S.Amdt. 1128

SA 1128. Mr. SPECTER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for a voluntary prescription drug benefit under the Medicare program and to strengthen and improve the Medicare program, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 133, after line 25, insert the following:

“(3) Coordination with existing state pharmaceutical assistance programs.--

“(A) In general.--An eligible entity offering a Medicare Prescription Drug plan, or a MedicareAdvantage organization offering a MedicareAdvantage plan (other than an MSA plan or a private fee-for-service plan that does not provide qualified prescription drug coverage), shall enter into an agreement with each existing State pharmaceutical assistance program to coordinate the coverage provided under the plan with the assistance provided under the existing State pharmaceutical assistance program.

“(B) Election.--Under the process established under section 1860D-3(a), an eligible beneficiary who resides in a State with an existing State pharmaceutical assistance program and who is eligible to enroll in such program shall elect to enroll in a Medicare Prescription Drug plan or MedicareAdvantage plan through the existing State pharmaceutical assistance program.

“(C) Existing state pharmaceutical assistance program defined.--In this paragraph, the term ‘existing State pharmaceutical assistance program' means a program that has been established pursuant to a waiver under section 1115 or otherwise before January 1, 2004.