A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide residents of long-term care facilities with assistance with respect to prescription drug coverage under part D of such title for the resident.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Long-Term Care Resident Part D 
Assistance Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. PART D ASSISTANCE FOR RESIDENTS OF LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1860D-42 of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395w-152) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(c) Assistance for Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities.--
            ``(1) Procedures and waiver of requirements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish 
                procedures and may waive requirements of this part as 
                necessary to provide assistance to residents of long-
                term care facilities with respect to coverage under 
                this part for the resident.
                    ``(B) Requirements.--The procedures under 
                subparagraph (A) shall include at least the following:
                            ``(i) Dedicated toll-free number.--The 
                        establishment of a toll-free telephone number 
                        for staff members of long-term care facilities 
                        to request information regarding coverage under 
                        this part for the resident.
                            ``(ii) Assistance in selecting a plan 
                        rather than auto enrollment in a random plan.--
                        Notwithstanding section 1860D-1(b)(1)(C), in 
                        the case of a part D eligible individual who is 
                        a full-benefit dual eligible individual (as 
                        defined in section 1935(c)(6)), who is a 
                        resident of a long-term care facility, and who 
                        has failed to enroll in a prescription drug 
                        plan or an MA-PD plan, rather than randomly 
                        enrolling such an individual in a plan pursuant 
                        to such section, the Secretary shall coordinate 
                        with the resident and the long-term care 
                        facility to facilitate selection of and 
                        enrollment in the most appropriate plan under 
                        this part for the resident.
                            ``(iii) Reimbursement of certain costs.--
                        The provision of reimbursement to long-term 
                        care facilities for the following costs:
                                    ``(I) Costs associated with new 
                                requirements.--Costs associated with 
                                the requirements under paragraph (2).
                                    ``(II) Prescription drug 
                                expenditures for covered part d 
                                drugs.--The amount that the long-term 
                                care facility expends for payment for 
                                covered part D drugs for residents of 
                                the long-term care facility who are 
                                part D eligible individuals enrolled in 
                                a prescription drug plan under this 
                                part but were unable to access on a 
                                timely basis prescription drug benefits 
                                to which they were entitled under such 
                                plan.
                                    ``(III) Providing part d assistance 
                                for residents of long-term care 
                                facilities.--Costs associated with 
                                providing part D assistance for 
                                residents of long-term care facilities 
                                (including technical assistance in 
                                filling prescriptions, time spent 
                                waiting on the telephone or online to 
                                determine what plan a resident is 
                                enrolled in, and costs associated with 
                                advocating for residents by filing 
                                appeals or facilitating plan changes).
            ``(2) Requirements for long-term care facilities.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of a long-term care 
                facility receiving reimbursement under this title, the 
                facility shall have in place procedures for--
                            ``(i) educating residents who are part D 
                        eligible individuals about the prescription 
                        drug coverage available through plans under 
                        this part; and
                            ``(ii) providing technical assistance, 
                        phone support, and counseling for such 
                        residents to facilitate selection of and 
                        enrollment in the most appropriate plan under 
                        this part for the resident.
                    ``(B) Requirement.--The procedures under 
                subparagraph (A) shall include a requirement that the 
                facility periodically ascertain (and inform the 
                resident regarding) whether or not the plan in which 
                the resident is enrolled in--
                            ``(i) provides coverage of the covered part 
                        D drugs that the resident requires; and
                            ``(ii) has a contract with a pharmacy that 
                        supports the facility.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the date of enactment of this Act.

Summary: Long-Term Care Resident Part D Assistance Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish procedures in order to provide residents of long-term care (LTC) facilities with assistance with respect to prescription drug coverage under part D . Requires such procedures to include at least: (1) a dedicated toll-free telephone number for LTC facility staff to request coverage information. And (2) plan selection assistance for full-benefit dual eligible LTC facility residents who have failed to enroll in a prescription drug plan or a Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plan.