Title: Increasing Access to Care Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Increasing Access to Care Act
This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to eliminate restrictions on who may purchase catastrophic health plans.
Catastrophic health plans do not cover any benefits, other than three primary care visits per year, before the deductible is met; such plans are generally characterized by lower premiums and higher deductibles. Currently, only individuals who are younger than 30 years of age or who have a hardship exemption may purchase such plans.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1976 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1976

To allow all individuals purchasing health insurance in the individual 
       market the option to purchase a lower premium copper plan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 17, 2017

   Mr. Scott (for himself, Mr. Carper, Mr. Cassidy, and Mr. Warner) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                          Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To allow all individuals purchasing health insurance in the individual 
       market the option to purchase a lower premium copper plan.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Increasing Access to Care Act''.

SEC. 2. ALLOWING ALL INDIVIDUALS PURCHASING HEALTH INSURANCE IN THE 
              INDIVIDUAL MARKET THE OPTION TO PURCHASE A LOWER PREMIUM 
              COPPER PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Section 1302(e) of the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18022(e)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) of 
                subparagraph (B) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), 
                respectively, and adjusting the margins accordingly;
                    (B) by striking ``plan year if--'' and all that 
                follows through ``the plan provides--'' and inserting 
                ``plan year if the plan provides--''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (A), as so redesignated, by 
                striking ``clause (ii)'' and inserting ``subparagraph 
                (B)'';
            (2) by striking paragraph (2); and
            (3) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (2).
    (b) Risk Pools.--Section 1312(c)(1) of the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18032(c)(1)) is amended by inserting 
``and including enrollees in catastrophic plans described in section 
1302(e)'' after ``Exchange''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 1312(d)(3)(C) of the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18032(d)(3)(C)) is 
amended by striking ``, except that in the case of a catastrophic plan 
described in section 1302(e), a qualified individual may enroll in the 
plan only if the individual is eligible to enroll in the plan under 
section 1302(e)(2)''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2019.
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