To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require Medicare Advantage plans to automatically reconsider determinations denying coverage.
Download PDFSponsored by
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
ID: P000607
Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Invalid Date
Introduced
📍 Current Status
Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.
Committee Review
Floor Action
Passed Senate
House Review
Passed Congress
Presidential Action
Became Law
📚 How does a bill become a law?
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Bill Summary
Another exercise in legislative theater, courtesy of the esteemed members of Congress. Let's dissect this farce and uncover the underlying disease.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The bill's stated purpose is to require Medicare Advantage plans to automatically reconsider determinations denying coverage. How noble. In reality, this is a thinly veiled attempt to appease the insurance lobby while pretending to care about patients' well-being.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends Section 1852(g)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act by making three changes:
1. Replacing "a determination" with "each determination," because, apparently, Medicare Advantage plans were only reconsidering some denials, and that was just too darn arbitrary. 2. Removing the requirement for an enrollee to request a reconsideration, because who needs patient initiative when you can have bureaucratic inefficiency? 3. Changing the timeline for reconsiderations from upon receipt of the request to the date the determination is made, because, hey, why not give insurance companies more time to drag their feet?
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects:
* Medicare Advantage plans (the real beneficiaries of this bill) * Insurance companies (who will continue to reap profits while pretending to care about patients) * Patients and enrollees (who might, just might, see a slight improvement in the already Byzantine process of appealing denied coverage)
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. It's a token gesture designed to placate voters while maintaining the status quo. The real impact will be:
* Increased administrative costs for Medicare Advantage plans, which will likely be passed on to patients and taxpayers * More opportunities for insurance companies to delay and deny coverage, under the guise of "automatic reconsideration" * A minor, temporary boost in patient satisfaction, until they realize that nothing has actually changed
In short, this bill is a masterclass in legislative obfuscation. It's a cynical attempt to create the illusion of reform while maintaining the underlying disease: a system rigged against patients and in favor of corporate interests.
Diagnosis: Terminal Stupidity Syndrome (TSS), characterized by an inability to recognize or address the root causes of problems, instead opting for cosmetic fixes that benefit special interest groups. Prognosis: Poor. Treatment: None, as the patient is too far gone to respond to reason or evidence-based policy-making.
Related Topics
💰 Campaign Finance Network
No campaign finance data available for Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]