[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5556 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5556

   To amend the Social Security Act to reduce the waiting period for 
  benefits under the medicare program from two years to 18 months for 
                     individuals with disabilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 25, 2000

 Mr. Sandlin 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 Social Security Act to reduce the waiting period for 
  benefits under the medicare program from two years to 18 months for 
                     individuals with disabilities.

    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 Disability Eligibility 
Waiting Period Reduction Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. REDUCTION IN WAITING PERIOD FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.

    (a) Title II of the Social Security Act.--Section 226(b) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 426(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``24 calendar months'' 
        and inserting ``18 calendar months'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``24 months'' and 
        inserting ``18 months'';
            (3) in paragraph (2)(C)(ii), by striking ``24 months'' and 
        inserting ``18 months'';
            (4) in the matter following paragraph (2)(C) in the first 
        sentence, by striking ``the twenty-fifth month'' and inserting 
        ``the nineteenth month''; and
            (5) in the second sentence, by striking ``the twenty-fourth 
        month'' and inserting ``the eighteenth month''.
    (b) Title XVIII of the Social Security Act.--(1) Clause (2) of 
section 1811 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395c) is amended by 
striking ``24 months'' and inserting ``18 months''.
    (2) Section 1837(g)(1)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395p(g)(1)(B)) is 
amended by striking ``before the 25th month'' and inserting ``before 
the nineteenth month''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to benefits for months beginning after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
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