[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 933 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 933

   To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to allow States to 
provide coverage under medicaid for the costs of prescription drugs for 
       qualified medicare beneficiaries, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                May 11 (legislative day, April 19), 1993

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to allow States to 
provide coverage under medicaid for the costs of prescription drugs for 
       qualified medicare beneficiaries, 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 ``Prescription Drug Purchasing 
Assistance for Older Americans Act''.

SEC. 2. OPTIONAL STATE MEDICAID COVERAGE OF COSTS OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS 
              FOR QUALIFIED MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1905(p) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1396d(p)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
    ``(5)(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, in a 
State which provides medical assistance for prescribed drugs under 
section 1905(a)(12), the State may provide to--
            ``(i) a qualified medicare beneficiary, or
            ``(ii) an individual who would be such a beneficiary but 
        for the fact such an individual's income exceeds the income 
        level established by the State under paragraph (2) or section 
        1902(a)(10)(E), but is less than 200 percent of the official 
        poverty line described in paragraph (2),
benefits for prescribed drugs in the same amount, duration, and scope 
as the benefits made available under the State plan for individuals 
described in section 1902(a)(10)(A)(i).
    ``(B) A State electing to provide benefits for prescription drugs 
to an individual described in subparagraph (A)(ii) may charge a premium 
or co-payment to such individual for such benefits but such premium or 
co-payment may not exceed 5 percent of such individual's gross 
income.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
become effective with respect to payments for calendar quarters 
beginning on or after January 1, 1994, without regard to whether or not 
final regulations to carry out such amendment have been promulgated by 
such date.

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