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.—Chapter 43 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

“(a) Election of employer responsibility to provide health coverage.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (b) shall apply to any employer with respect to whom an election under paragraph (2) is in effect.

“(2) TIME AND MANNER.—An employer may make an election under this paragraph at such time and in such form and manner as the Secretary may prescribe.

“(3) AFFILIATED GROUPS.—In the case of any employer which is part of a group of employers who are treated as a single employer under subsection (b), (c), (m), or (o) of section 414, the election under paragraph (2) shall be made by such person as the Secretary may provide. Any such election, once made, shall apply to all members of such group.

“(4) SEPARATE ELECTIONS.—Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, separate elections may be made under paragraph (2) with respect to—

“(A) separate lines of business, and

“(B) full-time employees and employees who are not full-time employees.

“(5) TERMINATION OF ELECTION IN CASES OF SUBSTANTIAL NONCOMPLIANCE.—The Secretary may terminate the election of any employer under paragraph (2) if the Secretary (in coordination with the Health Choices Commissioner) determines that such employer is in substantial noncompliance with the health coverage participation requirements.

“(b) Excise tax with respect to failure to meet health coverage participation requirements.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any employer who fails (during any period with respect to which the election under subsection (a) is in effect) to satisfy the health coverage participation requirements with respect to any employee to whom such election applies, there is hereby imposed on each such failure with respect to each such employee a tax of $100 for each day in the period beginning on the date such failure first occurs and ending on the date such failure is corrected.

“(2) LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF TAX.—

“(A) TAX NOT TO APPLY WHERE FAILURE NOT DISCOVERED EXERCISING REASONABLE DILIGENCE.—No tax shall be imposed by paragraph (1) on any failure during any period for which it is established to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the employer neither knew, nor exercising reasonable diligence would have known, that such failure existed.

“(B) TAX NOT TO APPLY TO FAILURES CORRECTED WITHIN 30 DAYS.—No tax shall be imposed by paragraph (1) on any failure if—

“(i) such failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, and

“(ii) such failure is corrected during the 30-day period beginning on the 1st date that the employer knew, or exercising reasonable diligence would have known, that such failure existed.

“(C) OVERALL LIMITATION FOR UNINTENTIONAL FAILURES.—In the case of failures which are due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, the tax imposed by subsection (a) for failures during the taxable year of the employer shall not exceed the amount equal to the lesser of—

“(i) 10 percent of the aggregate amount paid or incurred by the employer (or predecessor employer) during the preceding taxable year for employment-based health plans, or

“(ii) $500,000.

“(D) COORDINATION WITH OTHER ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS.—The tax imposed under paragraph (1) with respect to any failure shall be reduced (but not below zero) by the amount of any civil penalty collected under section 502(c)(11) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or section 2793(g) of the Public Health Service Act with respect to such failure.

“(c) Health coverage participation requirements.—For purposes of this section, the term ‘health coverage participation requirements’ means the requirements of part I of subtitle B of title IV of the (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this section).”.

(b) Clerical amendment.—The table of sections for chapter 43 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

(c) Effective date.—The amendments made by this section shall apply to periods beginning after December 31, 2012.