,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #df  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the 
,,united ,,states  ,january #e1         
#bjag,mr4 ,heller 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,blunt1 and ,mr4 ,bennet7 introduced the
 following bill2 which was read twice   
and referred to the ,committee on       
,finance  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend title    
,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act to
 strengthen intensive cardiac           
rehabilitation programs under the       
,medicare program4  #a4 ,short title    
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,strengthening ,medicare ,intensive     
,cardiac ,rehabilitation ,programs ,act 
of #bjag4  #b4 ,revised requirements for
 ,medicare intensive care rehabilitation
 programs ,section #ahfa7;eee77#d7 of   
the ,social ,security ,act 7#db         
,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7eee77#d77 is amended-- 
7#a7 in subparagraph 7,a7-- 7,a7 in the 
matter preceding clause 7i7--  7i7 by   
striking physician-supervised program   
7as described in paragraph 7#b77 and    
inserting program 7supervised as        

described in paragraph 7#b772 and  7ii7 
by striking 1 in peer-reviewed published
 research1 that it accomplished and     
inserting in peer-reviewed published    
research of its own program1 that by    
lifestyle changes alone it accomplished2
  7,b7 in clause 7i7-- 7i7 in subclause 
7,i71 by striking positively affected   
and inserting reversed2  7ii7 in        
subclause 7,,ii71 by striking or and    
inserting and2 and  7iii7 by striking   
subclause 7,,iii72  7,c7 in clause 7ii71
 in the matter preceding subclause 7,i71
 by inserting both a statistically      
significant increase in the measure of  
blood flow to the heart when compared to
 a control group and before a           
statistically significant2 and  7,d7 by 
adding at the end the following new     
sentence3 ,programs that the ,secretary 
approved under this paragraph before    
,august #a1 #bjae1 as intensive cardiac 
rehabilitation programs according to the
 requirements under this subparagraph   
before the date of the enactment of the 

,strengthening ,medicare ,intensive     
,cardiac ,rehabilitation ,programs ,act 
of #bjag shall be deemed to meet the    
requirements under this subparagraph    
applied pursuant to the amendments made 
by such ,act4 2 and  7#b7 in            
subparagraph 7,b7--  7,a7 in clause 7v71
 by striking at the end or2  7,b7 in    
clause 7vi71 by striking at the end the 
period2 and  7,c7 by adding at the end  
the following new clauses3  7vii7       
stable1 chronic heart failure 7defined  
as patients with left ventricular       
ejection fraction of #ce percent or less
 and ,new ,york ,heart ,association     
7,,nyha7 class ,,ii to ,,iv symptoms    
despite being on optimal heart failure  
therapy for at least #f weeks72 or      
7viii7 any additional condition for     
which the ,secretary has determined that
 a cardiac rehabilitation program shall 
be covered4  4