Medicare Dual Eligible Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2005

H.R. 1144, the Medicare Dual Eligible Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2005, was designed to delay the transfer of prescription drug coverage from Medicaid to Medicare for "dual eligible" individuals—low-income seniors and people with disabilities who qualify for both programs. The bill proposed a six-month transition period during the first half of 2006, during which states would continue to provide drug coverage through Medicaid while the new Medicare Part D program was being implemented.

The practical impact of this bill would have been to ensure that vulnerable citizens did not experience a gap in access to their medications during the administrative shift between programs. Additionally, the bill sought to temporarily waive the "clawback" payments that states are required to pay the federal government for Medicare drug costs and mandated a study to evaluate the fairness of that payment formula. While the bill was introduced and referred to a subcommittee, it did not move forward to become law.