Prosthetics Parity Act of 2008
Latest action · Sep 18, 2008 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9028-9030)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedSep 18, 2008
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Prosthetics Parity Act of 2008 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to require a group health plan that provides both medical and surgical benefits and benefits for prosthetic devices and components to provide prosthetics coverage under terms and conditions that are no less favorable than those applicable to substantially all medical and surgical benefits provided under the plan.
Prohibits the prosthetics benefit from being subject to separate or more restrictive financial requirements or more restrictive treatment limitations.
Applies the requirements of this Act separately with respect to in-network and out-of-network benefits.
Requires a group health plan to apply the same prior authorization requirements to the prosthetics benefit as apply for all similar benefits under the plan.
Limits the required prosthetics benefit to the most appropriate device or component that adequately meets the medical requirements of the patient. Includes repair or replacement of prosthetic devices and components within such coverage.
Prohibits a group health plan from imposing any annual or lifetime dollar limitation on benefits for prosthetic devices and components required to be covered under this Act that is not applied in the aggregate to all medical and surgical benefits provided under the plan.
Requires the Secretary of Labor to: (1) assist enrollees with any questions or problems regarding compliance with the requirements of this Act; and (2) conduct random audits of group health plans to ensure compliance.
Requires the Comptroller General to evaluate the effects of this Act, including on the cost of and access to heath insurance coverage.
Cosponsors 6
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 18, 2008 to Dec 11, 2008; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-HI | Daniel K. Inouye | Original | Sep 18, 2008 |
| D-WI | Russell D. Feingold | Original | Sep 18, 2008 |
| D-IA | Tom Harkin | Original | Sep 18, 2008 |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Sep 25, 2008 | |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Oct 2, 2008 | |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Dec 11, 2008 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Referred Sep 18, 2008 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 18, 2008Introduced in Senate
- Sep 18, 2008Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9028)
- Sep 18, 2008Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9028-9030)
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S9028Text printed S9028–S9030 | Olympia J. Snowe R-ME (text) | Sep 18, 2008 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 5615 | Group Health Plan Prosthetics Parity Act of 2007 | Related bill | Mar 13, 2008 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to provide parity under group health plans and group health insurance coverage for the provision of benefits for prosthetic devices and components and benefits for other medical and surgical services.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Prosthetics Parity Act of 2008
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Access to health care
- Administrative remedies
- Auditing
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Coinsurance
- Congress
- Congressional investigations
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Department of Labor
- Discrimination in insurance
- Discrimination in medical care
- Employee health benefits
- Finance and Financial Sector
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government publicity
- Health
- Health insurance
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Medical economics
- Prosthesis
- Quality of care
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 18, 2008Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
