Bill > S466

Introduced Session

A bill to provide that certain guidance related to waivers for State innovation under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act shall have no force or effect. This bill nullifies the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Health and Human Services guidance titled "State Relief and Empowerment Waivers," published on October 24, 2018. The guidance pertains to Section 1332 waivers (also known as State Innovation Waivers or State Relief and Empowerment Waivers), which allow states to forego certain requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in order to implement experimental plans for health care coverage, as long as the resulting coverage meets certain statutory criteria. The guidance, which supersedes earlier guidance from 2015, alters agency interpretation of how states may satisfy the statutory criteria for waiver approval. For example, the guidance (1) redefines acceptable coverage under such waivers to include short-term, limited-duration insurance and association health plans; (2) allows the comprehensiveness and affordability of coverage under such waivers to be assessed based on projected availability, rather than enrollment; and (3) allows the level of coverage to be assessed based on the effects over the entire course of the waiver, rather than per year.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Mark Warner (D)*,  Tammy Baldwin (D),  Richard Blumenthal (D),  Cory Booker (D),  Ben Cardin (D),  Bob Casey (D),  Chris Coons (D),  Dick Durbin (D),  Kirsten Gillibrand (D),  Kamala Harris (D),  Maggie Hassan (D),  Mazie Hirono (D),  Tim Kaine (D),  Amy Klobuchar (D),  Jeff Merkley (D),  Chris Murphy (D),  Gary Peters (D),  Brian Schatz (D),  Jeanne Shaheen (D),  Tina Smith (D),  Debbie Stabenow (D),  Jon Tester (D),  Chris Van Hollen (D),  Ron Wyden (D), 

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (on 02/13/2019)

Official Document