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) Increase in cap.—Section 1108 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1308) is amended—

(1) in subsection (f), by striking “subsection (g)” and inserting “subsections (g) and (h)”;

(2) in subsection (g)(1), by striking “With respect to” and inserting “Subject to subsection (h), with respect to”; and

(3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(h) Additional increase for fiscal years 2011 through 2019.—Subject to section 347(b)(1) of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, with respect to fiscal years 2011 through 2019, the amounts otherwise determined under subsections (f) and (g) for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa shall be increased by the following amounts:

“(1) For Puerto Rico, for fiscal year 2011, $727,600,000; for fiscal year 2012, $775,000,000; for fiscal year 2013, $850,000,000; for fiscal year 2014, $925,000,000; for fiscal year 2015, $1,000,000,000; for fiscal year 2016, $1,075,000,000; for fiscal year 2017, $1,150,000,000; for fiscal year 2018, $1,225,000,000; and for fiscal year 2019, $1,396,400,000.

“(2) For the Virgin Islands, for fiscal year 2011, $34,000,000; for fiscal year 2012, $37,000,000; for fiscal year 2013, $40,000,000; for fiscal year 2014, $43,000,000; for fiscal year 2015, $46,000,000; for fiscal year 2016, $49,000,000; for fiscal year 2017, $52,000,000; for fiscal year 2018, $55,000,000; and for fiscal year 2019, $58,000,000.

“(3) For Guam, for fiscal year 2011, $34,000,000; for fiscal year 2012, $37,000,000; for fiscal year 2013, $40,000,000; for fiscal year 2014, $43,000,000; for fiscal year 2015, $46,000,000; for fiscal year 2016, $49,000,000; for fiscal year 2017, $52,000,000; for fiscal year 2018, $55,000,000; and for fiscal year 2019, $58,000,000.

“(4) For the Northern Mariana Islands, for fiscal year 2011, $13,500,000; fiscal year 2012, $14,500,000; for fiscal year 2013, $15,500,000; for fiscal year 2014, $16,500,000; for fiscal year 2015, $17,500,000; for fiscal year 2016, $18,500,000; for fiscal year 2017, $19,500,000; for fiscal year 2018, $21,000,000; and for fiscal year 2019, $22,000,000.

“(5) For American Samoa, fiscal year 2011, $22,000,000; fiscal year 2012, $23,687,500; for fiscal year 2013, $24,687,500; for fiscal year 2014, $25,687,500; for fiscal year 2015, $26,687,500; for fiscal year 2016, $27,687,500; for fiscal year 2017, $28,687,500; for fiscal year 2018, $29,687,500; and for fiscal year 2019, $30,687,500.”.

(b) Report on achieving Medicaid parity payments beginning with fiscal year 2020.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than October 1, 2013, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to Congress a report that details a plan for the transition of each territory to full parity in Medicaid with the 50 States and the District of Columbia in fiscal year 2020 by modifying their existing Medicaid programs and outlining actions the Secretary and the governments of each territory must take by fiscal year 2020 to ensure parity in financing. Such report shall include what the Federal medical assistance percentages would be for each territory if the formula applicable to the 50 States were applied. Such report shall also include any recommendations that the Secretary may have as to whether the mandatory ceiling amounts for each territory provided for in section 1108 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1308) should be increased any time before fiscal year 2020 due to any factors that the Secretary deems relevant.

(2) PER CAPITA DATA.—As part of such report the Secretary shall include information about per capita income data that could be used to calculate Federal medical assistance percentages under section 1905(b) of the Social Security Act, under section 1108(a)(8)(B) of such Act, for each territory on how such data differ from the per capita income data used to promulgate Federal medical assistance percentages for the 50 States. The report under this subsection shall include recommendations on how the Federal medical assistance percentages can be calculated for the territories beginning in fiscal year 2020 to ensure parity with the 50 States.

(3) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—The Secretary shall submit subsequent reports to Congress in 2015, 2017, and 2019 detailing the progress that the Secretary and the governments of each territory have made in fulfilling the actions outlined in the plan submitted under paragraph (1).

(c) Application of FMAP for additional funds.—Section 1905(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following sentence: “Notwithstanding the first sentence of this subsection and any other provision of law, for fiscal years 2011 through 2019, the Federal medical assistance percentage for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa shall be the highest Federal medical assistance percentage applicable to any of the 50 States or the District of Columbia for the fiscal year involved, taking into account the application of subsections (a) and (b)(1) of section 5001 of division B of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5) to such States and the District for calendar quarters during such fiscal years for which such subsections apply.”.

(d) Waivers.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1902(j) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(j)) is amended—

(A) by striking “American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands” and inserting “Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa”; and

(B) by striking “American Samoa or the Northern Mariana Islands” and inserting “Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa”.

(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by paragraph (1) shall apply beginning with fiscal year 2011.

(e) Technical assistance.—The Secretary shall provide nonmonetary technical assistance to the governments of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa in upgrading their existing computer systems in order to anticipate meeting reporting requirements necessary to implement the plan contained in the report under subsection (b)(1).