II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1655 

To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for the annual 

mailing of statements of Medicare beneficiary part A contributions and 

benefits in coordination with the annual mailing of Social Security account statements. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 5, 2011 

Mr. CORKER (for himself and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide 

for the annual mailing of statements of Medicare beneficiary part A contributions and benefits in coordination 

with the annual mailing of Social Security account statements. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Medicare Information 

5 Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ANNUAL MEDICARE BENEFICIARY PART A CON2 TRIBUTIONS AND BENEFITS STATEMENTS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of title XI of the Social 

4 Security Act is amended by inserting after section 1143 

5 (42 U.S.C. 1320b–13) the following new section: 

6 ‘‘ANNUAL MEDICARE BENEFICIARY PART A

7 CONTRIBUTIONS AND BENEFITS STATEMENTS

8 ‘‘SEC. 1143A. (a) PROVISION.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 2 

10 years after the date of the enactment of this section, 

11 the Secretary, in coordination with the Commis12 sioner of Social Security, shall provide a statement 

13 described in subsection (b) (in this section referred 

14 to as an ‘annual Medicare part A information state15 ment’) on an annual basis to each eligible individual 

16 (as defined in subsection (d)) for whom a current 

17 mailing address can be determined through such 

18 methods as the Secretary determines to be appro19 priate. 

20 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION IN SINGLE MAILING WITH

21 SOCIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT STATEMENTS.—In order 

22 to avoid sending separate statements under this sec23 tion and section 1143 in the case of an individual 

24 for whom a social security account statement is pro25 vided under section 1143 and a separate annual 

26 Medicare part A information statement would otherVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:36 Oct 06, 2011 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1655.IS S1655

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1 wise be provided under this section, the Secretary 

2 shall coordinate with the Commissioner of Social Se3 curity, whether through transmittal of data or other4 wise, in a manner so that the annual Medicare part 

5 A information statement is included and sent with 

6 such social security account statement. 

7 ‘‘(3) METHODOLOGY.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in con9 sultation with the Commissioner of Social Secu10 rity and the Secretary of the Treasury, shall 

11 specify the methodology to be used in esti12 mating lifetime contributions and lifetime bene13 fits with respect to annual Medicare part A in14 formation statements. Such methodology for 

15 computing the lifespan of an individual shall be 

16 the same methodology used for purposes of the 

17 social security account statement under section 

18 1143. 

19 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION OF DESCRIPTION IN

20 STATEMENT.—The Secretary shall include a 

21 brief description of the key assumptions used in 

22 such methodology in the annual Medicare part 

23 A information statements. 

24 ‘‘(4) SUMMARY OF MEDICARE PART A PRO25 GRAM.—Each annual Medicare part A information 


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1 statement shall include a summary of part A of the 

2 Medicare program. Such summary shall also include 

3 a summary description of benefits and enrollment 

4 options under parts B, C, and D of title XVIII, but 

5 shall indicate that the information described in sub6 section (b) does not include information related to 

7 contributions and benefits under those parts. 

8 ‘‘(b) MEDICARE PART A INFORMATION STATEMENT

9 DESCRIBED.—In addition to the information described in 

10 paragraphs (3)(B) and (4) of subsection (a), each annual 

11 Medicare part A information statement for an eligible in12 dividual shall contain the following: 

13 ‘‘(1) HI EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS.—The 

14 total contributions described in section 

15 1143(a)(2)(C) for the individual— 

16 ‘‘(A) for the most recent year for which 

17 data are available; 

18 ‘‘(B) to the extent feasible, for previous pe19 riods through the end of such year; and 

20 ‘‘(C) as projected for the individual during 

21 the individual’s lifetime. 

22 To the extent feasible, of such total contributions 

23 the portion that is attributable to employer, em24 ployee, and self-employment contributions. 


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1 ‘‘(2) MEDICARE PART A BENEFITS.—In the 

2 case of an eligible individual— 

3 ‘‘(A) who, for such most recent year, was 

4 entitled to benefits under part A of title XVIII, 

5 the total value of such benefits provided to the 

6 individual under such part as of the end of such 

7 year and, to the extent feasible, the total value 

8 of such benefits for such individual for previous 

9 periods through the end of such year; and 

10 ‘‘(B) an estimate of the actuarial value of 

11 the expected benefits under such part for the 

12 individual during the individual’s lifetime, in13 cluding (but stated separately) any benefits de14 scribed in subparagraph (A). 

15 ‘‘(3) COMPARISON.—An appropriate comparison 

16 of such contributions with such benefits. 

17 ‘‘(c) RECORDS RETENTION.—The Secretary shall 

18 provide for the indefinite retention of information that— 

19 ‘‘(1) is described in subsection (b), including 

20 benefits described in subsection (b)(2); and 

21 ‘‘(2) the Secretary has not discarded as of the 

22 date of the enactment of this section. 

23 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this sec24 tion, the term ‘eligible individual’ means an individual— 

25 ‘‘(1) who has a social security account number; 


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1 ‘‘(2) who has attained age 25 or over; and 

2 ‘‘(3) who is entitled to benefits under part A of 

3 title XVIII or who, as of the end of the most recent 

4 year referred to in subsection (b)(1)(A), has had any 

5 contributions described in subsection (b)(1) made 

6 with respect to the individual during such year or a 

7 previous year.’’. 

8 (b) INCLUSION OF SOCIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT

9 STATEMENT FOR THOSE RECEIVING ANNUAL MEDICARE

10 PART A INFORMATION STATEMENT.—Section 1143(a)(3) 

11 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–13(a)(3)) is amended by 

12 adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘Such term includes an individual not described in the 

14 previous sentence who is an eligible individual (as defined 

15 in subsection (d) of section 1143A) for whom an annual 

16 Medicare part A information statement is provided under 

17 such section.’’. 

Æ 


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