Title: COVID Special Enrollment Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
COVID Special Enrollment Act of 2020
This bill establishes a special health plan enrollment period during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The special enrollment period applies to plans offered through health insurance exchanges and is available to eligible individuals for eight weeks beginning one week after this bill is enacted. The bill also funds outreach activities for the Department of Health and Human Services to notify individuals about the special enrollment period.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6532 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6532

To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a special 
enrollment period during the COVID-19 emergency period and to carry out 
      outreach and educational activities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 17, 2020

  Mr. Doggett (for himself, Ms. Wild, and Mrs. Bustos) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a special 
enrollment period during the COVID-19 emergency period and to carry out 
      outreach and educational activities, 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 ``COVID Special Enrollment Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD THROUGH EXCHANGES; FEDERAL EXCHANGE 
              OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Special Enrollment Period Through Exchanges.--Section 1311(c) 
of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18031(c)) 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (6)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking at the end 
                ``and'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking at the end the 
                period and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(E) subject to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (8), 
                the special enrollment period described in subparagraph 
                (A) of such paragraph.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(8) Special enrollment period for certain public health 
        emergency.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall, subject to 
                subparagraph (B), require an Exchange to provide--
                            ``(i) for a special enrollment period 
                        during the emergency period described in 
                        section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security 
                        Act--
                                    ``(I) which shall begin on the date 
                                that is one week after the date of the 
                                enactment of this paragraph and which, 
                                in the case of an Exchange established 
                                or operated by the Secretary within a 
                                State pursuant to section 1321(c), 
                                shall be an 8-week period; and
                                    ``(II) during which any individual 
                                who is otherwise eligible to enroll in 
                                a qualified health plan through the 
                                Exchange may enroll in such a qualified 
                                health plan; and
                            ``(ii) that, in the case of an individual 
                        who enrolls in a qualified health plan through 
                        the Exchange during such enrollment period, the 
                        coverage period under such plan shall begin, at 
                        the option of the individual, on April 1, 2020, 
                        or on the first day of the month following the 
                        day the individual selects a plan through such 
                        special enrollment period.
                    ``(B) Exception.--The requirement of subparagraph 
                (A) shall not apply to a State-operated or State-
                established Exchange if such Exchange, prior to the 
                date of the enactment of this paragraph, established or 
                otherwise provided for a special enrollment period to 
                address access to coverage under qualified health plans 
                offered through such Exchange during the emergency 
                period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social 
                Security Act.''.
    (b) Federal Exchange Outreach and Educational Activities.--Section 
1321(c) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 
18041(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Outreach and educational activities.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of an Exchange 
                established or operated by the Secretary within a State 
                pursuant to this subsection, the Secretary shall carry 
                out outreach and educational activities for purposes of 
                informing potential enrollees in qualified health plans 
                offered through the Exchange of the availability of 
                coverage under such plans and financial assistance for 
                coverage under such plans. Such outreach and 
                educational activities shall be provided in a manner 
                that is culturally and linguistically appropriate to 
                the needs of the populations being served by the 
                Exchange (including hard-to-reach populations, such as 
                racial and sexual minorities, limited English 
                proficient populations, and young adults).
                    ``(B) Limitation on use of funds.--No funds 
                appropriated under this paragraph shall be used for 
                expenditures for promoting non-ACA compliant health 
                insurance coverage.
                    ``(C) Non-aca compliant health insurance 
                coverage.--For purposes of subparagraph (B):
                            ``(i) The term `non-ACA compliant health 
                        insurance coverage' means health insurance 
                        coverage, or a group health plan, that is not a 
                        qualified health plan.
                            ``(ii) Such term includes the following:
                                    ``(I) An association health plan.
                                    ``(II) Short-term limited duration 
                                insurance.
                    ``(D) Funding.--Out of any funds in the Treasury 
                not otherwise appropriated, there are hereby 
                appropriated $25,000,000 to carry out this paragraph. 
                Funds appropriated under this subparagraph shall remain 
                available until expended.''.
    (c) Implementation.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services may 
implement the provisions of (including amendments made by) this section 
through subregulatory guidance, program instruction, or otherwise.
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