# 119-s-3551: PROTECT for Rare Act

119-s-3551, PROTECT for Rare Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3551
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3551
- Congress: 119
- Title: PROTECT for Rare Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-12-17
- Sponsor: Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Expands coverage and creates expedited appeals for drugs treating rare diseases.** This bill would require Medicare, Medicaid, and private health plans to treat drug uses for conditions affecting 200,000 or fewer people as eligible for coverage when supported by peer‑reviewed medical literature or clinical guidelines and not contraindicated in FDA labeling or listed as not indicated in relevant compendia.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-12-17T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Broader Medicare coverage for rare uses: benefit, high. This bill would expand Medicare coverage rules so items, services, and Part D drugs used to treat diseases or conditions affecting 200,000 or fewer people in the U.S. could count as medically accepted uses when supported by peer‑reviewed medical literature or clinical guidelines and not listed as "…
- Faster appeals for rare-disease drugs: benefit, high. This bill would require group and individual health plans and issuers to offer an expedited internal and external appeals process for denials of certain drugs and biologics used to treat diseases or conditions affecting 200,000 or fewer people in the U.S. The expedited process would apply when the…
- More Medicaid coverage for rare drugs: benefit, high. This bill would expand Medicaid's definition of a "medically accepted indication" for covered outpatient drugs used to treat diseases or conditions that affect 200,000 or fewer people in the U.S. Medicaid could cover such a use when peer‑reviewed medical literature, clinical guidelines, or an exper…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026
- 119-s-1639: American Innovation and Jobs Act
- 119-s-1552: Living Donor Protection Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-3551 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3551)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1541)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [119-s-1639: American Innovation and Jobs Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1639)
- [119-s-1552: Living Donor Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1552)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3551 (as of 2026-04-21).