House Passes Drug Bill That Could Add Dental Benefits to Medicare

The House has posted several different versions of H.R. 3 on its bill action site. House Democrats appear to be assuming that they’ve passed a version posted on the House floor action website at 12:07 p.m. Monday.

Here are three non-drug sections of interest to insurance agents and brokers:

• Section 601 would add dental and benefits to the original Medicare program.
• Section 602 would add audiology and hearing benefits to Original Medicare.
• Section 603 would add vision care benefits to Original Medicare.
• Section 801 would give people who qualify to have Medicare because they are disabled, rather than because they’re old, the ability to buy Medicare supplement insurance on a guaranteed issue basis during an open enrollment period.

H.R. 3 itself is seen as having little hope of passing in the Senate. But members of Congress could move popular H.R. 3 provisions into a must-pass spending bill. Even if the Medicare dental, hearing and vision benefits provisions die this year, they could up returning in new bills later.

Resources

A copy of the 12:07 p.m. Dec. 9 version of H.R. 3 is available here.

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