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.—Section 2102(b)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397bb(b)(1)) is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (B)—

(A) in clause (iii), by striking “and” at the end;

(B) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following new clause:

“(v) may not apply a waiting period (including a waiting period to carry out paragraph (3)(C)) in the case of a child described in subparagraph (C).”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

“(C) DESCRIPTION OF CHILDREN NOT SUBJECT TO WAITING PERIOD.—For purposes of this paragraph, a child described in this subparagraph is a child who, on the date an application is submitted for such child for child health assistance under this title, meets any of the following requirements:

“(i) INFANTS AND TODDLERS.—The child is under two years of age.

“(ii) LOSS OF GROUP HEALTH PLAN COVERAGE.—The child previously had private health insurance coverage through a group health plan or health insurance coverage offered through an employer and lost such coverage due to—

“(I) termination of an individual’s employment;

“(II) a reduction in hours that an individual works for an employer;

“(III) elimination of an individual’s retiree health benefits; or

“(IV) termination of an individual’s group health plan or health insurance coverage offered through an employer.

“(iii) UNAFFORDABLE PRIVATE COVERAGE.—

“(I) IN GENERAL.—The family of the child demonstrates that the cost of health insurance coverage (including the cost of premiums, co-payments, deductibles, and other cost sharing) for such family exceeds 10 percent of the income of such family.

“(II) DETERMINATION OF FAMILY INCOME.—For purposes of subclause (I), family income shall be determined in the same manner specified by the State for purposes of determining a child’s eligibility for child health assistance under this title.”.

(b) Effective date.—The amendments made by this section shall take effect as of the date that is 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.