Bill > SB368

This bill establishes a program to provide premium assistance for eligible individuals to obtain health care coverage through an exchange, which is a marketplace for health insurance plans. Eligible individuals are defined as those between 19 and 65 years old, with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, who are U.S. citizens or qualified aliens and not better covered by other public programs. The program will pay premiums and some costs for qualified health plans, but participants must pay a "personal responsibility premium," capped at 5 percent of their income, with a sliding scale based on ability to pay. Failure to pay these premiums can lead to disenrollment, and a compliance pool will be created by withholding a portion of payments to health plan providers to incentivize premium collection. The program's implementation is contingent on federal approval, and it will be terminated if federal medical assistance percentages decrease significantly. A pilot project for health savings accounts is also proposed, and a Legislative Oversight Committee for Health Care Premium Assistance will be formed to monitor the program's implementation and operation.