II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2412 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect coverage for 

screening mammography, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 21, 2021 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mrs. BLACKBURN, and Mrs. SHAHEEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect 

coverage for screening mammography, and for other purposes. 

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 of 2021’’ or the ‘‘PALS Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PROTECTING COVERAGE FOR SCREENING MAM7 MOGRAPHY. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Effective during the period begin9 ning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending 


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1 January 1, 2028, any provision of law that refers (includ2 ing through cross-reference to another provision of law) 

3 to the current recommendations of the United States Pre4 ventive Services Task Force with respect to breast cancer 

5 screening mammography shall be administered as if— 

6 (1) such reference to such current recommenda7 tions were a reference to the recommendations of 

8 such Task Force with respect to breast cancer 

9 screening mammography last issued before 2009; 

10 and 

11 (2) such recommendations last issued before 

12 2009 applied to any screening mammography modal13 ity under section 1861(jj) of the Social Security Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 1395x(jj)). 

15 (b) CONTINUING MEDICARE COVERAGE WITHOUT

16 COINSURANCE.—Section 1833(a)(1)(Y) of the Social Se17 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(a)(1)(Y)) is amended by in18 serting after ‘‘in the case of such services described in sub19 paragraph (A)’’ the following: ‘‘(other than screening 

20 mammography)’’. 

21 (c) MAINTAINING FREQUENCY OF MEDICARE COV22 ERAGE.—Section 1834(c)(2)(B)(ii) of the Social Security 

23 Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(c)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended by insert24 ing before the period at the end the following: ‘‘, except 


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1 that in the case of a woman over 39 years of age, such 

2 revision may not decrease such frequency’’. 

3 (d) CLARIFYING THE DEFINITION OF SCREENING

4 MAMMOGRAPHY.—Section 1861(jj) of the Social Security 

5 Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(jj)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, in6 cluding any digital modality (such as screening breast 

7 tomosynthesis) of such a procedure,’’ after ‘‘radiologic 

8 procedure’’. 

9 (e) APPLICATION TO SERVICES FURNISHED

10 THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.—Sec11 tion 7322(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended 

12 to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘(b) The policy developed under subsection (a), and 

14 any other policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

15 relating to mammography screening, shall— 

16 ‘‘(1) specify standards of mammography screen17 ing that ensure that the frequency of such 

18 screenings is not less than the frequency of such 

19 screenings provided pursuant to section 2(a) of the 

20 Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act of 

21 2021; 

22 ‘‘(2) provide recommendations, consistent with 

23 paragraph (1), with respect to screening, and the 

24 frequency of screening, for veterans, without regard 


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1 to age, who have clinical symptoms, risk factors, or 

2 family history of breast cancer; and 

3 ‘‘(3) provide for clinician discretion in indi4 vidual cases.’’. 

Æ 


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