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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2810 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 434
109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2810

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate months in 
  2006 from the calculation of any late enrollment penalty under the 
Medicare part D prescription drug program and to provide for additional 
    funding for State health insurance counseling programs and area 
               agencies on aging, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 16, 2006

   Mr. Grassley (for himself, Mr. Baucus, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Nelson of 
Florida, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Carper, Mr. Talent, Mrs. Lincoln, Ms. Snowe, Ms. 
Cantwell, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Burns, Mr. Conrad, Ms. Murkowski, 
 Mrs. Murray, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Hatch) introduced the following bill; 
                     which was read the first time

                              May 17, 2006

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate months in 
  2006 from the calculation of any late enrollment penalty under the 
Medicare part D prescription drug program and to provide for additional 
    funding for State health insurance counseling programs and area 
               agencies on aging, and for other purposes.

    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 Late Enrollment Assistance 
Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF MONTHS IN 2006 FROM THE CALCULATION OF ANY LATE 
              ENROLLMENT PENALTY UNDER MEDICARE PART D.

    (a) Elimination.--Section 1860D-13(b)(3)(B) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1895w-113(b)(3)(B)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new sentence: ``In no case shall any month in 2006 be 
considered to be an uncovered month under this subsection.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 101(a) of the 
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 
(Public Law 108-173; 117 Stat. 2071).

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR STATE HEALTH INSURANCE COUNSELING 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated, there are appropriated $13,000,000 to the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2007, for the purpose of 
providing grants to States for State health insurance counseling 
programs receiving assistance under section 4360 of the Omnibus 
Reconciliation Act of 1990.
    (b) Allocation.--
            (1) Allocation based on percentage of low-income 
        beneficiaries.--The amount of a grant to a State under this 
        section from \1/2\ of the total amount made available under 
        subsection (a) shall be based on the number of individuals that 
        meet the requirement under section 1860D-14(a)(3)(A)(ii) of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-114(a)(3)(A)(ii)) relative 
        to the total number of part D eligible individuals (as defined 
        in section 1860D-1(a)(3)(A) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-
        101(a)(3))) in each State, as estimated by the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services.
            (2) Allocation based on percentage of rural 
        beneficiaries.--The amount of a grant to a State under this 
        section from \1/2\ of the total amount made available under 
        subsection (a) shall be based on the number of part D eligible 
        individuals (as so defined) residing in a rural area (as 
        determined by the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & 
        Medicaid Services) relative to the total number of such 
        individuals in each State, as estimated by the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services.
    (c) Availability.--Amounts made available under subsection (a) 
shall remain available--
            (1) for obligation until November 1, 2006; and
            (2) for expenditure until June 30, 2008.

SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR AREA AGENCIES ON AGING.

    (a) In General.--Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated, there are appropriated $5,000,000 to the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2007, to enable the Assistant 
Secretary on Aging to provide grants to States for area agencies on 
aging (as defined in section 102 of the Older American Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3002)). Such assistance shall be used to provide eligible 
Medicare beneficiaries with information regarding benefits under title 
XVIII of the Social Security Act.
    (b) Allocation Based on Percentage of Low-Income and Rural 
Beneficiaries.--The amount of a grant to a State under this section 
from the total amount made available under subsection (a) shall be 
determined in the same manner as the amount of a grant to a State under 
section 4 from the total amount made available under subsection (a) of 
such section is determined under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 
(b) of such section.
    (c) Availability.--Amounts made available under subsection (a) 
shall remain available--
            (1) for obligation until November 1, 2006; and
            (2) for expenditure until June 30, 2008.

SEC. 5. MEDICARE ADVANTAGE REGIONAL PLAN STABILIZATION FUND REVISIONS.

    (a) In general.--Section 1858(e)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395w-27a(e)(5)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) Additional limitation.--In no case may the 
                total expenditures from the Fund--
                                    ``(I) prior to October 1, 2007, 
                                exceed $566,000,000;
                                    ``(II) during the period beginning 
                                on October 1, 2007, and ending on 
                                September 30, 2011, exceed 
                                $4,507,000,000.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 221(c) of the 
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 
(Public Law 108-173; 117 Stat. 2181).
                                                       Calendar No. 434

109th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 2810

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate months in 
  2006 from the calculation of any late enrollment penalty under the 
Medicare part D prescription drug program and to provide for additional 
    funding for State health insurance counseling programs and area 
               agencies on aging, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                              May 17, 2006

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar
```