Health Care Protection Act
Latest action · May 12, 2020 Referred 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.
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 12, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Health Care Protection Act
This bill creates a special health insurance enrollment period and provides premium assistance for the COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) continuation of health coverage program in response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. First, the bill establishes a 30-day special enrollment period for individuals who do not have coverage to enroll in a qualified health insurance plan through a health insurance exchange.
Second, the bill provides premium assistance for individuals who have been terminated from employment and elected COBRA continuation coverage between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020. The bill treats 100% of the premium payments as paid for such individuals for not more than six months. Further, individuals who have not elected COBRA coverage but would be eligible for premium assistance under this bill if they had enrolled in COBRA may enroll in such coverage for 60 days after this bill is enacted. Premium assistance is phased out for individuals earning more than $125,000.
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, as applicable, for unpaid premiums that were treated as paid under this bill.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 12, 2020 to Jul 9, 2020; 5 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-MO | Ann Wagner | Original | May 12, 2020 |
| R-OH | Anthony Gonzalez | Original | May 12, 2020 |
| D-OK | Kendra S. Horn | Original | May 12, 2020 |
| D-OR | Kurt Schrader | Original | May 12, 2020 |
| D-NM | Xochitl Torres Small | Original | May 12, 2020 |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | May 15, 2020 | |
| D-NH | Ann M. Kuster | Jun 1, 2020 | |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Jun 8, 2020 | |
| D-DE | Lisa Blunt Rochester | Jun 11, 2020 | |
| D-FL | Charlie Crist | Jul 9, 2020 | |
| D-GA | David Scott | Jul 9, 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 May 12, 2020 |
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred May 12, 2020 |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred May 12, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 12, 2020Introduced in House
- May 12, 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.
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. 166, no. 89, May 12, 2020, page H1993.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 6379 | Workforce Emergency Response Act of 2020 | Related bill | Mar 23, 2020 |
| HR 6514 | Worker Health Coverage Protection Act | Related bill | Apr 14, 2020 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To establish a Health Care Protection Program Fund to provide grants to employers to ensure continuity of coverage under a group health plan through the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide for premium assistance for COBRA benefits, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Health Care Protection Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Business records
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Department of the Treasury
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Employee benefits and pensions
- Employment taxes
- Government information and archives
- Health
- Health care costs and insurance
- Health care coverage and access
- Income tax exclusion
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 12, 2020Introduced 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.
