Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jun 5, 2001
Medicare Wellness Act of 2001 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services a Working Group on Disease Self-Management and Health Promotion (Working Group) to establish policies and criteria for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to approved applicants to study specified approaches to further health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA).Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to promote disease self-management for conditions identified by the Working Group for target individuals.Amends SSA title XVIII to outline Medicare coverage of various specified preventive services, including: (1) therapy and counseling for cessation of tobacco use, and counseling for post-menopausal women; (2) screening for diminished visual acuity, and screening for hypertension; and (3) medical nutrition therapy services for Medicare beneficiaries with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, or a renal disease.Permits waiver of coinsurance and deductibles for certain preventive services, such as: (1) diabetes outpatient self-management training services; (2) colorectal and prostate cancer screening tests; and (3) bone mass measurement.Directs the Secretary to: (1) integrate supplemental preventive health services with existing program integrity measures; and (2) conduct specified activities, including annual notices to Medicare beneficiaries, to promote use of preventive health benefits, items, and services.Directs the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct a national falls prevention and awareness campaign among Medicare beneficiaries.Prescribes requirements for clinical depression screening demonstration projects.Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to establish a health education and risk appraisal program.Provides for fast-track consideration of prevention benefit legislation in Congress.
Source last updated: Aug 19, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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