I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6511 
To amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to require coverage 
under the Medicaid program and Children’s Health Insurance Program 
for vaccines and treatment for COVID–19 without the imposition of 
cost sharing requirements, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 14, 2020 
Mr. PAPPAS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act 
to require coverage under the Medicaid program and 
Children’s Health Insurance Program for vaccines and 
treatment for COVID–19 without the imposition of cost 
sharing requirements, 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 ‘‘Ensuring Vaccination 
and Treatment Affordability Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. COVERAGE AT NO COST SHARING OF COVID–19 VAC-
CINE AND TREATMENT. 
(a) MEDICAID.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1905(a)(4) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(a)(4)) is 
amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and (D)’’ and inserting 
‘‘(D)’’; and 
(B) by striking the semicolon at the end 
and inserting ‘‘; (E) a COVID–19 vaccine li-
censed under section 351 of the Public Health 
Service Act and the administration of such vac-
cine; and (F) items and services furnished for 
the treatment of COVID–19 or a condition that 
may complicate the treatment of COVID–19;’’. 
(2) PROHIBITION OF COST SHARING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subsections (a)(2) and 
(b)(2) of section 1916 of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1396o) are each amended— 
(i) in subparagraph (F), by striking 
‘‘or’’ at the end; 
(ii) in subparagraph (G), by striking 
‘‘; and’’ and inserting ‘‘, or’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing subparagraphs: 
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‘‘(H) a COVID–19 vaccine licensed under 
section 351 of the Public Health Service Act 
and the administration of such vaccine, or 
‘‘(I) any item or service furnished for the 
treatment of COVID–19 or a condition that 
may complicate the treatment of COVID–19; 
and’’. 
(B) APPLICATION TO ALTERNATIVE COST 
SHARING.—Section 1916A(b)(3)(B) of the So-
cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396o–1(b)(3)(B)) 
is amended— 
(i) in clause (xi), by striking ‘‘any 
visit’’ and inserting ‘‘any service’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the following 
clauses: 
‘‘(xii) A COVID–19 vaccine licensed 
under section 351 of the Public Health 
Service Act and the administration of such 
vaccine. 
‘‘(xiii) An item or service furnished 
for the treatment of COVID–19 or a con-
dition that may complicate the treatment 
of COVID–19.’’. 
(C) 
CLARIFICATION.—The 
amendments 
made in this subsection shall apply with respect 
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to a State plan of a territory in the same man-
ner as a State plan of one of the 50 States. 
(b) STATE PEDIATRIC VACCINE DISTRIBUTION PRO-
GRAM.—Section 1928 of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1396s) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 
and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 
period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(C) each vaccine-eligible child (as defined 
in subsection (b)) is entitled to receive a 
COVID–19 vaccine from a program-registered 
provider (as defined in subsection (h)(8)) with-
out charge for— 
‘‘(i) the cost of such vaccine; or 
‘‘(ii) the administration of such vac-
cine.’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)(2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by inserting ‘‘, 
but may not impose a fee for the administration 
of a COVID–19 vaccine’’ before the period; and 
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(B) by adding at the end the following sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(D) The provider will provide and admin-
ister an approved COVID–19 vaccine to a vac-
cine-eligible child in accordance with the same 
requirements as apply under the preceding sub-
paragraphs to the provision and administration 
of a qualified pediatric vaccine to such a 
child.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (d)(1), in the first sentence, 
by inserting ‘‘, including with respect to a COVID– 
19 vaccine licensed under section 351 of the Public 
Health Service Act’’ before the period. 
(c) CHIP.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2103(c) of the So-
cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397cc(c)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following paragraph: 
‘‘(11) COVERAGE OF COVID–19 VACCINES AND 
TREATMENT.—The child health assistance provided 
to a targeted low-income child shall include coverage 
of— 
‘‘(A) any COVID–19 vaccine licensed 
under section 351 of the Public Health Service 
Act and the administration of such vaccine; and 
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‘‘(B) any item or service furnished for the 
treatment of COVID–19 or a condition that 
may complicate the treatment of COVID–19.’’. 
(2) PROHIBITION OF COST SHARING.—Section 
2103(e)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1397cc(e)(2)), as amended by section 6004(b)(3) of 
the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, is 
amended— 
(A) in the paragraph header, by inserting 
‘‘A COVID–19 VACCINE, COVID–19 TREATMENT,’’ 
before ‘‘OR PREGNANCY-RELATED ASSISTANCE’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘visits described in section 
1916(a)(2)(G), or’’ and inserting ‘‘services de-
scribed in section 1916(a)(2)(G), vaccines de-
scribed in section 1916(a)(2)(H), items or serv-
ices described in section 1916(a)(2)(I), or’’. 
(d) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 1937 of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396u–7) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(B), by inserting ‘‘, 
under 
subclause 
(XXIII) 
of 
section 
1902(a)(10)(A)(ii),’’ 
after 
‘‘section 
1902(a)(10)(A)(i)’’; and 
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(2) in subsection (b)(5), by adding before the 
period the following: ‘‘, and, effective on the date of 
the enactment of the Ensuring Vaccination and 
Treatment Affordability Act, must comply with sub-
paragraphs (F) through (I) of subsections (a)(2) 
and (b)(2) of sections 1916 and 1916A’’. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on the date of enactment of 
this Act and shall apply with respect to a COVID–19 vac-
cine beginning on the date that such vaccine is licensed 
under section 351 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 262). 
Æ 
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