Save and Strengthen Medicare Act of 2012
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Health.
Save and Strengthen Medicare Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new Medicare part E (Unified Medicare with Choice and Competition) which prohibits benefit coverage for an individual under either Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) unless the individual (with certain exceptions) is both entitled (or enrolled) for benefits under Medicare part A and enrolled under Medicare part B.
Entitles an individual who is enrolled under Medicare part B, but is not entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare part A, to benefits under Medicare part B only if the individual enrolls under Medicare part A.
Directs the Medicare Choices Commission (MC Commission), established by this Act, to devise a process for enrollment in a prescription drug plan (PDP), meeting certain beneficiary premium criteria, under SSA title XVIII part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) by Medicare part A and/or part B enrollees who have not enrolled under part D.
Requires states to elect one of several specified maintenance of effort options, including: (1) contribution towards an individual's health investment retirement account (HIRA), established under this Act; (2) enrollment of dual eligibles under Medicare and SSA title XIX (Medicaid) in a comprehensive Medicaid managed care plan; and (3) payment to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for payment to an HIRA.
Amends SSA title II to define "preferred Medicare age" as: (1) 65 for anyone who attains age 65 before January 1, 2016; (2) 65 plus a number of months specified for the preferred age phase-in factor for anyone who attains age 65 between December 31, 2016, and January 1, 2026; and (3) 67 increased by a specified life expectancy increase factor for anyone who attains age 65 during a 10-year period beginning January 1, 2026.
Amends SSA title II to define "Medicare eligibility age" as 65, the preferred Medicare age, or any age between 65 and the preferred Medicare age. States that, unless an individual elects otherwise, the Medicare eligibility age shall be the preferred Medicare age.
The summary continues for 15 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on December 11, 2012. 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 December 19, 2012: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- 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 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 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?
WALLY HERGER (R-CA) introduced it on December 11, 2012. 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 December 11, 2012, 5021 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5013 days ago, on December 19, 2012.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 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