[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1772 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1772

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a refundable credit 
    to certain senior citizens for premiums paid for coverage under 
                            Medicare Part B.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 1999

 Mrs. Emerson 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 the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a refundable credit 
    to certain senior citizens for premiums paid for coverage under 
                            Medicare Part B.

    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 ``Notch Baby Health Care Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. PREMIUMS PAID BY CERTAIN SENIOR CITIZENS FOR MEDICARE PART B.

    (a) In General.--Subpart C of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to refundable credits) 
is amended by redesignating section 35 as section 36 and by inserting 
after section 34 the following new section:

``SEC. 35. PREMIUMS PAID BY CERTAIN SENIOR CITIZENS FOR MEDICARE PART 
              B.

    ``(a) Allowance of Credit.--In the case of an eligible individual, 
there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed by this 
subtitle for the taxable year an amount equal to the aggregate premiums 
paid under section 1840 of the Social Security Act by the taxpayer 
during the taxable year for enrollment of the eligible individual under 
part B of title XVIII of such Act.
    ``(b) Eligible Individual.--For purposes of subsection (a), the 
term `eligible individual' means--
            ``(1) an individual born after 1916 and before 1927 who had 
        wages or self-employment income credited for one or more years 
        prior to 1979 and who was not eligible for an old-age or 
        disability insurance benefit, and did not die, prior to January 
        1979,
            ``(2) the spouse (as determined under section 7703) of an 
        individual described in paragraph (1), and
            ``(3) the widow or widower, as the case may be, of an 
        individual described in paragraph (1).''.
    (b) Technical Amendments.--
            (1) Paragraph (2) of section 1324(b) of title 31, United 
        States Code, is amended by striking ``or enacted'' and 
        inserting ``enacted'' and by inserting before the period ``, or 
        from section 35 of such Code''.
            (2) The table of sections for subpart C of part IV of 
        subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by striking 
        the last item and inserting the following new items:

                              ``Sec. 35. Premiums paid by certain 
                                        senior citizens for medicare 
                                        part B.
                              ``Sec. 36. Overpayments of tax.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to premiums paid after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF MEDICARE PART B PREMIUM PENALTY.

    (a) In General.--Section 1839(b) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395r(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``Any 
increase in an individual's monthly premium under the first sentence of 
this subsection shall not be applicable with respect to an eligible 
individual (or dependent of such an individual), as defined in section 
35(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to premiums for months beginning after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
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