Title: Protecting Vulnerable Americans in Times of Crisis Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Protecting Vulnerable Americans in Times of Crisis Act of 2020
This bill increases the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for all states and U.S. territories during the public health emergency declared on January 31, 2020, relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), in accordance with specified conditions. For example, in order to receive the increased FMAP, a state Medicaid program may not require standards for eligibility that are more restrictive than the standards that were in effect on January 1, 2020.
The bill also increases Medicaid funding for U.S. territories for FY2020-FY2021.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6273 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6273

  To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to increase allotments 
  under the Medicaid program for territories of the United States, to 
  provide for a temporary increase in the Federal medical assistance 
    percentage for States under the Medicaid program, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2020

 Mr. Butterfield introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                  the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to increase allotments 
  under the Medicaid program for territories of the United States, to 
  provide for a temporary increase in the Federal medical assistance 
    percentage for States under the Medicaid program, 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 ``Protecting Vulnerable Americans in 
Times of Crisis Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY INCREASE OF MEDICAID FMAP.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), for each calendar 
quarter occurring during the period beginning on the first day of the 
emergency period defined in paragraph (1)(B) of section 1135(g) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)) and ending on the last day 
of the calendar quarter in which the last day of such emergency period 
occurs, the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for each 
State, including the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the 
United States Virgin Islands, under section 1905(b) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(b)) shall be increased by 8 percentage 
points.
    (b) Requirement for All States.--A State described in subsection 
(a) may not receive the increase described in such subsection in the 
Federal medical assistance percentage for such State, with respect to a 
quarter, if--
            (1) eligibility standards, methodologies, or procedures 
        under the State plan of such State under title XIX of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) (including any 
        waiver under such title or section 1115 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1315)) are more restrictive during such quarter than the 
        eligibility standards methodologies, or procedures, 
        respectively, under such plan (or waiver) as in effect on 
        January 1, 2020;
            (2) the amount of any premium imposed by the State pursuant 
        to section 1916 or 1916A of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396o, 1396o-1) 
        during such quarter, with respect to an individual enrolled 
        under such plan (or waiver), exceeds the amount of such premium 
        as of January 1, 2020;
            (3) the State terminates or denies the enrollment of any 
        individual under such plan (or waiver) during such quarter for 
        a reason other than a failure to satisfy financial, 
        categorical, and State residency requirements (as applicable) 
        under such plan (or waiver);
            (4) the State does not provide coverage under such plan (or 
        waiver), without the imposition of cost sharing, during such 
        quarter for any testing services and treatments for COVID-19, 
        including vaccines, specialized equipment, and therapies; or
            (5) the State conducts during such quarter periodic income 
        checks, including automated income checks, or eligibility 
        redeterminations under such plan (or waiver) at a rate more 
        frequent than once every 12 months.
    (c) Requirement for Certain States.--Section 1905(cc) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(cc)) is amended by striking ``American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.'' and inserting ``and section 2 
of the Protecting Vulnerable Americans in Times of Crisis Act, except 
that in applying such treatments to the increases in the Federal 
medical assistance percentage under such section 2, the reference to 
`December 31, 2009' shall be deemed to be a reference to `March 11, 
2020'.''.

SEC. 3. INCREASE IN MEDICAID ALLOTMENTS FOR TERRITORIES.

    Section 1108(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1308(g)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at 
                        the end;
                            (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``for each 
                        of fiscal years 2020 through 2021, 
                        $126,000,000;'' and inserting ``for fiscal year 
                        2020, $129,500,000; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following 
                        new clause:
                            ``(iii) for fiscal year 2021, 
                        $128,500,000;'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (C)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at 
                        the end;
                            (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``for each 
                        of fiscal years 2020 through 2021, 
                        $127,000,000;'' and inserting ``for fiscal year 
                        2020, $132,000,000; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following 
                        new clause:
                            ``(iii) for fiscal year 2021, 
                        $130,500,000;'';
                    (C) in subparagraph (D)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at 
                        the end;
                            (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``for each 
                        of fiscal years 2020 through 2021, $60,000,000; 
                        and'' and inserting ``for fiscal year 2020, 
                        $64,000,000; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following 
                        new clause:
                            ``(iii) for fiscal year 2021, $63,000,000; 
                        and''; and
                    (D) in subparagraph (E)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at 
                        the end;
                            (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``for each 
                        of fiscal years 2020 through 2021, 
                        $84,000,000.'' and inserting ``for fiscal year 
                        2020, $87,000,000; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following 
                        new clause:
                            ``(iii) for fiscal year 2021, 
                        $86,000,000.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (6)(A)--
                    (A) in clause (i), by striking ``$2,623,188,000'' 
                and inserting ``$2,743,188,000''; and
                    (B) in clause (ii), by striking ``$2,719,072,000'' 
                and inserting ``$2,804,072,000''.
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