitled to 
benefits under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act may 
elect (in such form and manner as may be specified by the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services) to opt out of such entitlement. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the case of an 
individual who makes such an election, such individual--
            (1) may (in such form and manner as may be specified by the 
        Secretary) subsequently choose to end such election and opt 
        back into such entitlement (in accordance with a process 
        determined by the Secretary) without being subject to any 
        penalty;
            (2) shall not be required to opt out of benefits under 
        title II of such Act as a condition for making such election; 
        and
            (3) shall not be required to repay any amount paid under 
        such part A for items and services furnished prior to making 
        such election.
    (b) Individuals Opting Out of Medicare Part A Eligible for Health 
Savings Accounts.--Section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (7), and
            (2) in subsection (d)(2)(C)(iv), by inserting ``and who has 
        not elected to opt out of the rights to benefits under part A 
        of title XVIII of such Act'' after ``section 1811 of the Social 
        Security Act''.
                                 <all>