S. 486Senate115th Congress (2017-2019)In Committee

Protecting Beneficiary Access to Complex Rehab Technology Act of 2017

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the non-application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories.

Introduced March 1, 2017

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 1:10 PM UTC

The bill changes the Social Security Act so that Medicare will no longer use its competitive acquisition pricing rules to set payment amounts for complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and related accessories. Starting July 1, 2017, beneficiaries who receive these items will be paid under the regular Medicare fee schedule instead of the lower competitive‑acquisition rates. The change is aimed at preserving access to advanced wheelchair technology for Medicare recipients.

Key Provisions

  • Adds a new clause (iv) that bars the Secretary of Health and Human Services from applying competitive acquisition pricing to complex manual or power wheelchairs and any accessories (such as cushions or backs) furnished on or after July 1, 2017.

Legislative Activity

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SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

March 1, 2017

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

March 1, 2017

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

March 1, 2017

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued March 1, 2017

II

115th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 486

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 1, 2017

Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Portman, Mr. Coons, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Brown, Mr. Roberts, Ms. Stabenow, Mrs. Capito, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mr. Blunt) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

A BILL

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the non-application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Protecting Beneficiary Access to Complex Rehab Technology Act of 2017.

2.

Clarifying non-application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories

Section 1834(a)(1)(F) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(a)(1)(F)) is amended—

(1)

in clause (ii), by striking at the end and;

(2)

in clause (iii), by striking at the end the period and inserting ; and; and

(3)

by adding at the end the following new clause:

(iv)

in the case of covered items furnished on or after July 1, 2017, the Secretary shall not apply this subparagraph or any other provision of this title to use information from the competitive acquisition program to determine payment amounts for items excluded from such competitive acquisition program, including all complex rehabilitative manual and power wheelchairs classified by the Secretary as of January 1, 2015, and, without limitation, any wheelchair accessory, cushion, or back when furnished in connection with a complex rehabilitative manual or power wheelchair.

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