[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1037 Introduced in Senate (IS)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1037

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage 
        under the medicare program of all oral anticancer drugs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 9, 2003

 Ms. Snowe (for herself, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Warner, Mr. Hollings, Mr. 
        Kerry, Ms. Collins, Mr. Carper, Mr. Allen, Ms. Landrieu, Mrs. 
        Lincoln, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Campbell, 
        Mr. Schumer, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harkin, Ms. Mikulski, 
        Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Craig, Mrs. 
        Feinstein, and Mr. Lautenberg) introduced the following bill; 
        which was read twice and referred to the Committee on FinanceYY

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage 
        under the medicare program of all oral anticancer drugs.

    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 ``Access to Cancer Therapies Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. MEDICARE COVERAGE OF ALL ANTICANCER ORAL DRUGS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1861(s)(2)(Q) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395x(s)(2)(Q)) is amended by striking ``chemotherapeutic 
agent for a given indication,'' and all that follows and inserting 
``agent for a medically accepted indication (as defined in subsection 
(t)(2)(B));''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 1834(j)(5)(F)(iv) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395m(j)(5)(F)(iv)) is amended by striking ``therapeutic''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to drugs furnished on or after the date that is 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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