Copay Fairness for Veterans Act

Bill: 119-hr-1644
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14]
Introduced: 2025-02-27
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Family planning and birth control

Health care costs and insurance

Health promotion and preventive care

Hospital care

Immunology and vaccination

Prescription drugs

Veterans' medical care

Women's health
Latest action: action_date: 2025-03-25
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-02-27
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Copay Fairness for Veterans Act</strong></p><p>This bill eliminates veterans' copayments for medication, hospital care, and medical services related to preventive health services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.</p><p>The bill expands the definition of preventive health services to include (1) evidence-based items or services that have an A or B rating in the recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force; (2) immunizations that have a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved; and (3) with respect to services for women, the preventive care, screenings, and contraceptives provided for in the Health Resources and Services Administration Preventive Services Guidelines in effect as of December 30, 2022, and any contraceptive approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, any related contraceptive care, and any related services.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1644 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 27, 2025 Ms. Underwood (for herself, Mr. Moulton , Mrs. Hayes , and Ms. Norton ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to eliminate copayments by the Department of Veterans Affairs for medicines relating to preventive health services, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Copay Fairness for Veterans Act . 2. Improvement to preventive health services furnished by Department of Veterans Affairs (a) Elimination of medication copayments Section 1722A(a)(3) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking or ; (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; or ; and (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (E) to medication that is or is part of a preventive health service. . (b) Elimination of hospital care and medical services copayments Section 1710 of such title is amended— (1) in subsection (f)— (A) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and (B) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following new paragraph (5): (5) A veteran shall not be liable to the United States under this subsection for any amounts for preventive health services. ; and (2) in subsection (g)(3), by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (C) Preventive health services. . (c) Definition Section 1701(9) of such title is amended— (1) in subparagraph (K), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon; (2) by redesignating subparagraph (L) as subparagraph (O); and (3) by inserting after subparagraph (K) the following new subparagraphs: (L) evidence-based items or services that have in effect a rating of A or B in the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force; (M) immunizations that have in effect a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved; (N) with respect to services for women— (i) the preventive care, screenings, and contraceptives provided for in the Health Resources and Services Administration Preventive Services Guidelines in effect as of December 30, 2022; and (ii) any contraceptive approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, any related contraceptive care, and any related services; and .