Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new process for pharmacies to report violations by Medicare Part D plan sponsors (PDP sponsors) regarding contract terms and pharmacy protections. It requires the Medicare Secretary to establish an allegation system allowing independent community pharmacies to submit complaints about unfair contract terms or insufficient reimbursement for covered drugs, with specific limits on how often they can submit claims. If violations are confirmed, the Secretary can enforce penalties, require sponsors to pay missing reimbursement amounts to pharmacies, or impose civil monetary fines using existing authorities. The bill directly affects independent community pharmacies and Medicare Part D plan sponsors, focusing on ensuring fair contracts and adequate drug reimbursement under Medicare.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill updates the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to better support low-income elderly, blind, and disabled individuals. It raises key financial thresholds: the resource limit for single individuals increases from $2,250 to $20,000 (adjusted annually for inflation), and the general income exclusion rises from $240 to $1,797 per month. The bill also removes a penalty that reduced benefits for married couples, excludes retirement accounts and tribal general welfare payments from resource calculations, and eliminates outdated requirements like dedicated accounts for past-due benefits. These changes directly affect SSI recipients by making it easier to qualify and maintain benefits without losing support due to minor income or resource fluctuations.
Maddy summaryHR 6858, the Social Security Overpayment Relief Act, limits the Social Security Administration's ability to recover overpayments made to beneficiaries. It amends Sections 204 of Title II (retirement/disability benefits) and 1631(b) of Title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) to prohibit recovery of overpayments older than 10 years from the date the Commissioner identifies the overpayment. This directly affects individuals who received Social Security or SSI benefits in error more than a decade ago, preventing the government from seeking repayment for those old overpayments. The key provision sets a clear 10-year limit on recovery efforts, applying to both retirement/disability and SSI programs. The bill makes a concrete change to existing recovery rules without altering benefit eligibility or payment amounts.
Maddy summaryThis bill adds Ecuador to the list of countries eligible for trade benefits under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), specifically designating it as a "CBTPA beneficiary country" for preferential tariff treatment. It requires the President to issue a formal proclamation designating Ecuador as such within 90 days of the bill's enactment. The change would allow Ecuadorian goods to enter the U.S. with reduced or eliminated tariffs under the CBERA framework, directly affecting Ecuador's exporters and U.S. importers of Ecuadorian products. This is a procedural adjustment to existing trade law, not a new policy.
Maddy summaryThe Revoke Iranian Funding Act of 2023 would cancel all existing U.S. licenses and exemptions allowing funds to be released to Iran for humanitarian purposes, including a $6 billion transfer from South Korea. It also rescinds a specific waiver issued in September 2023 that permitted such transfers. The bill requires the Treasury to submit a 30-day report to Congress detailing Iranian assets blocked by the U.S. and current sanctions exemptions related to Iran. This legislation directly restricts U.S. financial access for Iran and its designated entities, aiming to prevent funds from being diverted to support terrorism.
Maddy summaryThe Social Security 2100 Act would significantly enhance Social Security benefits for millions of Americans by increasing monthly payments for retirees, disabled workers, widows/widowers, and children. Key provisions include raising the minimum benefit for long-term low earners, improving cost-of-living adjustments using a more accurate index, eliminating the 5-month waiting period for disability benefits, and extending child benefits to age 26. The bill also changes how Social Security taxes are calculated by applying them to income above $400,000 and establishes a unified Social Security Trust Fund to manage program finances. Most provisions would apply to benefits payable from 2025 through 2034, affecting all current and future Social Security beneficiaries.
Maddy summaryThe ARC Act of 2023 establishes a national program to address peripheral artery disease (PAD), which disproportionately affects minority populations and leads to avoidable amputations. The bill requires Medicare and Medicaid to cover PAD screening tests (such as ankle-brachial index testing) for at-risk beneficiaries without cost-sharing, including people 65+ or those with diabetes, smoking history, or other risk factors. It authorizes $6 million annually for a CDC-led education program to inform healthcare providers and the public about PAD prevention and treatment. The bill also creates quality measures to encourage alternative treatments to amputation and establishes a pilot program to test amputation prevention services at healthcare facilities. These provisions aim to reduce amputation rates and improve outcomes for millions of Americans with PAD.
Maddy summaryThe LIFT the BAR Act removes barriers preventing lawfully present noncitizens from accessing federal benefits like food assistance, Medicaid, and school meals. It repeals specific 1996 welfare law provisions that excluded noncitizens and updates terminology to replace "alien" with "noncitizen" throughout federal law. The bill expands eligibility to include noncitizens in categories such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, individuals with special immigrant juvenile status, and those with pending U-visa applications. This change ensures more noncitizens lawfully present in the U.S. can access essential services without being denied based on immigration status.
Maddy summaryHR 4115, the Lower Drug Costs for Families Act, amends Medicare rebate calculations for prescription drugs to potentially lower costs for beneficiaries. It changes the base year for calculating drug price inflation rebates from 2021 back to 2016 and adjusts how "billing units" are counted for drugs sold in commercial markets. This affects Medicare Part B (supplemental coverage) and Part D (prescription drug plans) by modifying how rebates are determined from drug manufacturers. The bill directly impacts Medicare beneficiaries and pharmaceutical companies that sell drugs covered by Medicare. These changes aim to refine rebate calculations but do not create new benefit programs.
Maddy summaryThe Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act (HR 3882) updates U.S. trade law to better address international trade practices that disadvantage American businesses. It establishes special rules for handling multiple investigations of the same merchandise (called "successive investigations"), requiring the Commerce Department to consider previous injury determinations when making new findings. The bill also creates mechanisms to address market distortions from foreign government subsidies, including currency undervaluation, and strengthens procedures to prevent duty evasion through certification requirements for importers. These changes primarily affect foreign exporters of goods subject to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, as well as U.S. importers of those goods.