| 1 | 1 | | I |
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| 2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1 |
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| 4 | 4 | | STSESSION H. R. 1970 |
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| 5 | 5 | | To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans |
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| 6 | 6 | | Affairs to reimburse State homes for the cost of, or to furnish to |
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| 7 | 7 | | State homes, certain costly medications provided to veterans who receive |
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| 8 | 8 | | nursing home care in such State homes, and for other purposes. |
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| 9 | 9 | | IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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| 10 | 10 | | MARCH10, 2025 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Mrs. M |
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| 12 | 12 | | ILLER-MEEKS(for herself and Mr. PAPPAS) introduced the following |
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| 13 | 13 | | bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs |
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| 14 | 14 | | A BILL |
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| 15 | 15 | | To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Sec- |
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| 16 | 16 | | retary of Veterans Affairs to reimburse State homes |
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| 17 | 17 | | for the cost of, or to furnish to State homes, certain |
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| 18 | 18 | | costly medications provided to veterans who receive nurs- |
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| 19 | 19 | | ing home care in such State homes, and for other pur- |
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| 20 | 20 | | poses. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1 |
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| 22 | 22 | | tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 |
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| 24 | 24 | | This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Providing Veterans 4 |
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| 25 | 25 | | Essential Medications Act’’. 5 |
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| 26 | 26 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 Mar 21, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1970.IH H1970 |
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| 27 | 27 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 |
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| 28 | 28 | | •HR 1970 IH |
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| 29 | 29 | | SEC. 2. REIMBURSEMENT OF A STATE HOME FOR HIGH 1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | COST MEDICATIONS. 2 |
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| 31 | 31 | | Section 1745(a)(3) of title 38, United States Code, 3 |
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| 32 | 32 | | is amended— 4 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (1) by striking ‘‘Payment’’ and inserting ‘‘(A) 5 |
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| 34 | 34 | | Subject to subparagraph (B), payment’’; and 6 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) by adding at the end the following new sub-7 |
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| 36 | 36 | | paragraphs: 8 |
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| 37 | 37 | | ‘‘(B) In addition to payment described in subpara-9 |
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| 38 | 38 | | graph (A), the Secretary shall, at the election of a covered 10 |
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| 39 | 39 | | State home— 11 |
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| 40 | 40 | | ‘‘(i) reimburse the covered State home for a 12 |
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| 41 | 41 | | costly medication; or 13 |
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| 42 | 42 | | ‘‘(ii) furnish such costly medication to the cov-14 |
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| 43 | 43 | | ered State home. 15 |
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| 44 | 44 | | ‘‘(C) In this paragraph: 16 |
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| 45 | 45 | | ‘‘(i) The term ‘costly medication’ means a drug 17 |
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| 46 | 46 | | or medicine for which the average wholesale price for 18 |
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| 47 | 47 | | one month’s supply, plus a 3 percent transaction fee, 19 |
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| 48 | 48 | | exceeds 8.5 percent of the payment under subpara-20 |
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| 49 | 49 | | graph (A) by the Secretary to a covered State home 21 |
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| 50 | 50 | | for care provided to the veteran who receives such 22 |
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| 51 | 51 | | costly medication during such month. 23 |
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| 52 | 52 | | ‘‘(ii) The term ‘covered State home’ means a 24 |
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| 53 | 53 | | State home that, in the course of nursing home care 25 |
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| 54 | 54 | | provided pursuant to a contract (or agreement) 26 |
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| 55 | 55 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 Mar 21, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1970.IH H1970 |
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| 56 | 56 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 |
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| 57 | 57 | | •HR 1970 IH |
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| 58 | 58 | | under paragraph (1), provides to a veteran a costly 1 |
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| 59 | 59 | | medication.’’. 2 |
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| 60 | 60 | | Æ |
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| 61 | 61 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 Mar 21, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1970.IH H1970 |
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| 62 | 62 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB |
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