116th CONGRESS 1st Session |
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect coverage for screening mammography, and for other purposes.
June 20, 2019
Mrs. Blackburn (for herself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Capito, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Portman, Ms. Warren, Ms. Klobuchar, and Ms. Stabenow) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect coverage for screening mammography, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act of 2019” or the “PALS Act”.
SEC. 2. Protecting coverage for screening mammography.
(a) In General.—Effective during the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending January 1, 2025, any provision of law that refers (including through cross-reference to another provision of law) to the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force with respect to breast cancer screening mammography shall be administered as if—
(1) such reference to such current recommendations were a reference to the recommendations of such Task Force with respect to breast cancer screening mammography last issued before 2009; and
(2) such recommendations last issued before 2009 applied to any screening mammography modality under section 1861(jj) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(jj)).
(b) Continuing medicare coverage without coinsurance.—Section 1833(a)(1)(Y) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(a)(1)(Y)) is amended by inserting after “in the case of such services described in subparagraph (A)” the following: “(other than screening mammography)”.
(c) Maintaining frequency of medicare coverage.—Section 1834(c)(2)(B)(ii) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(c)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended by inserting before the period at the end the following: “, except that in the case of a woman over 39 years of age, such revision may not decrease such frequency”.
(d) Clarifying the definition of screening mammography.—Section 1861(jj) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(jj)) is amended by inserting “, including any digital modality (such as screening breast tomosynthesis) of such a procedure,” after “radiologic procedure”.
(e) Application to services furnished through Department of Veterans Affairs.—Section 7322(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
“(b) The policy developed under subsection (a), and any other policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to mammography screening, shall—
“(1) specify standards of mammography screening that ensure that the frequency of such screenings is not less than the frequency of such screenings provided pursuant to section 2(a) of the Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act of 2019;
“(2) provide recommendations, consistent with paragraph (1), with respect to screening, and the frequency of screening, for veterans, without regard to age, who have clinical symptoms, risk factors, or family history of breast cancer; and
“(3) provide for clinician discretion in individual cases.”.