American Health Security Act of 2013

Bill: 113-s-1782
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2013-12-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Child health
Comprehensive health care
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Dental care
Department of Health and Human Services
Education programs funding
Employee benefits and pensions
Employment taxes
Executive agency funding and structure
Financial services and investments
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government trust funds
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Income tax credits
Income tax rates
Intergovernmental relations
Medicaid
Medical education
Medical research
Medicare
Military medicine
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Nursing
Performance measurement
Research administration and funding
Sales and excise taxes
Securities
State and local finance
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-09
text: 
American Health Security Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of the Senate concerning: (1) enactment of a Medicare-for-All Single Payer Health Care System; (2) recognition of health care as a human right; (3) state flexibility in designing health care programs; and (4) the goals of a new single-payer health care system, efficiencies through integrated care, and implementation of policies to ensure higher quality, better prevention, and lower per capita costs.
 
Establishes the State-Based American Health Security Program to provide every U.S. resident with health care services. Requires each participating state to establish a state health security program.
 
Eliminates benefits under: (1) titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) of the Social Security Act; (2) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; and (3) TRICARE. 
 
Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) related to health insurance coverage, including provisions concerning state health insurance exchanges.
 
Requires each state health security program to prohibit the sale of health insurance in that state that duplicates benefits provided under the program. 
 
Establishes the American Health Security Standards Board to: (1) develop policies, procedures, guidelines and requirements to carry out this Act; (2) establish uniform reporting requirements and quality performance standards; (3) provide for an American Health Security Advisory Council; and (4) establish a national health security budget specifying the total federal and state expenditures to be made for covered health care services. 
 
Establishes the American Health Security Quality Council to: (1) review and evaluate practice guidelines, standards of quality, performance measures, and medical review criteria; and (2) develop minimum competence criteria. Creates the Center for American Health Security Innovation to accelerate the implementation of new models of care that would improve patient care, improve population health, and lower costs.
 
Establishes the Office of Primary Care and Prevention Research within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 
 
Creates the American Health Security Trust Fund and appropriates to it specified tax liabilities and current health program receipts, including premium assistance credit amounts under PPACA.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose on individuals: (1) a health care income tax, and (2) an income tax surcharge on amounts of modified adjusted gross income exceeding $1 million. Imposes an excise tax on securities transactions and allows an income tax credit for such taxes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2013-12-09
text: Introduced in Senate