Protecting Beneficiary Access to Complex Rehab Technology Act of 2019

Bill: 116-s-1223
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2019-04-29
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health technology, devices, supplies

Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care

Medicare
Latest action: action_date: 2019-04-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-04-29
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Protecting Beneficiary Access to Complex Rehab Technology Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill excludes specified wheelchairs and associated accessories from Medicare's competitive acquisition program (in which rates are set through a competitive bidding program rather than by an established fee schedule).</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1223 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 29, 2019 Mr. Casey (for himself and Mr. Portman ) 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 provide for the non-application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting Beneficiary Access to Complex Rehab Technology Act of 2019 . 2. Clarifying non-application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories Section 1834(a)(1)(F) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395m(a)(1)(F) ) is amended— (1) in clause (ii), by striking at the end and ; (2) in clause (iii), by striking at the end the period and inserting ; and ; and (3) by adding at the end the following new clause: (iv) in the case of covered items furnished on or after July 1, 2019, the Secretary shall not apply this subparagraph or any other provision of this title to use information from the competitive acquisition program to determine payment amounts for items excluded from such competitive acquisition program, including all complex rehabilitative manual and power wheelchairs classified by the Secretary as of January 1, 2015, and, without limitation, any wheelchair accessory, cushion, or back when furnished in connection with a complex rehabilitative manual or power wheelchair. .