HR 6514 · 116th Congress 2019–2021, ended

Worker Health Coverage Protection Act

Introduced Apr 14, 2020 Originated House Sponsor Robert C. "Bobby" Scott D-VA

Latest action · Apr 14, 2020 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.

IntroducedApr 14, 2020
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Worker Health Coverage Protection Act

This bill provides health insurance premium assistance for individuals who become unemployed or are furloughed during or shortly after the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19) public health emergency. Specifically, the bill treats premiums as paid for up to 15 months for individuals who (1) are terminated from employment and elect to continue insurance coverage through the COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) program or (2) receive a 20% or greater reduction in paid hours but remain eligible for coverage under a group health plan. Assistance is phased out based on adjusted gross income. The bill also specifies requirements for individuals changing, or enrolling in, health plans under the program.

Additionally, the bill requires employers to provide eligible individuals specified written notice about the premium assistance program, including, among other information, available health plan enrollment options and the date that such assistance expires.

The Department of the Treasury must reimburse employers, group health plans, and insurance issuers through a payroll tax credit or refund for unpaid premiums that were treated as paid under the program.

Premium assistance is not considered income for federal income tax purposes.

Cosponsors 75

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 14, 2020 to Jul 16, 2020; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-MI	Debbie Dingell	Original	Apr 14, 2020
D-NV	Steven Horsford	Original	Apr 14, 2020
D-TX	Al Green		Apr 21, 2020
D-TX	Joaquin Castro		Apr 21, 2020
D-CT	Joe Courtney		Apr 21, 2020
D-CA	Juan Vargas		Apr 21, 2020
D-GA	Lucy McBath		Apr 21, 2020
D-OH	Marcia L. Fudge		Apr 21, 2020
D-IL	Raja Krishnamoorthi		Apr 21, 2020
D-CA	Susan A. Davis		Apr 21, 2020
D-NJ	Albio Sires		Apr 24, 2020
D-CA	Barbara Lee		Apr 24, 2020
D-NJ	Donald Norcross		Apr 24, 2020
D-FL	Frederica S. Wilson		Apr 24, 2020
D-NY	Hakeem S. Jeffries		Apr 24, 2020
D-IL	Janice D. Schakowsky		Apr 24, 2020
D-CO	Joe Neguse		Apr 24, 2020
D-OH	Joyce Beatty		Apr 24, 2020
D-IL	Mike Quigley		Apr 24, 2020
D-IL	Sean Casten		Apr 24, 2020
D-TN	Steve Cohen		Apr 24, 2020
D-PA	Susan Wild		Apr 24, 2020
D-WA	Adam Smith		Apr 28, 2020
D-IL	Bill Foster		Apr 28, 2020
D-FL	Darren Soto		Apr 28, 2020
D-WA	Derek Kilmer		Apr 28, 2020
D-CO	Ed Perlmutter		Apr 28, 2020
D-DC	Eleanor Holmes Norton		Apr 28, 2020
D-CA	Grace F. Napolitano		Apr 28, 2020
D-MP	Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan		Apr 28, 2020
D-WI	Gwen Moore		Apr 28, 2020
D-NY	Sean Patrick Maloney		Apr 28, 2020
D-FL	Val Butler Demings		Apr 28, 2020
D-ME	Chellie Pingree		May 1, 2020
D-PA	Conor Lamb		May 1, 2020
D-CA	Jerry McNerney		May 1, 2020
D-IL	Jesús G. "Chuy" García		May 1, 2020
D-CA	Jimmy Gomez		May 1, 2020
D-CA	Judy Chu		May 1, 2020
D-IL	Lauren Underwood		May 1, 2020
D-MA	Lori Trahan		May 1, 2020
D-AZ	Raúl M. Grijalva		May 1, 2020
D-NY	Yvette D. Clarke		May 1, 2020
D-IL	Bradley Scott Schneider		May 5, 2020
D-CA	Maxine Waters		May 5, 2020
D-PA	Brendan F. Boyle		May 8, 2020
D-NV	Dina Titus		May 8, 2020
D-HI	Ed Case		May 8, 2020
D-VA	Gerald E. Connolly		May 8, 2020
D-CT	Jahana Hayes		May 8, 2020
D-CA	Scott H. Peters		May 8, 2020
D-MN	Betty McCollum		May 12, 2020
D-NJ	Donald M. Payne, Jr.		May 12, 2020
D-CT	John B. Larson		May 12, 2020
D-WI	Mark Pocan		May 12, 2020
D-CA	Tony Cárdenas		May 12, 2020
D-CA	Adam B. Schiff		May 13, 2020
D-MS	Bennie G. Thompson		May 13, 2020
D-NY	Grace Meng		May 13, 2020
D-NY	Gregory W. Meeks		May 13, 2020
D-NY	Max Rose		May 13, 2020
D-AZ	Ruben Gallego		May 13, 2020
D-OH	Tim Ryan		May 13, 2020
D-MD	C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger		May 15, 2020
D-MI	Daniel T. Kildee		May 15, 2020
D-FL	Kathy Castor		May 15, 2020
D-DE	Lisa Blunt Rochester		May 15, 2020
D-TX	Vicente Gonzalez		May 15, 2020
D-NJ	Andy Kim		May 19, 2020
D-MI	Brenda L. Lawrence		May 19, 2020
D-TX	Eddie Bernice Johnson		May 19, 2020
D-MD	David J. Trone		May 22, 2020
D-MA	Katherine M. Clark		May 22, 2020
D-PA	Mary Gay Scanlon		Jun 4, 2020
D-CA	Mark DeSaulnier		Jul 16, 2020

Committees 3

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Education and Workforce Committee	Referred Apr 14, 2020
House	Energy and Commerce Committee	Referred Apr 14, 2020
House	Ways and Means Committee	Referred Apr 14, 2020
	Health Subcommittee	Referred Apr 14, 2020

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Apr 14, 2020Introduced in House
Apr 14, 2020Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Apr 14, 2020Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

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

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 71, April 14, 2020, page H1889.

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 4714	Worker Health Coverage Protection Act	Related bill	Sep 24, 2020
HR 6810	Health Care Protection Act	Related bill	May 12, 2020

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To provide premium assistance for COBRA continuation coverage and furloughed continuation coverage for individuals and their families during the COVID-19 emergency period and 180-days thereafter, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: Worker Health Coverage Protection Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Apr 14, 2020Introduced in House

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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.