I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4575 

To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, the Employee 

Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue 

Code of 1986 to require group health plans and health insurance issuers 

offering group or individual health insurance coverage to establish a 

process to address inaccurate information listed in publicly accessible 

provider directories of such plans and issuers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 

Ms. SCHRIER (for herself and Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 

Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, 

and Ways and Means, 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 

A BILL 

To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, 

the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 

and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require group 

health plans and health insurance issuers offering group 

or individual health insurance coverage to establish a 

process to address inaccurate information listed in publicly accessible provider directories of such plans and 

issuers, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Improving Provider 

3 Directories Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR GROUP HEALTH PLANS AND 

5 HEALTH INSURANCE ISSUERS TO ESTABLISH 

6 A PROCESS TO ADDRESS INACCURATE IN7 FORMATION LISTED IN PUBLICLY ACCES8 SIBLE PROVIDER DIRECTORIES OF SUCH 

9 PLANS AND ISSUERS. 

10 (a) PHSA.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Title XXVII of the Public 

12 Health Service (42 U.S.C. 300gg et seq.) is amend13 ed by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘PART D—OTHER MARKET REFORMS 

15 ‘‘SEC. 2796. REQUIREMENT FOR GROUP HEALTH PLANS 

16 AND HEALTH INSURANCE ISSUERS TO ESTAB17 LISH A PROCESS TO ADDRESS INACCURATE 

18 INFORMATION LISTED IN PUBLICLY ACCES19 SIBLE PROVIDER DIRECTORIES OF SUCH 

20 PLANS AND ISSUERS. 

21 ‘‘A group health plan or a health insurance issuer of22 fering group or individual health insurance coverage shall 

23 establish a process to address inaccurate information list24 ed in any publicly accessible provider directory of such 

25 plan or issuer. Under such process, the plan or issuer, as 

26 the case may be, shall carry out each of the following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) Display prominently on each publicly ac2 cessible provider directory of such plan or issuer 

3 contact information, such as an email address, 

4 phone number, or website address, that will allow an 

5 individual to notify such plan or issuer of any inac6 curate information listed with respect to a provider 

7 in such directory. 

8 ‘‘(2)(A) Not later than 30 days after receiving 

9 a notification pursuant to paragraph (1) that infor10 mation listed with respect to a provider in a publicly 

11 accessible provider directory of such plan or issuer 

12 is inaccurate— 

13 ‘‘(i) investigate whether such information 

14 is inaccurate; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) subject to subparagraph (B), in the 

16 case that such plan or issuer determines that 

17 such information is inaccurate, correct and up18 date such information in such directory. 

19 ‘‘(B) In the case that such plan or issuer deter20 mines, pursuant to an investigation under clause (i) 

21 of subparagraph (A), that information listed with re22 spect to a provider in a printed provider directory is 

23 inaccurate, such plan or issuer may satisfy the cor24 rection and update requirement under clause (ii) of 

25 such subparagraph by correcting and updating such 


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1 information in each online provider directory of such 

2 plan or issuer. 

3 ‘‘(3) Submit to the State insurance commis4 sioners of the States in which such plan or coverage, 

5 as applicable, is offered, and makes publicly avail6 able, an annual report on the number of notifica7 tions received pursuant to paragraph (1) during the 

8 year involved and the corrective actions taken under 

9 paragraph (2) with respect to such notifications.’’. 

10 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

11 (A) Section 2722 of the Public Health 

12 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg–21) is amend13 ed— 

14 (i) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting 

15 ‘‘and part D’’ after ‘‘subparts 1 and 2’’; 

16 (ii) in subsection (b), by inserting 

17 ‘‘and part D’’ after ‘‘subparts 1 and 2’’; 

18 (iii) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting 

19 ‘‘and part D’’ after ‘‘subparts 1 and 2’’; 

20 (iv) in subsection (c)(2), by inserting 

21 ‘‘and part D’’ after ‘‘subparts 1 and 2’’; 

22 (v) in subsection (c)(3), by inserting 

23 ‘‘and part D’’ after ‘‘this part’’; and 


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1 (vi) in subsection (d), in the matter 

2 preceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and 

3 part D’’ after ‘‘this part’’. 

4 (B) Section 2723 of the Public Health 

5 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg–22) is amend6 ed— 

7 (i) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting 

8 ‘‘and part D’’ after ‘‘this part’’; 

9 (ii) in subsection (a)(2), by inserting 

10 ‘‘or part D’’ after ‘‘this part’’; 

11 (iii) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting 

12 ‘‘or part D’’ after ‘‘this part’’; 

13 (iv) in subsection (b)(2)(A), by insert14 ing ‘‘or part D’’ after ‘‘this part’’; and 

15 (v) in subsection (b)(2)(C)(ii), by in16 serting ‘‘and part D’’ after ‘‘this part’’. 

17 (C) Section 2724 of the Public Health 

18 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg–23) is amend19 ed— 

20 (i) in subsection (a)(1)— 

21 (I) by striking ‘‘this part and 

22 part C insofar as it relates to this 

23 part’’ and inserting ‘‘this part, part 

24 D, and part C insofar as it relates to 

25 this part or part D’’; and 


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1 (II) by inserting ‘‘or part D’’ 

2 after ‘‘requirement of this part’’; 

3 (ii) in subsection (a)(2), by inserting 

4 ‘‘or part D’’ after ‘‘this part’’; and 

5 (iii) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘or 

6 part D’’ after ‘‘this part (other than sec7 tion 2704)’’. 

8 (b) ERISA.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subpart B of part 7 of sub10 title B of title I of the Employee Retirement Income 

11 Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1185 et seq.) is 

12 amended by adding at the end the following new sec13 tion: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 716. REQUIREMENT FOR GROUP HEALTH PLANS AND 

15 HEALTH INSURANCE ISSUERS TO ESTABLISH 

16 A PROCESS TO ADDRESS INACCURATE IN17 FORMATION LISTED IN PUBLICLY ACCES18 SIBLE PROVIDER DIRECTORIES OF SUCH 

19 PLANS AND ISSUERS. 

20 ‘‘A group health plan or a health insurance issuer of21 fering group health insurance coverage shall establish a 

22 process to address inaccurate information listed in any 

23 publicly accessible provider directory of such plan or 

24 issuer. Under such process, the plan or issuer, as the case 

25 may be, shall carry out each of the following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) Display prominently on each publicly ac2 cessible provider directory of such plan or issuer 

3 contact information, such as an email address, 

4 phone number, or website address, that will allow an 

5 individual to notify such plan or issuer of any inac6 curate information listed with respect to a provider 

7 in such directory. 

8 ‘‘(2)(A) Not later than 30 days after receiving 

9 a notification pursuant to paragraph (1) that infor10 mation listed with respect to a provider in a publicly 

11 accessible provider directory of such plan or issuer 

12 is inaccurate— 

13 ‘‘(i) investigate whether such information 

14 is inaccurate; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) subject to subparagraph (B), in the 

16 case that such plan or issuer determines that 

17 such information is inaccurate, correct and up18 date such information in such directory. 

19 ‘‘(B) In the case that such plan or issuer deter20 mines, pursuant to an investigation under clause (i) 

21 of subparagraph (A), that information listed with re22 spect to a provider in a printed provider directory is 

23 inaccurate, such plan or issuer may satisfy the cor24 rection and update requirement under clause (ii) of 

25 such subparagraph by correcting and updating such 


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1 information in each online provider directory of such 

2 plan or issuer. 

3 ‘‘(3) Submit to the State insurance commis4 sioners of the States in which such plan or coverage, 

5 as applicable, is offered, and makes publicly avail6 able, an annual report on the number of notifica7 tions received pursuant to paragraph (1) during the 

8 year involved and the corrective actions taken under 

9 paragraph (2) with respect to such notifications.’’. 

10 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con11 tents in section 1 of such Act is amended by insert12 ing after the item relating to section 714 the fol13 lowing new items: 

‘‘715. Additional market reforms. 

‘‘716. Requirement for group health plans and health insurance issuers to establish a process to address inaccurate information listed in publicly accessible provider directories of such plans and issuers.’’. 

14 (c) IRC.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter B of chapter 

16 100 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amend17 ed by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 9816. REQUIREMENT FOR GROUP HEALTH PLANS TO 

2 ESTABLISH A PROCESS TO ADDRESS INAC3 CURATE INFORMATION LISTED IN PUBLICLY 

4 ACCESSIBLE PROVIDER DIRECTORIES OF 

5 SUCH PLANS. 

6 ‘‘A group health plan shall establish a process to ad7 dress inaccurate information listed in any publicly acces8 sible provider directory of such plan. Under such process, 

9 the plan shall carry out each of the following: 

10 ‘‘(1) Display prominently on each publicly ac11 cessible provider directory of such plan contact infor12 mation, such as an email address, phone number, or 

13 website address, that will allow an individual to no14 tify such plan of any inaccurate information listed 

15 with respect to a provider in such directory. 

16 ‘‘(2)(A) Not later than 30 days after receiving 

17 a notification pursuant to paragraph (1) that infor18 mation listed with respect to a provider in a publicly 

19 accessible provider directory of such plan is inac20 curate— 

21 ‘‘(i) investigate whether such information 

22 is inaccurate; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) subject to subparagraph (B), in the 

24 case that such plan determines that such infor25 mation is inaccurate, correct and update such 

26 information in such directory. 


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1 ‘‘(B) In the case that such plan determines, 

2 pursuant to an investigation under clause (i) of sub3 paragraph (A), that information listed with respect 

4 to a provider in a printed provider directory is inac5 curate, such plan may satisfy the correction and up6 date requirement under clause (ii) of such subpara7 graph by correcting and updating such information 

8 in each online provider directory of such plan. 

9 ‘‘(3) Submit to the State insurance commis10 sioners of the States in which such plan is offered, 

11 and makes publicly available, an annual report on 

12 the number of notifications received pursuant to 

13 paragraph (1) during the year involved and the cor14 rective actions taken under paragraph (2) with re15 spect to such notifications.’’. 

16 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec17 tions for subchapter B of chapter 100 of the Inter18 nal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at 

19 the end the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 9816. Requirement for group health plans to establish a process to address inaccurate information listed in publicly accessible provider directories of such plans.’’. 

20 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

21 this section shall apply with respect to plan years begin22 ning on or after January 1, 2021. 

Æ 


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