1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Safeguarding Medicare Access to Respiratory Therapy Act of 2019 . 2. Excluding ventilators and certain other respiratory items from competitive acquisition programs under the Medicare program for 5 years Section 1847(a)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395w–3(a)(2)(A) ) is amended by inserting excluding ventilators (whether invasive or noninvasive) and any other respiratory covered item (as defined in paragraph (13) of section 1834(a)) payable under paragraph (3) of such section and furnished on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2025, before and excluding drugs and biologicals. . 3. Requiring the establishment of updated national coverage policies to reflect innovation in technology for home mechanical ventilator devices under the Medicare program (a) In General Section 1869(f) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395ff(f) ) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (9) Technical expert panel review and update of national coverage determinations for home mechanical ventilators and certain other respiratory devices (A) In general Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary (through use of a contractor or otherwise) shall establish a technical expert panel for purposes of reviewing national coverage determinations with respect to coverage under part B for home invasive and noninvasive ventilators and other noninvasive respiratory devices (including respiratory devices with bi-level pressure capability) and making recommendations for revising such determinations. (B) Review, assessment, and recommendations Not later than 1 year after the date the technical expert panel described in subparagraph (A) is established (and periodically thereafter as the Secretary determines appropriate), the technical expert panel shall review stakeholder input and clinical literature and make recommendations to the Secretary, with respect to national coverage determinations described in such