Medicare Safety Net Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-3332
Sponsor: Rep. Burton, Dan [R-IN-5]
Introduced: 2003-10-17 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Abortion
Ambulatory care
Case management
Catastrophic health insurance
Chronically ill
Coinsurance
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Contraceptives
Cost of living adjustments
Crime and Law Enforcement
Department of Health and Human Services
Drug industry
Drug interactions
Drug therapy
Drugs
Economics and Public Finance
Electronic data interchange
Electronic government information
Executive reorganization
Fines (Penalties)
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Generic drugs
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Government trust funds
Grievance procedures
Health care fraud
Health counseling
Health education
Identification devices
Imports
Indexing (Economic policy)
Insurance premiums
Intellectual property
Intergovernmental fiscal relations
Medicaid
Medical fees
Medical savings accounts
Medically uninsured
Medicare
Packaging
Pharmacies
Pharmacists
Prescription pricing
Product counterfeiting
Product safety
Quality of care
Reproduction
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Tax returns
Taxation
Telephone
Welfare eligibility

Summary:
action_date: 2003-10-17
text: 
Medicare Safety Net Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to add a new part D (Safety Net Medicare Outpatient Prescription Drug Program for Indigent, Uncovered Beneficiaries). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Medicare Safety Net Outpatient Prescription Drug Program under which an eligible beneficiary who voluntarily enrolls in such program is provided: (1) access to negotiated prices for costs before catastrophic threshold; (2) catastrophic coverage under the program; and (3) a prescription drug account and a public contribution into such account. Creates within the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund the Safety Net Prescription Drug Account for making payments to operate this new program. Excludes from calculation of the best price for covered outpatient drugs any prices charged which are negotiated by the Secretary under this program.
 
Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to provide for verification of eligibility for benefits under the new part D program.
 
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the importation of prescription drugs to direct the Secretary to promulgate regulations permitting individuals who are not pharmacists or wholesalers to import prescription drugs into the United States without regard to recordkeeping and other requirements currently applicable to pharmacists and wholesalers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-11-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-10-27
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-10-17
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-10-17
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-10-17
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-10-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-10-17
text: Introduced in House