H. R. 307
Introduced in House · February 5, 2025January 9, 2025
Mrs. McIver (for herself, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, and Ms. Kelly of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of peripheral artery disease screening tests furnished to at-risk beneficiaries under the Medicare and Medicaid programs without the imposition of cost-sharing requirements, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. Short title; findings.
(a) Short title.—This Act may be cited as the or the “ARC Act of 2025”. “Amputation Reduction and Compassion Act of 2025”.
- (b) Findings.—Congress makes the following findings:
- (1) Atherosclerosis occurs when blood flow is reduced because arteries become narrowed or blocked with fatty deposits.
- (2) Atherosclerosis is responsible for more deaths in the United States than any other condition, and heart attacks, resulting from clogged coronary arteries, are the leading cause of death in America.
- (3) Atherosclerosis also occurs in the legs and is known as peripheral artery disease (in this subsection referred to as “PAD”) and having PAD significantly increases the risk for heart attack, stroke, amputation, and death.
- (4) While most Americans are aware of atherosclerosis in the heart, many Americans have never heard of PAD and Americans with PAD are often unaware of the serious risks of the disease.
- (5) An estimated 21 million Americans have PAD, and about 200,000 of them—disproportionately minorities—suffer avoidable amputations every year as a result of such disease.
- (6) According to the Dartmouth Atlas, amputation risks for African Americans living with diabetes are as much as four times higher than the national average.
- (7) Data analyses have similarly found that Native Americans are more than twice as likely to be subjected to amputation and Hispanics are up to 75 percent more likely to have an amputation.
- (8) Fifty-two percent of patients with an above-the-knee amputation and 33 percent of patients with a below-the-knee amputation will die within two years of their amputation.
- (9) Screening and arterial testing for PAD is cost-effective and should be part of routine medical care.
- (10) Once PAD is detected, amputations and deaths can be reduced through the use of national, evidence-based PAD care guidelines.
- (11) Americans with a PAD diagnosis are associated with a 67-percent increase in the risk of cardiac death compared to people without a PAD diagnosis. Consequently, screening for PAD enables health care professionals to identify cardiac risk factors earlier and take proactive measures to reduce the risk of cardiac death.