(2) Individual or small group market reforms.
(3) Consumer education and outreach.
(4) Subsidies to individuals, employers, or both,
in obtaining health insurance.
(b) SCOPE; DURATION.—The program shall be lim-
ited to not more than 10 States and to a total period of
5 years, beginning on the date the first demonstration
grant is made.
(c) CONDITIONS FOR DEMONSTRATION GRANTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may not pro-
vide for a demonstration grant to a State under the
program unless the Secretary finds that under the
proposed demonstration grant—
(A) the State will provide for demonstrated
increase of access for some portion of the exist-
ing uninsured population through a market in-
novation (other than merely through a financial
expansion of a program initiated before the
date of the enactment of this Act);
(B) the State will comply with applicable
Federal laws;
(C) the State will not discriminate among
participants on the basis of any health status-
related factor (as defined in section 2791(d)(9)
of the Public Health Service Act), except to the
extent a State wishes to focus on populations
that otherwise would not obtain health insur-
ance because of such factors; and
(D) the State will provide for such evalua-
tion, in coordination with the evaluation re-
quired under subsection (d), as the Secretary
may specify.
(2) APPLICATION.—The Secretary shall not
provide a demonstration grant under the program to
a State unless—
(A) the State submits to the Secretary
such an application, in such a form and man-
ner, as the Secretary specifies;
(B) the application includes information
regarding how the demonstration grant will ad-
dress issues such as governance, targeted popu-
lation, expected cost, and the continuation after
the completion of the demonstration grant pe-
riod; and
(B) the Secretary determines that the
demonstration grant will be used consistent
with this section.
(3) FOCUS.—A demonstration grant proposal
under section need not cover all uninsured individ-
uals in a State or all health care benefits with re-
spect to such individuals.
(d) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall enter into a
contract with an appropriate entity outside the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services to conduct an overall
evaluation of the program at the end of the program pe-
riod. Such evaluation shall include an analysis of improve-
ments in access, costs, quality of care, or choice of cov-
erage, under different demonstration grants.
(e) OPTION TO PROVIDE FOR INITIAL PLANNING
GRANTS.—Notwithstanding the previous provisions of this
section, under the program the Secretary may provide for
a portion of the amounts appropriated under subsection
(f) (not to exceed $5,000,000) to be made available to any
State for initial planning grants to permit States to de-
velop demonstration grant proposals under the previous
provisions of this section.
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each
fiscal year to carry out this section. Amounts appropriated
under this subsection shall remain available until ex-
pended.
(g) STATE DEFINED.—For purposes of this section,
the term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given such term for
purposes of title XIX of the Social Security Act.
SEC. 6. GRANT PROGRAM TO FACILITATE HEALTH BENE-
FITS INFORMATION FOR SMALL EMPLOYERS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Small Business Administra-
tion shall award grants to 1 or more States, local govern-
ments, and non-profit organizations for the purposes of—
(1) demonstrating new and effective ways to
provide information about the benefits of health in-
surance to small employers, including tax benefits,
increased productivity of employees, and decreased
turnover of employees,
(2) making employers aware of their current
rights in the marketplace under State and Federal
health insurance reforms, and
(3) making employers aware of the tax treat-
ment of insurance premiums.
(b) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized to be ap-
propriated $10,000,000 for each of the first 5 fiscal years
beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act for
grants under subsection (a).
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