As most of our clients are aware, disabled individuals must often wait two years for medical coverage through Medicare despite being unable to work. Well, good news might be on the way!
On March 25, 2009, two bills were introduced, one in the United States Senate and the other in the United Stated House of Representative, to eliminate the waiting period over the next ten years. The authors of the bills are Democrat Senator Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico and Democrat Represenative Gene Green from Texas.
Our friends at the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives authored a very concise article on the propsed change here: http://www.nosscr.org/medicarewait.html
For those that are interested, the text of the House bill is as follows:
"By Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas (for himself and Mr. TERRY):
H.R. 1708. A bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to phase out the 24-month waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare benefits, to eliminate the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned."
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?r111:@OR+(+@1(H.R.+1719)++@1(H.+R.+1719)++)
A version of the Senate bill, which is lengthy, is also available here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.700.IS:
Feel free to contact your local Congressional Representative or U.S. Senator and urge them to support passage of either bill!
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