automatic enrollment for supplementary medical insurance

automatic enrollment for supplementary medical insurance Sec. 206. (a) Section 1837 of the Social Security Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsections: “(f) Any individual— “(1) who is eligible under section 1836 to enroll in the medical insurance program by reason of entitlement to hospital insurance benefits as described in paragraph (1) of such section, and “(2) whose initial enrollment period under subsection (d) begins after March 31, 1973, and “(3) who is residing in the United States, exclusive of Puerto Rico, shall be deemed to have enrolled in the medical insurance program established by this part. “(g) All of the provisions of this section shall apply to individuals satisfying subsection (f), except that— “(1) in the case of an individual who satisfies subsection (f) by reason of entitlement to disability insurance benefits described in section 226(a)(2)(B), his initial enrollment period shall begin on the first day of the later of (A) April 1973 or (B) the third month before the 25th consecutive month of such entitlement, and shall reoccur with each continuous period of eligibility (as defined in section 1839(e)) and upon attainment of age 65; “(2) (A) in the case of an individual who is entitled to monthly benefits under section 202 or 223 on the first day of his initial enrollment period or becomes entitled to monthly benefits under section 202 during the first 3 months of such period, his enrollment shall be deemed to have occurred in the third month of his initial enrollment period, and “(B) in the case of an individual who is not entitled to benefits under section 202 on the first day of his initial enrollment period and does not become so entitled during the first 3 months of such period, his enrollment shall be deemed to have occurred in the month in which he files the application establishing his entitlement to hospital insurance benefits provided such filing occurs during the last 4 months of his initial enrollment period: and “(3) in the case of an individual who would otherwise satisfy subsection (f) but does not establish his entitlement to hospital insurance benefits until after the last day of his initial enrollment period (as defined in subsection (d) of this section), his enrollment shall be deemed to have occurred on the first day of the earlier of the then current or immediately succeeding general enrollment period (as defined in subsection (e) of this section).” (b) Section 1838(a) of such Act is amended— (1) by striking out the period at the end of subsection (a) and by inserting in lieu thereof “; or”; and (2) by adding at the end of subsection (a) the following new paragraph: “(3) (A) in the case of an individual who is deemed to have enrolled on or before the last day of the third month of his initial enrollment period, the first day of the month in which he first meets the applicable requirements of section 1836 or July 1, 1973, whichever is later, or “(B) in the case of an individual who is deemed to have enrolled on or after the first day of the fourth month of his initial enrollment period, as prescribed under subparagraphs (B), (C), (D), and (E) of paragraph (2) of this subsection.” (c) Section 1838(b) of such Act (as amended by section 257(a) of this Act) is further amended by adding at the end thereof the following new paragraph: 86 Stat. 1379 “Where an individual who is deemed to have enrolled for medical insurance pursuant to section 1837(f) files a notice before the first day of the month in which his coverage period begins advising that he does not wish to be so enrolled, the termination of the coverage period resulting from such deemed enrollment shall take effect with the first day of the month the coverage would have been effective and such notice shall not be considered a disenrollment for the purposes of section 1837(b). Where an individual who is deemed enrolled for medical insurance benefits pursuant to section 1837 (f) files a notice requesting termination of his deemed coverage in or after the month in which such coverage becomes effective, the termination of such coverage shall take effect at the close of the calendar quarter following the calendar quarter in which the notice is filed.”