[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1134 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1134

    To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to 
    restrictions on changes in benefits under Medicare+Choice plans.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 1999

 Mr. Nadler (for himself and Mr. Frost) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition 
     to the Committee on Commerce, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to 
    restrictions on changes in benefits under Medicare+Choice plans.

    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 Managed Care Notification 
Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. RESTRICTIONS IN CHANGES IN BENEFITS UNDER MEDICARE+CHOICE 
              PLANS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1852(a) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395w-22(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
            ``(7) Changes in benefits.--
                    ``(A) Prohibition of reduction in benefits during 
                contract year.--A Medicare+Choice organization may not, 
                during a contract year, change the terms of benefits in 
                a manner that is adverse to an enrollee.
                    ``(B) Advance notice of changes in benefits.--If a 
                Medicare+Choice organization intends to change its 
                benefits offered under this part in a contract year 
                from those offered in the previous contract year, the 
                organization shall provide to enrollees, not later than 
                120 days before the beginning of the contract year 
                involved, notice in comparative form of the changes in 
                benefits intended compared to those offered in the 
                previous contract year.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) applies 
to contract years beginning on or after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
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