Public Option Deficit Reduction Act
Latest action · Jan 16, 2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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.
- IntroducedJan 9, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Public Option Deficit Reduction Act
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer a public health insurance option, which is a health benefits plan available through Exchanges that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high-quality coverage throughout the United States. Declares that HHS's primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care.
Sets forth provisions related to the establishment and governance of the public health insurance option, including that such plan: (1) may be made available only through Exchanges; (2) must comply with requirements applicable to other health benefits plans offered through Exchanges, including requirements related to benefits, benefit levels, provider networks, notices, consumer protections, and cost sharing; and (3) must offer bronze, silver, and gold plan levels.
Requires HHS to: (1) establish an office of the ombudsman for the public health insurance option, (2) collect data as may be required to establish premiums and payment rates, (3) establish geographically adjusted premiums at a level sufficient to fully finance the costs of the health benefits provided and administrative costs related to the operation of the plan, and (4) establish payment rates and provide for greater payment rates for the first three years.
Requires repayment of start-up costs for the public health insurance option.
Authorizes HHS to use innovative payment mechanisms and policies to determine payments for items and services under the public health insurance option.
Cosponsors 37
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 9, 2015 to Sep 28, 2016; 27 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-ME | Chellie Pingree | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-MD | Elijah E. Cummings | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-NY | Eliot L. Engel | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-WI | Gwen Moore | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-CO | Jared Polis | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-WA | Jim McDermott | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-KY | John A. Yarmuth | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-GA | John Lewis | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-MD | John P. Sarbanes | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-NY | Louise McIntosh Slaughter | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-CA | Michael M. Honda | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-CA | Sam Farr | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-MI | Sander M. Levin | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-FL | Theodore E. Deutch | Original | Jan 9, 2015 |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Jan 14, 2015 | |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | Jan 14, 2015 | |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Jan 14, 2015 | |
| D-CA | Doris O. Matsui | Feb 12, 2015 | |
| D-CO | Diana DeGette | Jun 1, 2015 | |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Sep 15, 2015 | |
| D-MD | Donna F. Edwards | Sep 16, 2015 | |
| D-VA | Robert C. "Bobby" Scott | May 11, 2016 | |
| D-TX | Marc A. Veasey | Sep 12, 2016 | |
| D-MN | Betty McCollum | Sep 28, 2016 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jan 9, 2015 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jan 16, 2015 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 16, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jan 9, 2015Introduced in House
- Jan 9, 2015Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H5933 | Jared Polis D-CO | Sep 27, 2016 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 4, January 9, 2015, page H189.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to establish a public health insurance option.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Public Option Deficit Reduction Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 9, 2015Introduced in House
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.
