Title: COVER Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
COVid Enrollment Response Act or the COVER Act
This bill provides funds through FY2021 for the navigator program for health insurance exchanges (a program through which entities receive funding to provide education and enrollment assistance), particularly to help unemployed individuals and other specified populations obtain coverage.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4557 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4557

To support efforts to provide intensive, individualized assistance for 
                   enrolling in health care coverage.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 10, 2020

Ms. Baldwin (for herself, Mr. Booker, Ms. Smith, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. 
  Hirono, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Blumenthal, and Ms. Rosen) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To support efforts to provide intensive, individualized assistance for 
                   enrolling in health care coverage.

    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 ``COVid Enrollment Response Act'' or 
the ``COVER Act''.

SEC. 2. INTENSIVE, INDIVIDUALIZED ASSISTANCE FOR ENROLLING IN HEALTH 
              CARE.

    Section 1311(i)(6) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care 
Act (42 U.S.C. 18031(i)(6)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Grants under this subsection shall be 
        made from'' and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) In general.--Grants under this subsection 
                shall be made from funds appropriated under 
                subparagraph (B) and''; and
            (2) by adding at the end thereof the following:
                    ``(B) Appropriation.--
                            ``(i) Amount.--Out of any funds in the 
                        Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there are 
                        hereby appropriated, to carry out this 
                        subsection, $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2020, 
                        and $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2021.
                            ``(ii) Allotments.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--Payments of 
                                allotments under this subparagraph 
                                shall be made as soon as possible and 
                                remain available until expended.
                                    ``(II) Number of uninsured.--Fifty 
                                percent of the funds appropriated under 
                                this subparagraph for a fiscal year 
                                shall be expended in annual allotments 
                                for a State and the District of 
                                Columbia in proportion to the number of 
                                uninsured individuals in such State or 
                                District during calendar year 2018, as 
                                demonstrated by American Community 
                                Survey State-level data.
                                    ``(III) Recipients of unemployment 
                                insurance.--Fifty percent of the funds 
                                appropriated under this subparagraph 
                                for a fiscal year shall be expended in 
                                quarterly allotments for a State and 
                                the District of Columbia in proportion 
                                to the average number of recipients of 
                                unemployment insurance in the State or 
                                Districts, including all categories of 
                                assistance, during the most recent 
                                calendar quarter for which data are 
                                available from the Department of Labor.
                            ``(iii) Use.--Notwithstanding any other 
                        provision of this subsection, funds described 
                        in this subparagraph shall be--
                                    ``(I) used at any point during the 
                                calendar year to facilitate enrolling 
                                individuals into and maintaining 
                                individuals' coverage in State Medicaid 
                                plans under title XIX of the Social 
                                Security Act, State Children's Health 
                                Insurance Programs under title XXI of 
                                such Act, qualified health plans, COBRA 
                                continuation coverage, group health 
                                plans offered to furloughed employees 
                                on the same terms they are offered to 
                                other employees, and other health 
                                coverage programs sponsored by States 
                                and localities, with counseling and 
                                assistance provided by entities that 
                                assume a fiduciary duty to act in such 
                                individuals' best interests;
                                    ``(II) used to develop 
                                relationships with State workforce 
                                agencies (and, at the entity's option, 
                                employers) through which an entity 
                                funded through this subparagraph 
                                reaches out to individuals losing 
                                employment and helps them enroll into 
                                minimum essential coverage;
                                    ``(III) awarded to organizations 
                                (which may include agencies of States 
                                or political subdivision using hired or 
                                rehired employees) with a demonstrated 
                                capacity to perform the duties 
                                specified in paragraph (3) (extended, 
                                for purposes of this subparagraph, to 
                                include all programs described in 
                                subclause (I)) and this subparagraph, 
                                including relationships with and 
                                experience in successfully serving 
                                laid-off and furloughed workers, 
                                residents of rural areas and 
                                communities of color, low-income 
                                individuals, members of immigrant 
                                families, and other historically 
                                underserved populations;
                                    ``(IV) awarded to organizations, 
                                within each State, that include at 
                                least two organizations located in the 
                                State serviced by such organizations, 
                                at least one of which is a community-
                                based and consumer-oriented nonprofit 
                                group; and
                                    ``(V) used to supplement rather 
                                than supplant other funding, staffing, 
                                and programming provided under this 
                                subsection.
                            ``(iv) Definition.--For purposes of this 
                        subparagraph, the term `COBRA continuation 
                        coverage' means continuation coverage provided 
                        pursuant to part 6 of subtitle B of title I of 
                        the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 
                        1974 (other than under section 609), title XXII 
                        of the Public Health Service Act, section 4980B 
                        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (other 
                        than subsection (f)(1) of such section insofar 
                        as it relates to pediatric vaccines), or 
                        section 8905a of title 5, United States Code, 
                        or under a State program that provides 
                        comparable continuation coverage. Such term 
                        does not include coverage under a health 
                        flexible spending arrangement under a cafeteria 
                        plan within the meaning of section 125 of the 
                        Internal Revenue Code of 1986.''.
                                 <all>