II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1729 

To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide further 

options with respect to levels of coverage under qualified health plans. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 19, 2013 

Mr. BEGICH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 

to provide further options with respect to levels of coverage under qualified health plans. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Expanded Consumer 

5 Choice Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PROVIDING FOR A NEW LEVEL OF COVERAGE 

7 UNDER QUALIFIED HEALTH PLANS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1302 of the Patient Pro9 tection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18022) is 

10 amended— 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 1729 IS

1 (1) in subsection (a)(3), by inserting ‘‘copper,’’ 

2 after ‘‘either the’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (c)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(C) COPPER PLANS.—The cost-sharing 

7 incurred under a health plan in the copper level 

8 with respect to self-only coverage or coverage 

9 other than self-only coverage for a plan year be10 ginning in 2015 shall not be less than an 

11 amount determined appropriate by the Sec12 retary (such amount to be in excess of the 

13 amount applicable to a bronze plan) increased 

14 as provided for in subparagraph (B) for later 

15 plan years.’’; 

16 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

17 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

18 (I) in clause (i), by striking 

19 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

20 (II) in clause (ii), by striking the 

21 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

22 (III) by adding at the end the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(iii) for plan years beginning in 

25 2015, the amount provided for under paraVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:50 Nov 21, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1729.IS S1729

pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 1729 IS

1 graph (1)(C) in the case of a plan in the 

2 copper level.’’; and 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 

4 ‘‘or copper’’ after ‘‘bronze’’; and 

5 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(5) REGULATIONS RELATING TO PLANS IN

7 THE COPPER LEVEL.—The Secretary shall promul8 gate regulations to provide for annual limits on 

9 deductibles and cost-sharing for plans in the copper 

10 level to ensure that such limits are reasonable for 

11 every marketplace and to take into account the fea12 sibility of the relative plan design in each local insur13 ance marketplace.’’; 

14 (3) in subsection (d)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(E) COPPER LEVEL.—Beginning in plan 

18 year 2015, a plan in the copper level shall pro19 vide a level of coverage that is designed to pro20 vide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to 

21 50 percent of the full actuarial value of the ben22 efits provided under the plan.’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘cop24 per,’’ after ‘‘providing a’’; and 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 1729 IS

1 (4) in subsection (e)(1), in the matter preceding 

2 subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘copper,’’ after ‘‘pro3 viding a’’. 

4 (b) MULTI-STATE PLANS.—Section 1334(c)(1)(B) of 

5 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 18054(c)(1)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘copper,’’ 

7 after ‘‘offering of the’’. 

Æ 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS