Title: To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the National Disaster Medical System, to provide for certain laboratory reimbursement for diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in uninsured individuals.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This bill provides appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reimburse, through the National Disaster Medical System, the costs of providing COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) diagnostic testing and services to individuals without health insurance. This system is a coordinated effort by HHS, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, working in collaboration with states and other appropriate public or private entities, that provides health services, health-related social services, and other appropriate services to respond to the needs of victims of a public health emergency.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6232 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6232

  To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the 
  National Disaster Medical System, to provide for certain laboratory 
    reimbursement for diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in uninsured 
                              individuals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2020

   Mr. Cardenas (for himself, Ms. Sanchez, and Mr. Castro of Texas) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the 
  National Disaster Medical System, to provide for certain laboratory 
    reimbursement for diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in uninsured 
                              individuals.

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

SECTION 1. REIMBURSEMENT FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING FOR COVID-19 IN 
              UNINSURED INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) Reimbursement.--Through the National Disaster Medical System 
under section 2812 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-
11), and in coordination with the Administrator of the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall, subject to the availability of appropriations under 
subsection (c), pay the claims of laboratories for reimbursement, as 
described in subsection (a)(3)(D) of such section 2812, for health 
services consisting of diagnostic testing to detect or diagnose COVID-
19 in uninsured individuals. The amount that will be paid shall be 
equal to the amount that would have been paid to a physician or 
laboratory under Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule under section 
1833(h)(8) of the Social Security Act.
    (b) Definition.--In this section, the term ``uninsured individual'' 
means an individual who is not enrolled in--
            (1) a Federal health care program (as defined under section 
        1128B(f) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(f))); 
        or
            (2) a group health plan or health insurance coverage 
        offered by a health insurance issuer in the group or individual 
        market (as such terms are defined in section 2791 of the Public 
        Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-91)) or a health plan 
        offered under chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code.
    (c) Funding.--To carry out this section, there is authorized to be 
appropriated, and there is hereby appropriated, out of amounts in the 
Treasury not otherwise obligated, $1,000,000,000, to remain available 
until expended.
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