Health Care Conscience Rights Act
Latest action · Jun 20, 2013 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.
- IntroducedJun 20, 2013
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Health Care Conscience Rights Act - Amends title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to declare that nothing in such title shall require an individual to purchase individual health insurance coverage that includes coverage of an abortion or other item or service to which the individual has a moral or religious objection, or prevent an issuer from offering or issuing, to that individual, individual coverage excluding such item or service.
Makes similar denials about requiring a sponsor to sponsor, purchase, or provide such coverage, or a health insurance issuer or group health plan sponsor to cover an abortion or other item or service to which the sponsor or issuer has a moral or religious objection.
Denies also that such title authorizes imposition of a tax, penalty, fee, fine, or other sanction, or imposition of coverage of such an item or service, in relation to health insurance coverage or a group health plan that excludes such an item or service.
Amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against any action by the federal government and any state or local government receiving federal financial assistance to subject a health professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, an accountable care organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan to discrimination on the basis that the entity refuses to participate in abortion-related activities.
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate the Director of the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive and investigate complaints alleging a violation of abortion discrimination prohibition.
Creates a cause of action for the Attorney General or any person or entity adversely affected to obtain equitable or legal relief for any violation of this abortion discrimination prohibition. Allows commencement of an action to be commenced and the granting of relief without a prerequisite pursuit of administrative remedies. Allows such an action against a federal or state governmental entity.
Cosponsors 21
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 20, 2013 to Mar 4, 2014, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NE | Deb Fischer | Original | Jun 20, 2013 |
| R-NE | Mike Johanns | Jun 24, 2013 | |
| R-KS | Jerry Moran | Jun 26, 2013 | |
| R-KY | Rand Paul | Jun 27, 2013 | |
| R-MO | Roy Blunt | Jun 27, 2013 | |
| R-SD | John Thune | Jul 10, 2013 | |
| R-KS | Pat Roberts | Jul 16, 2013 | |
| R-NC | Richard Burr | Jul 23, 2013 | |
| R-OK | James M. Inhofe | Jul 29, 2013 | |
| R-FL | Marco Rubio | Jul 30, 2013 | |
| R-NH | Kelly Ayotte | Jul 31, 2013 | |
| R-WY | Michael B. Enzi | Sep 9, 2013 | |
| R-SC | Lindsey Graham | Sep 12, 2013 | |
| R-AL | Jeff Sessions | Sep 24, 2013 | |
| R-SC | Tim Scott | Sep 25, 2013 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 20, 2013Introduced in Senate
- Jun 20, 2013Read 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 940 | Health Care Conscience Rights Act | Identical bill | Mar 12, 2013 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Abortion
- Civil actions and liability
- Comprehensive health care
- Employee benefits and pensions
- Health
- Health care costs and insurance
- Health care coverage and access
- Health personnel
- Health programs administration and funding
- Legal fees and court costs
- Medical education
- Religion
- Sales and excise taxes
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 20, 2013Introduced 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.