Stand Strong for Medicare Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2831 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2831

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for 
       certain fall prevention items under the Medicare program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 17 (legislative day, September 16), 2025

   Mr. King introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for 
       certain fall prevention items under the Medicare program.

    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 ``Stand Strong for Medicare Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVIDING COVERAGE FOR CERTAIN FALL PREVENTION ITEMS UNDER THE 
              MEDICARE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Coverage.--Section 1861 of the Social Security Act (42 
        U.S.C. 1395x) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (n)--
                            (i) by striking ``and wheelchairs'' and 
                        inserting ``wheelchairs''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``, and fall prevention 
                        items (as defined in subsection (nnn))'' after 
                        ``may prescribe)''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subsection:
    ``(nnn) Fall Prevention Items.--The term `fall prevention items' 
includes grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, bed rails, and such 
other items or categories of items as the Secretary may specify.''.
            (2) Exclusion modification.--Section 1862(a)(1) of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395y(a)(1)) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (O), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (P), by striking the semicolon 
                and inserting ``, and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
            ``(Q) in the case of fall prevention items (as defined in 
        section 1861(nnn)), which are not furnished pursuant to an 
        order of a physician or practitioner (as described in section 
        1842(b)(18)(C));''.
    (b) Exemption From Sequestration.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, payments for fall prevention items (as defined in 
section 1861(nnn) of the Social Security Act, as added by subsection 
(a)) under the Medicare program shall not be subject to any reduction 
under a sequestration issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
Deficit Control Act of 1985, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
or any other provision law.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply beginning 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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