[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5095 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5095

    To provide for an indefinite freeze on increases in the monthly 
             premiums for Medicare, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 15, 2004

  Mr. Frank of Massachusetts introduced the following bill; which was 
  referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the 
   Committee on Energy and 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 provide for an indefinite freeze on increases in the monthly 
             premiums for Medicare, and for other purposes.

    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 Equity Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FREEZE IN MONTHLY PREMIUMS FOR MEDICARE.

    (a) In General.--Paragraph (3) of section 1839(a) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395r(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new sentence: ``Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of 
this paragraph, the monthly premium rate for any period after December 
31, 2004, shall be the monthly premium rate in effect for a month in 
2004.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to periods beginning after December 31, 2004.

SEC. 3. INCREASE IN TOP RATE OF INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX.

    (a) In General.--The table contained in paragraph (2) of section 
1(i) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to reductions in 
rates after June 30, 2001) is amended by striking the last row and 
inserting the following:

 
 
 
``2003 and 2004....................   25.0%    28.0%    33.0%      35.0%
 2005 and thereafter...............   25.0%    28.0%    33.0%   36.0%''.
 

    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2004.
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