[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3749 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3749

To provide for a Medicare demonstration project to evaluate the fiscal 
  impact of covering low vision devices as durable medical equipment 
                 under part B of the Medicare program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 12, 2013

  Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York (for herself and Mr. Bilirakis) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
   Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
 Means, 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 a Medicare demonstration project to evaluate the fiscal 
  impact of covering low vision devices as durable medical equipment 
                 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 ``Medicare Demonstration of Coverage 
for Low Vision Devices Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION OF MEDICARE COVERAGE OF LOW VISION DEVICES AS 
              DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.

    (a) Establishment of Demonstration Project.--
            (1) In general.--Beginning not later than 1 year after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services (in this section referred to as the 
        ``Secretary'') shall commence a project (in this section 
        referred to as the ``demonstration project'') to demonstrate 
        and evaluate the impact of covering low vision devices 
        (including subsets of such devices) under part B of title XVIII 
        of the Social Security Act in the same or similar manner as 
        coverage is provided for durable medical equipment under such 
        part.
            (2) Low vision device defined.--In this section, the term 
        ``low vision device'' means a device, prescribed by a 
        physician, that magnifies, enhances, or otherwise augments or 
        interprets visual images irrespective of the size, form, or 
        technological features of such device and does not include 
        ordinary eyeglasses or contact lenses or a device that is 
        otherwise available for non-prescription retail sale to the 
        general public at a cost of less than $500. In the previous 
        sentence, the term ``ordinary eyeglasses or contact lenses'' 
        means lenses that are intended to fully correct visual acuity 
        or eliminate refractive error.
    (b) Project Details.--
            (1) Eligible participants.--An individual enrolled under 
        such part is eligible to participate in the demonstration 
        project if an ophthalmologist or optometrist, after a clinical 
        evaluation, has determined and certifies through a prescription 
        that furnishing a low vision device to the individual is 
        medically necessary.
            (2) National scope and duration.--The demonstration project 
        shall be national in scope and shall be conducted for a period 
        of 5 years.
            (3) Project design.--The Secretary shall design the 
        demonstration project in a manner so as to provide a rich, 
        well-structured, and defined data set from which inferences 
        about the impact of the project can be made using appropriate 
        statistical methods.
            (4) Consultation.--In conducting the demonstration project 
        the Secretary shall consult with organizations of consumers 
        with vision loss and other stakeholder organizations.
    (c) Reports.--
            (1) Interim report.--Not later than 180 days after the last 
        day of the third year of the demonstration project, the 
        Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Finance of the 
        Senate and to the Committees on Ways and Means and Energy and 
        Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that 
        describes the progress and preliminary findings from the 
        demonstration project.
            (2) Final report.--Not later than 180 days after the last 
        day of the demonstration project and after solicitation and 
        consideration of formal written input on the project from 
        organizations representing consumers with vision loss and other 
        stakeholder organizations, the Secretary shall submit to such 
        Committees a final report on the project. Such report shall 
        include an evaluation of the fiscal impact on the Medicare 
        program of providing coverage of low vision devices and such 
        other findings and recommendations as the Secretary deems 
        appropriate.
    (d) Funding.--For fiscal year 2014 and for each of the four 
succeeding fiscal years, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated, $2,500,000 is appropriated to the Secretary to carry out 
the demonstration project.
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