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S 470 116th Congress Senate

Medicare at 50 Act

Official title: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an option for any citizen or permanent resident of the United States age 50 to 64 to buy into Medicare.

Introduced: February 13, 2019 See on congress.gov
Health Advisory bodiesGovernment trust fundsHealth care costs and insuranceHealth care coverage and access
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Inflation and pricesMedicaidMedicarePrescription drugsPublic contracts and procurement
This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 13, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Feb 13, 2019
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action February 13, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Medicare at 50 Act

This bill establishes a Medicare buy-in option for certain qualifying individuals and also repeals restrictions relating to prescription drug prices under the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Specifically, the bill allows individuals aged 50 to 64 to enroll in Medicare if such individuals would otherwise qualify for Medicare at the age of 65. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must determine enrollment periods and set premiums for the buy-in option established under the bill, in accordance with specified requirements. The CMS must also award grants to states and nonprofit organizations for outreach and enrollment activities relating to the buy-in option.

The bill also repeals provisions that prohibit the CMS from negotiating the prices of prescription drugs or from establishing a formulary under the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 470: Medicare at 50 Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-470/
MLA
"S. 470: Medicare at 50 Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-470/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 470, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-470/.
Markdown link
[S. 470: Medicare at 50 Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-470/)
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