A bill to provide coverage under the medicare program for prescription drugs, eye and teeth care, hearing aids, annual physical exams, immunizations, foot care, and examinations for detecting hypertension.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment under the Medicare program for: (1) prescription drugs and biologicals; (2) eyeglasses; (3) hearing aids; (4) dentures; (5) examinations for the purpose of prescribing or fitting eyeglasses, hearing aids and dentures; (6) services in connection with the care, filling, removal or replacement of teeth; (7) an annual physical exam; (8) immunizations; (9) certain types of foot care, including the treatment of flat feet, the removal of corns, warts or calluses, the trimming of nails, and other routine hygienic care; and (10) examinations for detecting hypertension.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 15, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 15, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
LOUIS STOKES (D-OH) introduced it on March 15, 1979. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 15, 1979, 17394 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17394 days ago, on March 15, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers