Choose Medicare Act

Bill: 116-hr-2463
Sponsor: Rep. Richmond, Cedric L. [D-LA-2]
Introduced: 2019-05-01 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Abortion
Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Civil actions and liability
Comprehensive health care
Consumer affairs
Employee benefits and pensions
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health programs administration and funding
Income tax credits
Inflation and prices
Insurance industry and regulation
Medicare
Prescription drugs
Sex and reproductive health

Summary:
action_date: 2019-05-01
text: 

Choose Medicare Act

 
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish public health insurance plans and addresses health insurance costs. Such public plans must be offered on health insurance exchanges and (1) meet the requirements of a qualified health plan; (2) cover benefits at the gold plan level; and (3) cover reproductive services, including abortions.
 
Additionally, the bill makes a series of changes related to health insurance costs, including
 
 
requiring employers to refer employees to health care navigators to assist with enrollment,
 
establishing an annual limit on out-of-pocket costs for services under Medicare,
 
providing HHS with the authority to negotiate prices under the Medicare prescription drug benefit program,
 
expanding the premium-assistance credit by benchmarking the credit amount to the second-lowest cost gold plan and increasing the income threshold for eligibility,
 
requiring qualified health plans to reduce cost sharing for low-income plan holders, 
 
providing funding for states to provide reinsurance to health insurance issuers and to assist individuals with out-of-pocket costs for plans offered through health insurance exchanges,
 
applying the premium rate-setting requirements to large group health plans, and
 
requiring HHS or states to take corrective actions to address unreasonable premium rates set by insurance issuers.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-12-10
text: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
action_date: 2019-05-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2019-05-01
text: 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.
action_date: 2019-05-01
text: 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.
action_date: 2019-05-01
text: 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.
action_date: 2019-05-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-05-01
text: Introduced in House