I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4784 

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

for American Health Benefit Exchanges navigator programs and outreach 

and promotional activities. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 11, 2018 

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California (for herself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. POCAN, 

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. NORTON, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. 

CARSON of Indiana, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, 

Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mrs. 

DEMINGS, Mr. HASTINGS, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. 

ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 

BUTTERFIELD, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. ELLISON, 

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Ms. LEE, Ms. MICHELLE

LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. CLARKE of New 

York, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. 

LOWENTHAL, and Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 

to provide funding for American Health Benefit Exchanges navigator programs and outreach and promotional activities. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Affordable Care Act 

3 Outreach for the Uninsured, Transformative Recruitment, 

4 and Enrollment Action for Compassionate Healthcare Act 

5 of 2018’’ or the ‘‘ACA OUTREACH Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FUNDING AMERICAN HEALTH BENEFIT EXCHANGES 

7 NAVIGATOR PROGRAMS AND OUTREACH AND 

8 PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES. 

9 (a) FUNDING FOR NAVIGATOR PROGRAM.—Section 

10 1311(i) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 

11 (42 U.S.C. 18031(i)) is amended by adding at the end 

12 the following new paragraph: 

13 ‘‘(7) APPROPRIATIONS.—Out of any funds in 

14 the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

15 appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human 

16 Services $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 

17 through 2021 for navigator programs under this 

18 subsection.’’. 

19 (b) FEDERAL EXCHANGES OUTREACH AND PRO20 MOTIONAL ACTIVITIES.—Section 1321(c) of the Patient 

21 Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18041(c)) 

22 is amended by adding at the end the following new para23 graph: 

24 ‘‘(3) OUTREACH AND PROMOTIONAL ACTIVI25 TIES.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an Ex2 change established or operated by the Secretary 

3 pursuant to this subsection, the Secretary may 

4 carry out outreach and promotional activities as 

5 necessary and appropriate for the successful op6 eration of such Exchange, including for pur7 poses of informing potential enrollees in quali8 fied health plans offered through the Exchange 

9 of the availability of coverage under such plans 

10 and financial assistance for coverage under 

11 such plans. 

12 ‘‘(B) DIVERSE CONSTITUENCIES.—The 

13 Secretary shall carry out any outreach and pro14 motional activities under this paragraph in a 

15 manner that reaches diverse constituencies, in16 cluding minority, rural, and underserved com17 munities; people with disabilities; young adults; 

18 and individuals who are likely to be uninsured. 

19 ‘‘(C) FUNDING.—Out of any funds in the 

20 Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

21 appropriated to the Secretary of Health and 

22 Human Services $100,000,000 for each of fis23 cal years 2018 through 2021 to carry out this 

24 paragraph.’’. 


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1 (c) STATE GRANTS FOR STATE-RUN EXCHANGES

2 OUTREACH AND PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES.—Section 

3 1311 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 18031) is amended by adding at the end the 

5 following new subsection: 

6 ‘‘(l) STATE-RUN EXCHANGES OUTREACH AND PRO7 MOTIONAL ACTIVITIES.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

9 out a grant program under which the Secretary 

10 awards grants to States that are electing States 

11 under section 1321(b) that have established Ex12 changes. Each such grant awarded to such a State 

13 that has established an Exchange shall be used by 

14 such Exchange for purposes of outreach and pro15 motional activities as necessary and appropriate for 

16 the successful operation of the Exchange, including 

17 for purposes of informing potential enrollees in 

18 qualified health plans offered through the Exchange 

19 of the availability of coverage under such plans and 

20 financial assistance for coverage under such plans. 

21 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.— 

22 ‘‘(A) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a 

23 grant under paragraph (1), a State described in 

24 such paragraph shall submit an application to 

25 the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 


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1 and containing such information as specified by 

2 the Secretary. In establishing the process for 

3 States to apply for such grants, the Secretary 

4 shall ensure that applications are processed in 

5 a timely manner. 

6 ‘‘(B) DIVERSE CONSTITUENCIES.—To be 

7 eligible for a grant under paragraph (1), a 

8 State described in such paragraph shall provide 

9 such assurances as are required by the Sec10 retary to ensure that the Exchange established 

11 by such State carries out outreach and pro12 motional activities under such grant in a man13 ner that reaches diverse constituencies, includ14 ing minority, rural, and underserved commu15 nities; people with disabilities; young adults; 

16 and individuals who are likely to be uninsured. 

17 ‘‘(3) FUNDING.—Out of any funds in the 

18 Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is appro19 priated to the Secretary of Health and Human Serv20 ices $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 

21 through 2021 to carry out this subsection.’’. 

Æ 


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