108th Congress

P.L. 108-173 – Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003

On December 8, 2003, the President signed into law H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, as P. L. 108-173. This legislation establishes a voluntary prescription drug benefit under the Medicare program. The law requires Medicare to cover an “initial preventive physical examination” for beneficiaries. Screening for the following will be covered: prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, glaucoma, cardiovascular blood tests, and diabetes. Other services will include: vaccinations (pneumococcal, influenza, and hepatitis B vaccine), mammography, pap smear, diabetes outpatient self-management training, bone mass measurement, and medical nutrition therapy. Under the Act’s new health care quality demonstration program, NIH will expand efforts of the Institutes to evaluate current medical technologies and improve the foundation for evidence-based practice. NIDDK is required to conduct a clinical investigation of pancreatic islet cell transplantation. Payment for the routine costs, as well as transplantation and appropriate related items and services for medicare beneficiaries participating in the clinical trial are to be paid by CMS. Routine costs will include reasonable and necessary routine patient care costs, including immunosuppressive drugs and other followup care. Authorization for the clinical trial was set at such sums as necessary

Legislative Update (December 2003): Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003

For further information, go to the Thomas Web Site.

For a chronology of legislation affecting NIH, refer to the NIH Almanac.