Children's Access to Reconstructive Evaluation & Surgery (CARES) Act of 2011
Latest action · May 23, 2011 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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.
- IntroducedMay 23, 2011
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Children's Access to Reconstructive Evaluation & Surgery (CARES) Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group or individual health plan that covers surgical benefits to also cover outpatient and inpatient diagnosis and treatment of a congenital or developmental deformity, disease, or injury of a minor child (defined as child under the age of 22).
Requires that such coverage: (1) be subject to pre-authorization or pre-certification requirements of the plan or issuer, and (2) include any surgical treatment deemed by the treating physician to be medically necessary to approximate a normal appearance. Defines "treatment" to include reconstructive surgical procedures that are performed on abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, burns, infection, tumors, or disease, including: (1) procedures that do not materially affect the function of the body part being treated, and (2) procedures for secondary conditions and follow-up treatment. Excludes cosmetic surgery performed to reshape normal structures of the body to improve appearance or self-esteem.
Applies the provisions of this Act to grandfathered health plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Cosponsors 5
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 23, 2011 to Aug 2, 2012; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-MS | Thad Cochran | Original | May 23, 2011 |
| R-MO | Roy Blunt | Jun 6, 2011 | |
| D-RI | Jack Reed | Jun 29, 2011 | |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Sep 6, 2011 | |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Aug 2, 2012 |
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 May 23, 2011 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 23, 2011Introduced in Senate
- May 23, 2011Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1955 | Children's Access to Reconstructive Evaluation & Surgery (CARES) Act of 2011 | Identical bill | Sep 8, 2011 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require that group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans provide coverage for treatment of a minor child's congenital or developmental deformity or disorder due to trauma, burns, infection, tumor, or disease.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Children's Access to Reconstructive Evaluation & Surgery (CARES) Act of 2011
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 23, 2011Introduced 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.
