I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3457 
To require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct an 
evaluation on the extent to which the Medicare and Medicaid programs 
provide reasonable accommodations to individuals who are blind or vis-
ually impaired. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 27, 2017 
Mr. BILIRAKIS (for himself and Ms. ESHOO) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Comptroller General of the United States 
to conduct an evaluation on the extent to which the 
Medicare and Medicaid programs provide reasonable ac-
commodations to individuals who are blind or visually 
impaired. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. GAO STUDY ON MEDICARE AND MEDICAID PRO-
GRAMS. 
Not later than one year after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
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States shall conduct an evaluation, and submit to Con-
gress a report, on the extent to which reasonable accom-
modations, as required under Federal law, are provided 
under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the So-
cial Security Act and the Medicaid program under title 
XIX of such Act to individuals who are blind or visually 
impaired. Such evaluation and report shall include infor-
mation on— 
(1) an estimate of the number of Medicare 
beneficiaries and the number of Medicaid enrollees 
who are blind or visually impaired or would self- 
identify as such using available data, such as the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National 
Health Interview Survey or Medicare/Medicaid ICD 
codes or Census data or other data sources; 
(2) how the Medicare and Medicaid programs 
inform blind or visually impaired individuals that in-
formation can be available in other formats; 
(3) the number of complaints submitted to the 
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or State 
Medicaid agencies claiming materials are not being 
provided in an accessible format and whether such 
a failure to provide such materials in such a format 
resulted in— 
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(A) an interruption in coverage or denial in 
care; or 
(B) the failure to appeal such a denial be-
fore the specified deadline (and the number of 
times such a deadline had been extended); 
(4) how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services and State Medicaid agencies identify Medi-
care beneficiaries and Medicaid beneficiaries who are 
blind or visually impaired or who self-identify as 
such; and 
(5) the accommodations that the Medicare and 
Medicaid programs make to ensure communications, 
including written materials, are accessible for the 
blind, visually impaired, or individuals who self-iden-
tify as such, and how individuals are informed of 
these options. 
Æ 
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