Senior Bill of Rights Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-1733
Sponsor: Rep. Crowley, Joseph [D-NY-7]
Introduced: 2003-04-10 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Antibiotics
Armed Forces and National Security
Auditing
Business records
Campaign funds
Canada
Chief executive officers
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil actions and liability
Coinsurance
Commerce
Competition
Competitive bidding
Congress
Congressional elections
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer complaints
Consumer discounts
Cost control
Costs
Department of Health and Human Services
Disabled
Drug advertising
Drug approvals
Drug industry
Drug interactions
Drugs
Economics and Public Finance
Employee health benefits
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to research
Finance and Financial Sector
Fines (Penalties)
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Generic drugs
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Government trust funds
Governmental investigations
Health care fraud
Health education
Health insurance
Health insurance continuation
Health maintenance organizations
Imports
Income tax
Indexing (Economic policy)
Injunctions
Insulin
Insurance premiums
Intellectual property
Labor and Employment
Latin America
Law
Managed care
Medicaid
Medical economics
Medical records
Medicare
Medigap
Mexico
Old age, survivors and disability insurance
Patent infringement
Patents
Patient satisfaction
Pharmaceutical research
Pharmacies
Prescription pricing
Presidential elections
Price discrimination
Quality of care
Rebates
Research and development
Research grants
Restrictive trade practices
Retiree health benefits
Right of petition
Right of privacy
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Social security finance
Standards
Tax deductions
Tax rates
Taxation
Telephone
Terminal care
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2003-04-10
text: Senior Bill of Rights Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for a voluntary Medicare outpatient prescription medicine benefit program with a monthly premium of $25, a $100 annual deductible, 20 percent coinsurance, and an annual out-of-pocket spending limit of $2,000. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate for maximum prices with medicine manufacturers.
Establishes a Medicare Prescription Medicine Advisory Committee.
Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) to require Medicare+Choice organizations to make actuarially equivalent outpatient prescription medicines available under their plans. Requires Medigap policies also to cover such medicines. Provides for transitional assistance to low-income beneficiaries.
Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act of 2003 - Requires each participating manufacturer to make covered outpatient drugs available at a price no greater than the manufacturer's average foreign price. Declares the sense of Congress that the cost disparity between identical prescription drugs sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico should be reduced or eliminated.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow any deduction for any amount paid or incurred for a direct-to-consumer advertisement of a prescription drug.
Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) with respect to: (1) abbreviated new generic drug applications, including forfeit to the next applicant by previous applicants who fail to market a drug within 90 days of approval or meet other specified requirements; (2) specified bioequivalence tests other than those for absorption rate and extent assessment; (3) requirements for citizen petitions regarding new drug applications; (4) actions for patent infringement; and (5) requirements for new drug applications, including mandatory patent information.
Preserving Access to Safe Affordable Canadian Medicines Act of 2003 - Amends FFDCA to prohibit prescription medication manufacturers from taking actions to discriminate against, or cause other persons to discriminate against, U.S. consumers regarding the purchase of prescription medications from Canadian pharmacies.
Prohibits the Commissioner of Food and Drugs from approving any new drug application that does not, before completion of the approval process, provide the Secretary a written statement specifying the total cost of research and development with respect to such drug.
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit the chief executive officer of a pharmaceutical company from contributing to a political party or candidate.
Rescinds the February 2002 veterans medication copayment increase, and reinstates the $2 copayment.
Declares that all Social Security and Medicare funds shall be walled off into a lock box that may not be raided for new programs or tax cuts for the rich.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-05-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-04-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-04-23
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-04-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Veterans' Affairs, and House Administration, 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: 2003-04-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Veterans' Affairs, and House Administration, 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: 2003-04-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Veterans' Affairs, and House Administration, 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: 2003-04-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Veterans' Affairs, and House Administration, 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: 2003-04-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Veterans' Affairs, and House Administration, 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: 2003-04-10
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-04-10
text: Introduced in House