[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1335 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1335

       Entitled the ``Military Retiree Health Care Act of 1999''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 1, 1999

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
       Entitled the ``Military Retiree Health Care Act of 1999''.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AUTHORITY TO EXPAND AND EXTEND MEDICARE SUBVENTION 
              DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR MILITARY RETIREES; INFORMATION 
              REGARDING MEDICARE+CHOICE AND MEDIGAP PROTECTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1896 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395ggg) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(l) Authority To Expand and Extend Demonstration Project.--
            ``(1) In General.--Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the 
        administering Secretaries may expand and extend the 
        demonstration project if such Secretaries determine that--
                    ``(A) the expansion and extension of the project 
                would be beneficial to medicare-eligible military 
                retirees and dependents; and
                    ``(B) the requirements with respect to the project 
                are being met on the date of the determination and will 
                continue to be met if the project is expanded and 
                extended pursuant to this subsection.
            ``(2) Time for determination.--The determination regarding 
        the expansion and extension of the demonstration project 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be made between July 1, 1999, 
        and January 1, 2000.
            ``(3) Applicable rules for expansion and extension.--If the 
        administering Secretaries determine pursuant to paragraph (1) 
        to expand and extend the demonstration project, the following 
        rules shall apply to such expansion and extension:
                    ``(A) Expansion of sites.--The number of 
                demonstration project sites may be expanded by the 
                administering Secretaries from no more than 6 sites 
                (pursuant to subsection (b)(2)) to no more than 15 
                sites, with such additional sites to be designated 
                jointly by the administering Secretaries after review 
                of all TRICARE regions.
                    ``(B) Duration of extension.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), 
                        the administering Secretaries may extend the 
                        duration of the demonstration project under 
                        subsection (b)(4) by 1 or 2 years.
                            ``(ii) Limitation.--The administering 
                        Secretaries may not extend the duration of the 
                        project pursuant to clause (i) unless the 
                        administering Secretaries expand the project 
                        pursuant to subparagraph (A) to include at 
                        least 7 sites.
                    ``(C) Revision of operating agreement.--Not later 
                than 30 days after the date that the administering 
                Secretaries determine to expand and extend the 
                demonstration project pursuant to this subsection, the 
                administering Secretaries shall--
                            ``(i) revise the agreement entered into 
                        under subsection (b)(1) to reflect such 
                        expansion (and extension, if applicable); and
                            ``(ii) submit a copy of the revised 
                        agreement to the committees of Congress with 
                        jurisdiction over the demonstration project.
                The revised agreement shall include a detailed 
                description of the rationale behind the determination 
                by the administering Secretaries to expand (and extend, 
                if applicable) the demonstration project pursuant to 
                this subsection.
                    ``(D) Cap on amount of reimbursements.--
                            ``(i) Expansion of sites.--If the 
                        administering Secretaries determine pursuant to 
                        subparagraph (A) to expand the number of 
demonstration project sites, the administering Secretaries may revise 
the maximum amount to be reimbursed under subsection (i)(4)(C) for 
calendar year 2000.
                            ``(ii) Extension of duration.--If the 
                        duration of the demonstration project is 
                        extended under this subsection to any calendar 
                        year beginning after 2000, the aggregate amount 
                        to be reimbursed under subsection (i) for such 
                        year pursuant to the agreement entered into 
                        between the administering Secretaries under 
                        subsection (b) and revised pursuant to 
                        subparagraph (C) shall not exceed an amount 
                        determined appropriate by the administering 
                        Secretaries.
                    ``(E) Evaluation and reports by Comptroller 
                General.--If the administering Secretaries extend the 
                duration of the demonstration project under this 
                subsection, the Comptroller General of the United 
                States shall continue to perform all evaluations and 
                submit all reports required under this section during 
                the period that the demonstration project is operating 
                by reason of such extension, except that the final 
                report required to be submitted pursuant to subsection 
                (k)(1) shall be submitted by not later than 6 months 
                after the date that the demonstration project ends.
                    ``(F) Terms and conditions of project.--All terms 
                and conditions for operating the demonstration project 
                under this section shall apply to any expansion and 
                extension of the demonstration project pursuant to this 
                subsection.
    ``(m) Information Regarding Medicare +Choice and Medigap 
Protections.--
            ``(1) In general.--The administering Secretaries shall take 
        all appropriate steps necessary in order to provide medicare-
        eligible military retirees and dependents participating in the 
        demonstration project with information regarding the applicable 
        statutory protections for such retirees and dependents who no 
        longer participate in the demonstration project.
            ``(2) Applicable statutory protections.--For purposes of 
        paragraph (1), the term `applicable statutory protections' 
        means protections regarding--
                    ``(A) open enrollment periods for enrollment in 
                Medicare+Choice plans under section 1851(e) that are 
                applicable to such retirees and dependents; and
                    ``(B) enrollment protections for medicare 
                supplemental policies under section 1882(s) that are 
                applicable to such retirees and dependents.''.
    (b) Change in Date for Submission of Report On Extension and 
Expansion of Demonstration Project.--Section 1896(k)(2) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ggg(k)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
        ``Not later than 6 months after the date of the submission of 
        the final report by the Comptroller General of the United 
        States under paragraph (1)'' and inserting ``Not later than 
        January 1, 2001'';
            (2) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``beyond any 
        expansion carried out under this section pursuant to subsection 
        (l)'' after ``could be expanded'';
            (3) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``beyond any 
        extension carried out under this section pursuant to subsection 
        (l)'' after ``demonstration project''; and
            (4) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``beyond any 
        extension or expansion carried out under this section pursuant 
        to subsection (l)'' before the period at the end.
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