[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6196 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6196

 To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare 
         coverage of individuals receiving a heart transplant.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 2008

  Mr. Berry 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 II of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare 
         coverage of individuals receiving a heart transplant.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO COVERAGE UNDER THE MEDICARE 
              PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING HEART TRANSPLANTS.

    (a) In General.--Title II of the Social Security Act is amended by 
inserting after section 226A the following new section:

 ``special provisions relating to coverage under medicare program for 
                individuals receiving heart transplants

    ``Sec. 226B.  (a) Every individual who--
    ``(1) satisfies the requirements of subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) 
of paragraph (1) of section 226A(a);
    ``(2) is not entitled to benefits under part A under section 226A;
    ``(3) is officially listed through the United Network for Organ 
Sharing for receipt of a heart transplant; and
    ``(4) has filed an application for benefits under this section;
shall, in accordance with the succeeding provisions of this section, be 
entitled to benefits under part A and eligible to enroll under part B 
of title XVIII, subject to the deductible, premium, and coinsurance 
provisions of that title.
    ``(b) Entitlement of an individual to benefits under part A and 
eligibility to enroll under part B of title XVIII by reasons of this 
section--
            ``(1) shall begin with the month in which such individual 
        receives a heart transplant, or (if earlier) the first month in 
        which such individual is officially listed through the United 
        Network for Organ Sharing for receipt of a heart transplant, 
        but only if such transplantation occurs in that month or in 
        either of the next five months (but no earlier than one year 
        preceding the month of the filing of an application for 
        benefits under this section); and
            ``(2) shall end with the thirty-sixth month after the month 
        in which such individual receives such transplant.
    ``(c)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), in accordance with rules 
established by the Secretary, the provisions of title XVIII (except for 
sections 1853(a)(1)(H), 1862(b), and 1881) that are applicable to 
section 226A and an individual medically determined to have end stage 
renal disease, with respect to the receipt of a kidney transplant, 
shall apply in a similar manner to this section and an individual 
officially listed through the United Network for Organ Sharing, with 
respect to the receipt of a heart transplant.
    ``(2) Section 1862(b) shall apply to individuals entitled to 
benefits under title XVIII under this section in a similar manner as 
such section applies to individuals entitled to benefits under such 
title under section 226(b).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to applications filed on or after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, but only with respect to benefits for months beginning with 
January 2009.
                                 <all>