Title: Patient Fairness and Relief Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Patient Fairness and Relief Act of 2017
This bill permits a health insurer that had in effect certain health insurance coverage in the individual market from January 1, 2013, through January 1, 2017, to continue to offer the coverage in the individual market outside of health insurance exchanges. This applies to coverage under the transitional policy of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Coverage under that policy does not need to comply with certain Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requirements, including guaranteed renewability and coverage for preexisting conditions.)
This coverage is treated as a grandfathered health plan and thus fulfills an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 633 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 633

  To authorize health insurance issuers to continue to offer for sale 
 health insurance coverage offered in the individual market before the 
    enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 
    satisfaction of the minimum essential health insurance coverage 
                  requirement, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 24, 2017

  Mr. Harper introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
   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 authorize health insurance issuers to continue to offer for sale 
 health insurance coverage offered in the individual market before the 
    enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 
    satisfaction of the minimum essential health insurance coverage 
                  requirement, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Patient Fairness and Relief Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. EXTENDING OPTION TO CONTINUE PRE-ACA COVERAGE.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any provision of the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act (including any amendment made by 
such Act or by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 
2010), a health insurance issuer that had in effect health insurance 
coverage in the individual market as of January 1, 2013, and has 
continued such coverage through January 1, 2017, under CCIIO guidance 
(as defined in subsection (c)) may renew and continue to offer such 
coverage for sale on and after the date of the enactment of this Act in 
the individual market outside of an Exchange established under section 
1311 or 1321 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 18031, 18041).
    (b) Treatment as Grandfathered Health Plan in Satisfaction of 
Minimum Essential Coverage.--Health insurance coverage described in 
subsection (a) shall be treated as a grandfathered health plan for 
purposes of the amendment made by section 1501(b) of the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act.
    (c) CCIIO Guidance Defined.--In this section, the term ``CCIIO 
guidance'' means the letter issued by the Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services on November 14, 2013, to the State Insurance 
Commissioners outlining a transitional policy for non-grandfathered 
coverage in the small group and individual health insurance markets, as 
subsequently extended and modified (including by a communication 
entitled ``Insurance Standards Bulletin Series--INFORMATION--Extension 
of Transitional Policy through Calendar Year 2017'' issued on February 
29, 2016, by the Director of the Center for Consumer Information & 
Insurance Oversight of such Centers).
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