II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1926 

To ensure access to screening mammography services. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 4, 2015 

Ms. MIKULSKI (for herself and Ms. AYOTTE) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To ensure access to screening mammography services. 

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 ‘‘Protecting Access to 

5 Lifesaving Screenings Act’’ or the ‘‘PALS Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ENSURING ACCESS TO SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY 

7 SERVICES. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Effective during the period begin9 ning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending Jan10 uary 1, 2018, any provision of law that refers (including 

11 through cross-reference to another provision of law) to the 

12 current recommendations of the United States Preventive 

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•S 1926 IS

1 Services Task Force with respect to breast cancer screen2 ing, mammography, and prevention shall be administered 

3 by the Secretary involved as if— 

4 (1) such reference to such current recommenda5 tions were a reference to the recommendations of 

6 such Task Force with respect to breast cancer 

7 screening, mammography, and prevention last issued 

8 before 2009; and 

9 (2) such recommendations last issued before 

10 2009 applied to any screening mammography modal11 ity under section 1861(jj) of the Social Security Act 

12 (42 U.S.C. 1395x(jj)). 

13 (b) CODIFICATION OF CURRENT MEDICARE COV14 ERAGE AND PAYMENT POLICIES.— 

15 (1) DEFINITION.—Section 1861(jj) of the So16 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(jj)) is amended 

17 by inserting ‘‘, including any digital modality of such 

18 a procedure,’’ after ‘‘radiologic procedure’’. 

19 (2) COINSURANCE.—Section 1833(a)(1)(Y) of 

20 such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(a)(1)(Y)) is amended by 

21 inserting ‘‘or are services described in section 

22 1861(jj)’’ after ‘‘population’’. 

23 (3) FREQUENCY.—Section 1834(c)(2)(B)(ii) of 

24 such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(c)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended 

25 by inserting before the period at the end the folmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 lowing: ‘‘for women described only in clause (i) or 

2 (ii) of subparagraph (A)’’. 

3 (c) GAO STUDY AND REPORT.— 

4 (1) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the 

5 United States shall conduct a study on the meth6 odologies and processes by which the United States 

7 Preventive Services Task Force develops rec8 ommendations regarding preventive services, includ9 ing the transparency of such methodologies and 

10 processes, the engagement of stakeholders in such 

11 methodologies and processes, the responses of the 

12 Task Force to comments from stakeholders regard13 ing draft research plans, draft evidence reviews, and 

14 draft recommendations, and the propriety of the 

15 data and other information on which the Task Force 

16 relies in developing a recommendation regarding a 

17 preventive service. 

18 (2) REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the 

19 United States shall submit to the Secretary of 

20 Health and Human Services and to the appropriate 

21 committees of Congress, not later than 2 years after 

22 the date of the enactment of this Act, a report on 

23 the results of the study conducted under paragraph 

24 (1), including any recommendations for administra25 tive or legislative changes the Comptroller General 

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1 determines necessary or appropriate to improve the 

2 methodologies and processes by which the United 

3 States Preventive Services Task Force develops rec4 ommendations regarding preventive services. 

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