Bloomberg: Health Care Briefing (Excerpt)

Bipartisan Bill Would Phase Out Disability Waiting Period: Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), ranking member of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa), chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) today will introduce a bill to phase out a five-month waiting period to receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and allow those who are uninsured or unable to afford health insurance to immediately receive Medicare coverage.

The bill has the backing of a list of advocacy organizations, such as the American Association of People with Disabilities and the American Lung Association."There is no justification for these delays, which deny millions of Americans access to health care and other supports when it is needed most,” Doggett said in a statement, Alex Ruoff reports.