Title: Medication Access in Emergencies Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Medication Access in Emergencies Act of 2020  This bill requires private health insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to waive time restrictions on authorized refills as necessary to permit a plan holder to obtain a 30-day supply of a prescribed drug during a public health emergency.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6193 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6193

To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to require group 
health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual 
 health insurance coverage to provide benefits under such plan or such 
 coverage for a 30-day refill of prescription drugs to individuals who 
          reside in emergency areas during emergency periods.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to require group 
health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual 
 health insurance coverage to provide benefits under such plan or such 
 coverage for a 30-day refill of prescription drugs to individuals who 
          reside in emergency areas during emergency periods.

    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 ``Medication Access in Emergencies Act 
of 2020''.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING COVERAGE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG REFILLS DURING 
              EMERGENCIES.

    Subpart II of part A of title XXVII of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-11 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:

``SEC. 2730. COVERAGE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG REFILLS DURING AN EMERGENCY.

    ``(a) In General.--A group health plan, and a health insurance 
issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage, shall, 
in the case of an individual with a prescription for a drug for which 
benefits are available under such plan or such coverage who is enrolled 
under such plan or such coverage and who resides in an emergency area 
during an emergency period, waive, during such period and with respect 
to such individual, any time restrictions under such plan or coverage 
on any authorized refills for such drug to the extent necessary to 
permit such individual to receive a 30-day supply of such drug in 
advance of when such supply would have otherwise been permitted under 
such plan or coverage.
    ``(b) Definitions.--For purposes of subsection (a), the terms 
`emergency area' and `emergency period' have the meanings given such 
terms in section 1135(g) of the Social Security Act.''.
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