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Medigap Portability Act of 1997

Introduced: February 11, 1997 See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 11, 1997
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Feb 11, 1997
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1236-1238)
Feb 11, 1997
Introduced in Senate
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Medigap Portability Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policies, providing for additional consumer protections, among them: (1) guaranteeing policy issuance (with no preexisting condition exclusions and no discrimination in pricing because of the individual's health, claims experience, or disability) to certain individuals who have had continuous coverage (or no break in coverage longer than 63 days), if the policy in which they wish to enroll has a comparable or less generous benefits package; (2) prohibiting insurers from excluding benefits based on a pre-existing condition during the initial six-month enrollment period after an individual first becomes eligible for Medicare; and (3) extending the six-month initial enrollment period to non-elderly Medicare beneficiaries.

Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to private, independent, nonprofit consumer organizations and State agencies applying to conduct programs to prepare and make available to Medicare beneficiaries comprehensive and understandable information on enrollment in health plans with a Medicare managed care contract and in Medigap policies in which they are eligible to enroll. Requires any eligible organization with a Medicare managed care contract or any issuer of a Medigap policy to conduct a consumer satisfaction survey of the enrollees under such contract or policy, and make the results available to the Secretary and the State Insurance Commissioner of the State in which the enrollees are so enrolled. Requires each organization which provides a Medicare managed care contract or issues a Medigap policy to pay to the Secretary its pro rata share of the estimated costs to be incurred in providing the grants.

What's happening now February 11, 1997

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1