[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2680 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2680

To amend the Social Security Act to permit a waiver by the Secretary of 
 Health and Human Services of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare 
        coverage of disabled individuals who are terminally ill.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 26, 2005

    Mr. Hulshof (for himself, Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. Foley, and Mr. Shaw) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Social Security Act to permit a waiver by the Secretary of 
 Health and Human Services of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare 
        coverage of disabled individuals who are terminally ill.

    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 for the Terminally Ill Act 
of 2005''.

SEC. 2. WAIVER OF 24-MONTH WAITING PERIOD FOR MEDICARE COVERAGE OF 
              DISABLED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE TERMINALLY ILL.

    (a) In General.--Section 226(h) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 426(h)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(A)'' before ``in the case''; and
            (2) by inserting after ``(ALS)'' the following: ``and (B) 
        in the case of an individual whom a physician has certified in 
        writing as being terminally ill (within the meaning of section 
        1861(dd)(3)(A)) and for whom the Secretary has made a 
        determination that the requirements of subsection (b) (relating 
        to 24 months of entitlement to benefits or other status) would 
        otherwise work an undue hardship on such individual, as 
        determined on the basis of criteria established by the 
        Secretary''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall apply to 
benefits for months beginning after 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>