Title: Rapid Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccine Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Rapid Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccine Act of 2020
This bill shortens the time frame under which private health insurance plans must cover certain new preventative services related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Under current law, health plans have one year to cover services recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force or the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Under this bill, health plans must cover such services to prevent or diagnose COVID-19 within 15 days.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6299 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6299

 To provide for the rapid coverage of preventive services and vaccines 
                             for COVID-19.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 19, 2020

Mr. Courtney (for himself and Mr. Beyer) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the rapid coverage of preventive services and vaccines 
                             for COVID-19.

    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 ``Rapid Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccine 
Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. RAPID COVERAGE OF PREVENTIVE SERVICES AND VACCINES FOR COVID-
              19.

    (a) In General.--In the case of a qualifying COVID-19 preventive 
service, notwithstanding section 2713(b) of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-13(b)) (including the regulations under section 
2590.715-2713 of title 29, Code of Federal Regulations, section 
54.9815-2713 of title 26, Code of Federal Regulations, and section 
147.130 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations), the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, Secretary of Labor, and Secretary of the 
Treasury shall apply to group health plans and health insurance issuers 
offering group or individual health insurance coverage the requirement 
under section 2713(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
300gg-13(a)), with respect to such services, as if such section 
2713(a)--
            (1) required the coverage of such service under such plans 
        and such coverage be effective not later than the specified 
        date (as defined in subsection (b)(2)) with respect to such 
        service; and
            (2) applied to grandfathered health plans (as defined in 
        section 1251(e) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 18011(e))).
    (b) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            (1) Qualifying covid-19 preventive service.--The term 
        ``qualifying COVID-19 preventive service'' means an item, 
        service, or immunization that is intended to prevent or 
        mitigate COVID-19 and that is--
                    (A) an evidence-based item or service that has in 
                effect a rating of ``A'' or ``B'' in the current 
                recommendations of the United States Preventive 
                Services Task Force; or
                    (B) an immunization that has in effect a 
                recommendation from the Advisory Committee on 
                Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease 
                Control and Prevention with respect to the individual 
                involved.
            (2) Specified date.--The term ``specified date'' means--
                    (A) with respect to a qualifying COVID-19 
                preventive service described in paragraph (1)(A), the 
                date that is 15 business days after the date on which a 
                rating, as described in such paragraph, is made with 
                respect to such service; and
                    (B) with respect to a qualifying COVID-19 
                preventive service described in paragraph (1)(B), the 
                date that is 15 business days after the date on which a 
                recommendation, as described in such paragraph, is made 
                relating to the service.
            (3) Additional terms.--The terms ``group health plan''; 
        ``health insurance issuer''; ``group health insurance 
        coverage'', and ``individual health insurance coverage'' have 
        the meanings given such terms in section 2791 of the Public 
        Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-91), section 733 of the 
        Employee Retirement Income Security Act (29 U.S.C. 1191b), and 
        section 9832 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as 
        applicable.
    (c) Implementation.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
Secretary of Labor, and Secretary of the Treasury may implement the 
provisions of this section through program instruction, subregulatory 
guidance, or otherwise.
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