Index for HR3962: Affordable Health Care for America Act

To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.

Mr. Dingell (for himself, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Waxman, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Stark, Mr. Pallone, and Mr. Andrews) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget, 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

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

(a) In general.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall provide grants to States (as defined for purposes of title XIX of the Social Security Act) to establish programs to expand access to affordable health care coverage for the uninsured populations in that State in a manner consistent with reforms to take effect under this division in Y1.

(b) Types of programs.—The types of programs for which grants are available under subsection (a) include the following:

(1) STATE INSURANCE EXCHANGES.—State insurance exchanges that develop new, less expensive, portable benefit packages for small employers and part-time and seasonal workers.

(2) COMMUNITY COVERAGE PROGRAM.—Community coverage with shared responsibility between employers, governmental or nonprofit entity, and the individual.

(3) REINSURANCE PLAN PROGRAM.—Reinsurance plans that subsidize a certain share of carrier losses within a certain risk corridor health insurance premium assistance.

(4) TRANSPARENT MARKETPLACE PROGRAM.—Transparent marketplace that provides an organized structure for the sale of insurance products such as a Web exchange or portal.

(5) AUTOMATED ENROLLMENT PROGRAM.—Statewide or automated enrollment systems for public assistance programs.

(6) INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES.—Innovative strategies to insure low-income childless adults.

(7) PURCHASING COLLABORATIVES.—Business/consumer collaborative that provides direct contract health care service purchasing options for group plan sponsors.

(c) Eligibility and administration.—

(1) IMPLEMENTATION OF KEY STATUTORY OR REGULATORY CHANGES.—In order to be awarded a grant under this section for a program, a State shall demonstrate that—

(A) it has achieved the key State and local statutory or regulatory changes required to begin implementing the new program within 1 year after the initiation of funding under the grant; and

(B) it will be able to sustain the program without Federal funding after the end of the period of the grant.

(2) INELIGIBILITY.—A State that has already developed a comprehensive health insurance access program is not eligible for a grant under this section.

(3) APPLICATION REQUIRED.—No State shall receive a grant under this section unless the State has approved by the Secretary such an application, in such form and manner as the Secretary specifies.

(4) ADMINISTRATION BASED ON CURRENT PROGRAM.—The program under this section is intended to build on the State Health Access Program funded under the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (Public Law 111–8).

(d) Funding limitations.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section shall—

(A) only be available for expenditures before Y1; and

(B) only be used to supplement, and not supplant, funds otherwise provided.

(2) MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraph (B), no grant may be awarded to a State unless the State demonstrates the seriousness of its effort by matching at least 20 percent of the grant amount through non-Federal resources, which may be a combination of State, local, private dollars from insurers, providers, and other private organizations.

(B) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the requirement of subparagraph (A) if the State demonstrates to the Secretary financial hardship in complying with such requirement.

(e) Study.—The Secretary shall review, study, and benchmark the progress and results of the programs funded under this section.

(f) Report.—Each State receiving a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary a report on best practices and lessons learned through the grant to inform the health reform coverage expansions under this division beginning in Y1.

(g) Funding.—There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.