I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 898 
To require group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group 
or individual health insurance coverage to provide coverage without any 
cost sharing for certain items and services furnished during any portion 
of such emergency period, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 5, 2021 
Mr. RUIZ (for himself and Ms. UNDERWOOD) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and 
Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require group health plans and health insurance issuers 
offering group or individual health insurance coverage 
to provide coverage without any cost sharing for certain 
items and services furnished during any portion of such 
emergency period, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Care for COVID–19 
Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. COVERAGE OF COVID–19 RELATED TREATMENT AT 
NO COST SHARING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—A group health plan and a health 
insurance issuer offering group or individual health insur-
ance coverage (including a grandfathered health plan (as 
defined in section 1251(e) of the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act)) shall provide coverage, and shall not 
impose any cost sharing (including deductibles, copay-
ments, and coinsurance) requirements, for the following 
items and services furnished during any portion of the 
emergency period defined in paragraph (1)(B) of section 
1135(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b– 
5(g)) beginning on or after the date of the enactment of 
this Act: 
(1) Medically necessary items and services (in-
cluding in-person or telehealth visits in which such 
items and services are furnished) that are furnished 
to an individual who has been diagnosed with (or 
after provision of the items and services is diagnosed 
with) COVID–19 to treat or mitigate the effects of 
COVID–19. 
(2) Medically necessary items and services (in-
cluding in-person or telehealth visits in which such 
items and services are furnished) that are furnished 
to an individual who is presumed to have COVID– 
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19 but is never diagnosed as such, if the following 
conditions are met: 
(A) Such items and services are furnished 
to the individual to treat or mitigate the effects 
of COVID–19 or to mitigate the impact of 
COVID–19 on society. 
(B) Health care providers have taken ap-
propriate steps under the circumstances to 
make a diagnosis, or confirm whether a diag-
nosis was made, with respect to such individual, 
for COVID–19, if possible. 
(b) ITEMS
AND SERVICES RELATED
TO COVID– 
19.—For purposes of this section— 
(1) not later than one week after the date of 
the enactment of this section, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, Secretary of Labor, 
and Secretary of the Treasury shall jointly issue 
guidance specifying applicable diagnoses and medi-
cally necessary items and services related to 
COVID–19; and 
(2) such items and services shall include all 
items or services that are relevant to the treatment 
or mitigation of COVID–19, regardless of whether 
such items or services are ordinarily covered under 
the terms of a group health plan or group or indi-
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vidual health insurance coverage offered by a health 
insurance issuer. 
(c) REIMBURSEMENT TO PLANS AND COVERAGE FOR 
WAIVING COST SHARING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A group health plan or a 
health insurance issuer offering group or individual 
health insurance coverage (including a grandfathered 
health plan (as defined in section 1251(e) of the Pa-
tient Protection and Affordable Care Act)) that does 
not impose cost sharing requirements as described in 
subsection (a) shall notify the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, Secretary of Labor, and Sec-
retary of the Treasury (through a joint process es-
tablished jointly by the Secretaries) of the total dol-
lar amount of cost sharing that, but for the applica-
tion of subsection (a), would have been required 
under such plans and coverage for items and serv-
ices related to COVID–19 furnished during the pe-
riod to which subsection (a) applies to enrollees, par-
ticipants, and beneficiaries in the plan or coverage to 
whom such subsection applies, but which was not 
imposed for such items and services so furnished 
pursuant to such subsection and the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, in coordination with 
the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of the 
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