Ensuring Equal Access to Treatments Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1466
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]
Introduced: 2015-05-22
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Drug therapy

Health technology, devices, supplies

Home and outpatient care

Medicare
Latest action: action_date: 2015-05-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-05-22
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Ensuring Equal Access to Treatments Act of 2015</b></p> <p>Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create certain additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately, from those that do not utilize such a drug, procedures that utilize a drug (other than contrast agents, diagnostic radiopharmaceutical, or anesthesia drugs) that both has a cost above the drug packaging threshold and functions as a supply when used in a diagnostic test or procedure.</p>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1466 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 22, 2015 Mr. Kirk (for himself, Mr. Menendez , Mr. Burr , Mr. Schumer , and Mr. Carper ) 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 modify payment under the Medicare program for outpatient department procedures that utilize drugs as supplies, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Ensuring Equal Access to Treatments Act of 2015 . 2. Payment under the Medicare program for outpatient department procedures that utilize drugs as supplies Section 1833(t)(2)(G) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395l(t)(2)(G) ) is amended by striking shall and all that follows and inserting the following: shall— (i) create additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize contrast agents from those that do not; (ii) create and implement, for services furnished after the date of the enactment of this clause and in a budget neutral manner, additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize a drug (other than contrast agents, diagnostic ra­di­o­phar­ma­ceu­ti­cals, or anesthesia drugs) that both— (I) has a cost above the drug packaging threshold; and (II) functions as a supply when used in a diagnostic test or procedure; from those that do not; and .