REDUCTION IN PART A MEDICARE PREMIUM FOR CERTAIN PUBLIC RETIREES.

SEC. 4453. REDUCTION IN PART A MEDICARE PREMIUM FOR CERTAIN PUBLIC RETIREES. (a) In General.—Section 1818(d) (42 U.S.C. 1395i–2(d)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (2), by striking “paragraph (4)” and inserting “paragraphs (4) and (5)”; and (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(5)(A) The amount of the monthly premium shall be zero in the case of an individual who is a person described in subparagraph (B) for a month, if— “(i) the individual’s premium under this section for the month is not (and will not be) paid for, in whole or in part, by a State (under title XIX or otherwise), a political subdivision of a State, or an agency or instrumentality of one or more States or political subdivisions thereof; and “(ii) in each of 84 months before such month, the individual was enrolled in this part under this section and the payment of the individual’s premium under this section for the month was not paid for, in whole or in part, by a State (under title XIX or otherwise), a political subdivision of a State, or an agency or instrumentality of one or more States or political subdivisions thereof. “(B) A person described in this subparagraph for a month is a person who establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary that, as of the last day of the previous month— “(i)(I) the person was receiving cash benefits under a qualified State or local government retirement system (as defined in subparagraph (C)) on the basis of the person’s employment in one or more positions covered under any such system, and (II) the person would have at least 40 quarters of coverage under title II if remuneration for medicare qualified government employment (as defined in paragraph (1) of section 210(p), 111 STAT. 426but determined without regard to paragraph (3) of such section) paid to such person were treated as wages paid to such person and credited for purposes of determining quarters of coverage under section 213; “(ii)(I) the person was married (and had been married for the previous 1-year period) to an individual who is described in clause (i), or (II) the person met the requirement of clause (i)(II) and was married (and had been married for the previous 1-year period) to an individual described in clause (i)(I); “(iii) the person had been married to an individual for a period of at least 1 year (at the time of such individual’s death) if (I) the individual was described in clause (i) at the time of the individual’s death, or (II) the person met the requirement of clause (i)(II) and the individual was described in clause (i)(I) at the time of the individual’s death; or “(iv) the person is divorced from an individual and had been married to the individual for a period of at least 10 years (at the time of the divorce) if (I) the individual was described in clause (i) at the time of the divorce, or (II) the person met the requirement of clause (i)(II) and the individual was described in clause (i)(I) at the time of the divorce. “(C) For purposes of subparagraph (B)(i)(I), the term ‘qualified State or local government retirement system’ means a retirement system that— “(i) is established or maintained by a State or political subdivision thereof, or an agency or instrumentality of one or more States or political subdivisions thereof; “(ii) covers positions of some or all employees of such a State, subdivision, agency, or instrumentality; and “(iii) does not adjust cash retirement benefits based on eligibility for a reduction in premium under this paragraph.”. (b) Effective Date.—The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply to premiums for months beginning with January 1998, and months before such month may be taken into account for purposes of meeting the requirement of section 1818(d)(5)(B)(iii) of the Social Security Act, as added by subsection (a).