Taxpayers Before Insurers Act

Bill: 114-s-2803
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Sasse, Ben [R-NE]
Introduced: 2016-04-14
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Appropriations

Department of Health and Human Services

Executive agency funding and structure

Health care costs and insurance

Health care coverage and access
Latest action: action_date: 2016-04-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2016-04-14
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Taxpayers Before Insurers Act </b></p> <p>This bill rescinds specified departmental management funds from the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) unless HHS deposits into the Treasury specified funds derived from contributions collected under the Transitional Reinsurance Program. </p> <p>The rescission is required unless HHS deposits into the Treasury: (1) $2 billion for each of calendar years 2014 and 2015 within 45 days of enactment of this bill, and (2) $1 billion for 2016 by March 1, 2017. </p> <p>(The Transitional Reinsurance Program was created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [PPACA] to stabilize premiums in the individual health insurance market by partially reimbursing insurers for high-cost enrollees. Health insurance issuers and certain group health plans make contributions to the program, and reinsurance payments are made to issuers for enrollees in certain individual market plans with claim costs within a specified level. Portions of the reinsurance contributions are allocated for the reinsurance payment pool, administrative expenses, and the Treasury.)</p>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2803 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 14, 2016 Mr. Sasse introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deposit certain funds into the general fund of the Treasury in accordance with provisions of Federal law with regard to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s Transitional Reinsurance Program.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Taxpayers Before Insurers Act . 2. Deposit of certain reinsurance program funds into the Treasury (a) In general If the Secretary of Health and Human Services fails to make deposits into the general fund of the Treasury of the United States— (1) in an amount equal to $2,000,000,000 for each of calendar years 2014 and 2015, within 45 days of the date of enactment of this Act, there shall be rescinded from amounts appropriated for the general departmental management of the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2016, an amount equal to 50 percent of the unexpended balance of such amounts; and (2) in an amount equal to $1,000,000,000 for calendar year 2016, by March 1, 2017, there shall be rescinded from amounts appropriated for the general departmental management of the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2017, an amount equal to 50 percent of the unexpended balance of such amounts. (b) Source of funds The amounts to be deposited in accordance with subsection (a) shall be derived from contributions collected under the transitional reinsurance program under section 1341 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18061 ).