Title: Ensuring Access to COVID-19 Preventive Care Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Ensuring Access to COVID-19 Preventive Care Act of 2020
This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover diagnostic tests for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) without imposing cost sharing. The requirement applies only: (1) to tests designated by the Department of Health and Human Services, and (2) during the public health emergency declared on January 31, 2020.  The bill also shortens to 15 business days the time frame under which the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices must issue a recommendation after a vaccine intended to treat or prevent COVID-19 is licensed by the Food and Drug Administration.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6231 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6231

To ensure affordable coverage of certain vaccines and testing services 
  under group health plans and group and individual health insurance 
         coverage during the COVID-19 public health emergency.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2020

 Mr. Bucshon (for himself and Ms. Schakowsky) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To ensure affordable coverage of certain vaccines and testing services 
  under group health plans and group and individual health insurance 
         coverage during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

    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 ``Ensuring Access to COVID-19 
Preventive Care Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. ENSURING AFFORDABLE COVERAGE OF CERTAIN VACCINES AND TESTING 
              SERVICES UNDER GROUP HEALTH PLANS AND GROUP AND 
              INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE DURING THE COVID-19 
              PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.

    (a) Expedited Meeting of ACIP for COVID-19 Vaccines.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding section 3091 of the 21st 
        Century Cures Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb-4 note), the Advisory 
        Committee on Immunization Practices shall meet and issue a 
        recommendation with respect to a vaccine that is intended to 
        prevent or treat COVID-19 not later than 15 business days after 
        the date on which such vaccine is licensed under section 351 of 
        the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262).
            (2) Definition.--In this subsection, the term ``Advisory 
        Committee on Immunization Practices'' means the Advisory 
        Committee on Immunization Practices established by the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to section 222 
        of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 217a), acting 
        through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention.
    (b) Authority To Waive Cost Sharing for Testing Services for COVID-
19.--Section 2713 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-13) 
is amended--
            (1) in the header, by inserting before the period at the 
        end the following: ``; coverage of certain testing services for 
        covid-19''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Coverage of Certain Testing Services for COVID-19.--
            ``(1) In general.--A group health plan, and a health 
        insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance 
        coverage, shall, during a period described in paragraph (2), at 
        a minimum provide coverage for and not impose any cost sharing 
        requirements for an item or service specified by the Secretary 
        under paragraph (3) with respect to such period.
            ``(2) Period described.--For purposes of this subsection 
        and with respect to an item or service specified under 
        paragraph (3) and a group health plan or group or individual 
        health insurance coverage, a period described in this paragraph 
        is a period specified by the Secretary that--
                    ``(A) begins during the public health emergency 
                declared by the Secretary pursuant to section 319 on 
                January 31, 2020, entitled `Determination that a Public 
                Health Emergency Exists Nationwide as the Result of the 
                2019 Novel Coronavirus' (or any renewal of such 
                declaration pursuant to such section); and
                    ``(B) ends on the earlier of--
                            ``(i) the termination of such declaration; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) in the case the United States 
                        Preventive Services Task Force issues a rating 
                        (other than `I') with respect to such item or 
                        service--
                                    ``(I) in the case such rating is an 
                                `A' or `B', the day before the date on 
                                which the requirements of subsection 
                                (a) apply to such plan or coverage with 
                                respect to such item or service; or
                                    ``(II) in the case such rating is 
                                not described in subclause (I), the 
                                date such rating is so issued.
            ``(3) Specified items and services.--For purposes of this 
        subsection, the Secretary may specify an item or service under 
        this paragraph with respect to a period described in paragraph 
        (2) only if such item or service--
                    ``(A) is a testing service intended to detect SARS-
                CoV-2 or diagnose COVID-19; and
                    ``(B) does not, as of the date such item or service 
                is so specified, have in effect a rating from the 
                United States Preventive Services Task Force (or has in 
                effect a rating of `I').''.
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