[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1376 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1376

  To amend part C of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure 
   that Medicare+Choice eligible individuals have sufficient time to 
     consider information and to make an informed choice regarding 
                 enrollment in a Medicare+Choice plan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 3, 2001

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend part C of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure 
   that Medicare+Choice eligible individuals have sufficient time to 
     consider information and to make an informed choice regarding 
                 enrollment in a Medicare+Choice plan.

    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 Beneficiary Information 
Provision Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO PROVISION OF INFORMATION TO PROMOTE INFORMED 
              CHOICE.

    (a) Earlier Open Season Notification.--Section 1851(d)(2)(A) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-21(d)(2)(A)) is amended by 
striking ``At least 15 days before'' and inserting ``At least 45 days 
(in the case of 2001, 30 days) before''.
    (b) Ensuring Maintenance of Printed Materials.--Section 1851(d)(5) 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-21(d)(5)) is amended by 
striking ``The Secretary shall maintain'' and inserting ``In addition 
to mailing the information under this section in printed form to each 
Medicare+Choice eligible individual, the Secretary shall maintain''.
    (c) Providing Sufficient Time for Adequate Review of Proposed 
Premiums and Related Information.--Section 1854(a)(5) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-24(a)(5)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) Deadline for submission of reviewable 
                materials.--The Secretary--
                            ``(i) may only review the rates, amounts, 
                        and values described in subparagraph (A) that 
                        are received by the Secretary on or before July 
                        1 of the year preceding the year for which such 
                        rates, amounts, and values are to apply;
                            ``(ii) shall be deemed to have disapproved 
                        any rate, amount, or value submitted after such 
                        date; and
                            ``(iii) may not permit a Medicare+Choice 
                        organization to resubmit, amend, or otherwise 
                        modify such rates, amounts, or values after 
                        such date.''.
    (d) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and 
        (b) shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
            (2) Deadline for submission of reviewable materials.--The 
        amendment made by subsection (c) shall apply with respect to 
        years beginning after 2001.
                                 <all>