Veterans Emergency Care Reimbursement Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-3284
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2023-11-09
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Emergency medical services and trauma care

Health care costs and insurance

Veterans' medical care
Latest action: action_date: 2023-11-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-11-09
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Veterans Emergency Care Reimbursement Act of 2023</strong></p> <p>This bill modifies the limitation on reimbursement for emergency treatment of amounts a veteran owes to a third party or owes under a health plan contract. Specifically, the bill allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to reimburse copayments of $100 or more and excludes deductibles and coinsurance from the limitation.</p> <p>This modification must apply with respect to any reimbursement claim for emergency treatment furnished on or after February 1, 2010, including claims submitted by a member of the certified class seeking relief in <em>Wolfe v. McDonough</em>. </p>

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 3284 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 9, 2023 Mr. Blumenthal introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the limitation on reimbursement for emergency treatment of amounts owed to a third party or for which the veteran is responsible under a health-plan contract.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Veterans Emergency Care Reimbursement Act of 2023 . 2. Modification of limitation on reimbursement for emergency treatment of amounts owed to a third party or for which the veteran is responsible under a health-plan contract (a) In general Section 1725(c)(4)(D) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking The Secretary and inserting (i) The Secretary ; (2) in clause (i), as designated by paragraph (1), by striking or similar payment and inserting of less than $100 ; and (3) by adding at the end the following new clause: (ii) In this subparagraph, the term copayment means a fixed amount paid by an individual for a covered health service received by the individual and does not include any amount paid for a deductible or coinsurance. . (b) Application of amendment The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to any reimbursement claim under section 1725 of such title submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs for emergency treatment furnished on or after February 1, 2010, including any such claim submitted by a member of the certified class seeking relief in Wolfe v. McDonough, No. 18–6091 (U.S. Vet. App.). (c) Definitions In this section: (1) Emergency treatment; health-plan contract The terms emergency treatment and health-plan contract have the meanings given those terms in section 1725(h) of title 38, United States Code. (2) Reimbursement claim The term reimbursement claim includes any claim by a veteran for reimbursement of a copayment, deductible, coinsurance, or any other type of cost share for emergency treatment furnished to the veteran in a non-Department of Veterans Affairs facility and made by a veteran who had coverage under a health-plan contract, including any claim for the reasonable value of emergency treatment that was rejected or denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs, whether the rejection or denial was final or not.