I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5615 
To amend title II of the Social Security Act to waive the 24-month waiting 
period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with distant stage cancer. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 14, 2006 
Mr. PALLONE (for himself and Mr. STARK) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To amend title II of the Social Security Act to waive the 
24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of indi-
viduals disabled with distant stage cancer. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Dean Gallo Cancer Patient Compassion Act of 2006’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) It is estimated that over 1,300,000 new 
cases of cancer are diagnosed each year. 
(2) Roughly, 86,000 or 7 percent of all diag-
nosed cancer patients have no health insurance. 
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(3) Lung and colorectal cancers alone account 
for over a quarter of all new cases of cancer. 
(4) The 5-year survival rate for individuals with 
distant stage lung cancers is 3 percent. 
(5) The 5-year survival rate for individuals with 
distant stage colorectal cancer is 9 percent. 
(6) Individuals suffering from cancer who re-
ceive Social Security Disability benefits must wait 
24 months for Medicare eligibility. 
SEC. 2. WAIVER OF 24-MONTH WAITING PERIOD FOR MEDI-
CARE COVERAGE OF INDIVIDUALS DISABLED 
WITH CANCER. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 226(h) of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 426(h)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and 
(3), as subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), respec-
tively; 
(2) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(h)’’; 
(3) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) 
of paragraph (1), as so redesignated, by striking ‘‘an 
individual medically determined to have amyotrophic 
lateral sclerosis (ALS)’’ and inserting ‘‘an individual 
described in paragraph (2)’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
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‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), an indi-
vidual described in this paragraph is any of the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) An individual medically determined to 
have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 
‘‘(B) An individual medically determined to 
have stage III or IV cancer who is not enrolled, 
or who may not be enrolled, in a group health 
plan described in section 1862(b)(1)(A)(v), or a 
large group health plan described in section 
1862(b)(1)(B)(iii), by reason of the individual’s 
current or former employment or by reason of 
the current or former employment status of a 
member of the individual’s family.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to benefits for months beginning 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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