<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="billres.xsl"?>
<!DOCTYPE bill PUBLIC "-//US Congress//DTDs/bill.dtd//EN" "bill.dtd">
<bill bill-type="olc" bill-stage="Introduced-in-Senate" dms-id="A1" public-private="public" slc-id="S1-KEL25695-1T9-YN-F0C"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
<dublinCore>
<dc:title>119 S2831 IS: Stand Strong for Medicare Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. Senate</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2025-09-17</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
</dublinCore>
</metadata>
<form>
<distribution-code>II</distribution-code><congress>119th CONGRESS</congress><session>1st Session</session><legis-num>S. 2831</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES</current-chamber><action><action-date date="20250917" legis-day="20250916">September 17 (legislative day, September 16), 2025</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="S363">Mr. King</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the <committee-name committee-id="SSFI00">Committee on Finance</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title>To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for
 certain fall prevention items under the Medicare program.</official-title></form><legis-body style="OLC" display-enacting-clause="yes-display-enacting-clause" id="HBE6DA665DD15483AA05A72A98D96A0E8"><section id="idb1a9047f53964994b1e1a7ca8b62b190" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Stand Strong for Medicare Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section><section id="H2B8CD372424A42469B5622C7FF109220"><enum>2.</enum><header>Providing coverage for certain fall prevention items under the Medicare
 program</header><subsection id="H3CD95D4DB8F84941B7D66F26EB4CD661"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><paragraph id="HEAC9B5220527401DA18BAACF72D98A46"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Coverage</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 1861 of the Social Security Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/1395x">42 U.S.C. 1395x</external-xref>) is amended—</text><subparagraph id="H90B66C923033473F9B1D445968349B78"><enum>(A)</enum><text>in subsection (n)—</text><clause id="HBAF1F0AED26F44849BC28056BD8575BB"><enum>(i)</enum><text>by striking <quote>and wheelchairs</quote> and inserting <quote>wheelchairs</quote>; and</text></clause><clause id="H0A2458E69849494595CEFBF96AD5FA20"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>by inserting <quote>, and fall prevention items (as defined in subsection (nnn))</quote> after <quote>may prescribe)</quote>; and</text></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H42F2E92CF7EA4B8281EB0EF6DBB99911"><enum>(B)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following new subsection:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HDB3D111B2557402A8F14CF022E7F3D63"><subsection id="HA0D88616B8AF4A258AEB171286B5E6E8"><enum>(nnn)</enum><header>Fall prevention items</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <quote>fall prevention items</quote> includes grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, bed rails, and such other items or categories of items as the Secretary may specify.</text></subsection><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H1307C8E4F2554480A5D396E2C1CB58C3"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Exclusion modification</header><text>Section 1862(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/1395y">42 U.S.C. 1395y(a)(1)</external-xref>) is amended—</text><subparagraph id="H1449BB1434184CF9872B598763AEFBB6"><enum>(A)</enum><text>in subparagraph (O), by striking <quote>and</quote> at the end;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H4E7290440CF343469A9213A7D10E2A78"><enum>(B)</enum><text>in subparagraph (P), by striking the semicolon and inserting <quote>, and</quote>; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H5EBF118A52B0447BA646B3B4CF37C12D"><enum>(C)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HB0310981CA4B47ED97F1798070852C66"><subparagraph id="H929DF587F8784EDD8C1EAC2EE7159690" indent="up1"><enum>(Q)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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));</text></subparagraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H63A8290C767F4962AB498E1D1BE11E7A"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Exemption from sequestration</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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.</text></subsection><subsection id="H5DF01CC6BCD946FB8908FDA782AB3A30"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Effective date</header><text>The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply beginning 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.</text></subsection></section></legis-body></bill>

