[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6175 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6175

    To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for 
  guaranteed issue of Medicare supplemental policies for disabled and 
 renal disease beneficiaries upon first enrolling under part B of the 
                           Medicare Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 26, 2006

 Mr. English of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. Rush, Mr. Hayworth, Mr. 
    Wynn, Mr. McHugh, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. McNulty, and Mr. 
  Jefferson) 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 amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for 
  guaranteed issue of Medicare supplemental policies for disabled and 
 renal disease beneficiaries upon first enrolling under part B of the 
                           Medicare Program.

    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 ``Medigap Access Improvement Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. EXTENDING GUARANTEED ISSUE OF MEDIGAP POLICIES TO ALL MEDICARE 
              ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1882(s) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395ss(s)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting before the period at 
        the end the following: ``and, in the case of an individual who 
        is under 65 years of age and who is enrolled for benefits under 
        part B, during the 6 month period beginning with the first 
        month as of the first day on which the individual is so 
        enrolled'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking ``the 6-month period 
        described in subparagraph (A) to an individual who is 65 years 
        of age or older as of the date of issuance and'' and inserting 
        ``a 6-month period described in subparagraph (A) to an 
        individual''; and
            (3) in paragraph (3)(B)(vi), by striking ``at age 65''.
    (b) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
        shall take effect as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Transition for currently eligible medicare 
        individuals.--
                    (A) In general.--No medicare supplemental policy of 
                an issuer shall be deemed to meet the standards in 
                subsection (c) of section 1882 of the Social Security 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ss) unless the issuer permits each 
                individual described in subparagraph (B), during the 6-
                month period beginning on the first day of the first 
                month beginning after the date of the enactment of this 
                Act, to be enrolled under a medicare supplemental 
                policy in accordance with subsection (s) of such 
                section, as amended by subsection (a), applied as if 
                the individual were first enrolled under part B of 
                title XVIII of the Social Security Act as of the first 
                day of such first month.
                    (B) Nonenrolled current disabled and renal disease 
                beneficiaries described.--For purposes of subparagraph 
                (A), an individual described in this subparagraph is an 
                individual who, as of the first day of the first month 
                beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act--
                            (i) is under 65 years of age;
                            (ii) is enrolled under part B of title 
                        XVIII of the Social Security Act; and
                            (iii) is not enrolled in a medicare 
                        supplemental policy.
                                 <all>