[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1453 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1453

  To amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to apply 
deemed enrollment to residents of Puerto Rico and to provide a special 
enrollment period and a reduction in the late enrollment penalties for 
                   certain residents of Puerto Rico.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2015

  Mr. Schumer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to apply 
deemed enrollment to residents of Puerto Rico and to provide a special 
enrollment period and a reduction in the late enrollment penalties for 
                   certain residents of Puerto Rico.

    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 ``Puerto Rico Medicare Part B Equity 
Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF PART B DEEMED ENROLLMENT PROCESS TO RESIDENTS OF 
              PUERTO RICO; SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD AND LIMIT ON LATE 
              ENROLLMENT PENALTIES.

    (a) Application of Part B Deemed Enrollment Process to Residents of 
Puerto Rico.--Section 1837(f)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395p(f)(3)) is amended by striking ``, exclusive of Puerto Rico''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to individuals whose initial enrollment period under section 
1837(d) of the Social Security Act begins on or after the first day of 
the effective month, specified by the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services under section 1839(j)(1)(C) of such Act, as added by 
subsection (c)(2).
    (c) Transition Providing Special Enrollment Period and Limit on 
Late Enrollment Penalties for Certain Medicare Beneficiaries.--Section 
1839 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395r) is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence of subsection (b), by inserting 
        ``subject to section 1839(j)(2),'' after ``subsection (i)(4) or 
        (l) of section 1837,''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(j) Special Rules for Certain Residents of Puerto Rico.--
            ``(1) Special enrollment period, coverage period for 
        residents who are eligible but not enrolled.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of a transition 
                individual (as defined in paragraph (3)) who is not 
                enrolled under this part as of the day before the first 
                day of the effective month (as defined in subparagraph 
                (C)), the Secretary shall provide for a special 
                enrollment period under section 1837 of 7 months 
                beginning with such effective month during which the 
                individual may be enrolled under this part.
                    ``(B) Coverage period.--In the case of such an 
                individual who enrolls during such special enrollment 
                period, the coverage period under section 1838 shall 
                begin on the first day of the second month after the 
                month in which the individual enrolls.
                    ``(C) Effective month defined.--In this section, 
                the term `effective month' means a month, not earlier 
                than October 2016 and not later than January 2017, 
                specified by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Reduction in late enrollment penalties for current 
        enrollees and individuals enrolling during transition.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of a transition 
                individual who is enrolled under this part as of the 
                day before the first day of the effective month or who 
                enrolls under this part on or after the date of the 
                enactment of this subsection but before the end of the 
                special enrollment period under paragraph (1)(A), the 
                amount of the late enrollment penalty imposed under 
                section 1839(b) shall be recalculated by reducing the 
                penalty to 15 percent of the penalty otherwise 
                established.
                    ``(B) Application.--Subparagraph (A) shall be 
                applied in the case of a transition individual who--
                            ``(i) is enrolled under this part as of the 
                        month before the effective month, for premiums 
                        for months beginning with such effective month; 
                        or
                            ``(ii) enrolls under this part on or after 
                        the date of the enactment of this Act and 
                        before the end of the special enrollment period 
                        under paragraph (1)(A), for premiums for months 
                        during the coverage period under this part 
                        which occur during or after the effective 
                        month.
                    ``(C) Loss of reduction if individual terminates 
                enrollment.--Subparagraph (A) shall not apply to a 
                transition individual if the individual terminates 
                enrollment under this part after the end of the special 
                enrollment period under paragraph (1).
            ``(3) Transition individual defined.--In this section, the 
        term `transition individual' means an individual who resides in 
        Puerto Rico and who would have been deemed enrolled under this 
        part pursuant to section 1837(f) before the first day of the 
        effective month but for the fact that the individual was a 
        resident of Puerto Rico, regardless of whether the individual 
        is enrolled under this part as of such first day.''.
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