,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #adgf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #ae1      
#bjai,mrs4 ,gillibrand 7for herself and 
,mr4 ,cassidy7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill
  ,to waive the #bd-month waiting period
 for ,medicare eligibility for          
individuals disabled by ,huntington's   
disease4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act   
may be cited as the ,huntington's       
,disease ,parity ,act of #bjai4  #b4    
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3 7#a7 ,huntington's disease is 
a progressive degenerative neurological 
disease that causes total physical and  
mental deterioration4 ,in the ,united   
,states1 approximately #cj1jjj          
individuals are affected by             
,huntington's disease1 along with       
another #bjj1jjj individuals who are    
genetically at risk4 ,there is no       
effective treatment in terms of halting 
or slowing the progression of the       

disease4  7#b7 ,clinical indicators of  
,huntington's disease include-- 7,a7    
loss of ability to control bodily       
movements2  7,b7 loss of ability to     
think or act quickly1 inability to learn
 new material1 and loss of memory2 and  
7,c7 behavioral or psychological        
problems1 including personality changes1
 irritability1 mood swings1 anxiety1    
obsessive-compulsive behavior1 inability
 to concentrate1 decreased motivation1  
and severe depression4  7#c7            
,adult-onset ,huntington's disease      
typically results in the development of 
symptoms in individuals between #cj and 
#ej years of age4 ,late-onset           
,huntington's disease is characterized  
by development of symptoms after #ej    
years of age and is usually associated  
with a milder course of the disease4    
,juvenile ,huntington's disease affects 
individuals who have yet to attain #ai  
years of age and progresses at a more   
rapid rate4  7#d7 ,because of the       
incapacitating nature of ,huntington's  

disease1 individuals living with this   
illness1 including those in the early   
stages of the disease1 are unable to    
retain employment4 ,as a result1 many   
such individuals rely solely on ,social 
,security ,disability ,insurance4  7#e7 
,after qualifying for ,social ,security 
,disability ,insurance1 individuals with
 ,huntington's disease must wait another
 #bd months before receiving benefits   
under the ,medicare program1 despite the
 fact that such individuals often become
 incapacitated before reaching the      
age-eligibility requirement under the   
,medicare program of #fe years of age4  
7#f7 ,in #bjjj1 the ,centers for        
,medicare  ,medicaid ,services waived   
the #bd-month waiting period requirement
 for people disabled by amyotrophic     
lateral sclerosis 7,,als71 a            
degenerative neurological condition that
 is similar to ,huntington's disease4   
7#g7 ,in light of the significant       
cognitive1 behavioral1 and physical     
incapacitation faced by individuals with

 this disease1 there is an urgent need  
for the removal of the #bd-month waiting
 period for coverage under the ,medicare
 program for such individuals1 similar  
to the existing exemption for           
individuals who have been diagnosed with
 ,,als4  #c4 ,waiver of #bd-month       
waiting period for coverage under       
medicare program for individuals        
diagnosed with ,huntington's disease    
7a7 ,in general ,section #bbf7;h7 of the
 ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4  
#dbf7;h77 is amended1 in the matter     
preceding paragraph 7#a71 by inserting  
or ,huntington's disease 7,,hd7 after   
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 7,,als74  
7b7 ,effective date ,the amendment made 
by subsection 7a7 shall apply to        
benefits under title ,,xviii of the     
,social ,security ,act with respect to  
items and services furnished in months  
beginning after the date of the         
enactment of this ,act4