Section 1 Short Title
This Act may be cited as the “Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act (PALS Act)”.
Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act (PALS Act)
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect coverage for screening mammography.
Sec. 2 Protecting coverage for screening mammography
In General— Effective during the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending January 1, 2018, any provision of law that refers (including through cross-reference to another provision of law) to the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force with respect to breast cancer screening, mammography, and prevention shall be administered by the Secretary involved as if—
such reference to such current recommendations were a reference to the recommendations of such Task Force with respect to breast cancer screening, mammography, and prevention last issued before 2009; and
such recommendations last issued before 2009 applied to any screening mammography modality under section 1861(jj) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(jj)).
Continuing medicare coverage without coinsurance— Section 1833(a)(1)(Y) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(a)(1)(Y)) is amended by inserting after “in the case of such services described in subparagraph (A)” the following: “(other than screening mammography)”.
Maintaining frequency of medicare coverage— Section 1834(c)(2)(B)(ii) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(c)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended by inserting before the period at the end the following: “, except that in the case of a woman over 39 years of age, such revision may not decrease such frequency”.
Clarifying the definition of “Screening mammography”— Section 1861(jj) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(jj)) is amended by inserting “, including any digital modality of such a procedure,” after “radiologic procedure”.