Congress 107 - HR 4684 - Early Medicare Access and Affordability Act of 2002

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Cosponsors

Topics

Access to health care Coinsurance Congress Congressional information resources Congressional reporting requirements Crime and Law Enforcement Dislocated workers Early retirement Economics and Public Finance Employee health benefits Families Finance and Financial Sector Government trust funds Health Health insurance Health insurance continuation Insurance premiums Insurance rates Labor and Employment Married people Medicaid Medical economics Medically underinsured Medicare Medicare fraud Poor Retiree health benefits Social Welfare

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Summary

Early Medicare Access and Affordability Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add part D (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 62-to-65 Years of Age) (Medicare buy-in) entitling to the same Medicare benefits as an individual entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) an enrolled individual age 62 to 65 who: (1) would be eligible for such benefits if 65; but (2) is not eligible for benefits under a Federal health insurance program or a group health plan.

Provides for monthly premiums, and creates the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund to hold them.

Amends SSA title XVIII to provide access to Medicare benefits to displaced workers age 55-to-62 and their spouses.

Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation benefits for certain retired workers who lose retiree health coverage.

Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to require State Medicaid plans to provide for Federal Medicare-cost sharing premium assistance for certain low-income individuals enrolled under the part D program.

Actions

Sep 25, 2002

Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
May 17, 2002

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Chairman.
May 8, 2002

Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce, 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.
May 8, 2002

Introduced in House

Amendments

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