DOC Access Act of 2021
Latest action · May 24, 2021 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.
- IntroducedMay 21, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Dentist and Optometric Care Access Act of 2021 or the DOC Access Act of 2021
This bill prohibits private health insurance plans from setting rates for items and services, except for dental cleanings, provided by a doctor of optometry, of dental surgery, or of dental medicine for which the plan does not pay a substantial amount.
Additionally, an agreement between a plan and such a doctor for limited scope dental or vision benefits may last longer than two years only with the prior acceptance of the doctor for each term extension. Plans also may not restrict such a doctor's choice of laboratories or suppliers.
Such doctors may elect to waive the application of the payment amount and choice of laboratories provisions of this bill.
The bill establishes a private right of action for a person adversely affected by a violation of this bill.
The bill does not supersede state laws regarding health insurers and dental or vision benefit plans.
Cosponsors 76
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 21, 2021 to Dec 20, 2022; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Darren Soto | Original | May 21, 2021 |
| R-WV | David B. McKinley | Original | May 21, 2021 |
| R-GA | Earl L. "Buddy" Carter | Original | May 21, 2021 |
| R-FL | Bill Posey | Jun 16, 2021 | |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Jun 16, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Jefferson Van Drew | Jun 16, 2021 | |
| D-OR | Kurt Schrader | Jun 16, 2021 | |
| R-KS | Ron Estes | Jun 22, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Jun 25, 2021 | |
| R-NY | Nicole Malliotakis | Jun 28, 2021 | |
| R-IL | Rodney Davis | Jun 28, 2021 | |
| D-PA | Brendan F. Boyle | Jul 1, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Jul 1, 2021 | |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Jul 1, 2021 | |
| D-GA | Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. | Jul 1, 2021 | |
| D-AL | Terri A. Sewell | Jul 1, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Jul 16, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Jul 16, 2021 | |
| D-CA | J. Luis Correa | Jul 16, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Thomas R. Suozzi | Jul 16, 2021 | |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Jul 22, 2021 | |
| R-MO | Billy Long | Jul 29, 2021 | |
| R-AR | Eric A. "Rick" Crawford | Jul 29, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Gregory W. Meeks | Jul 29, 2021 | |
| R-KY | Harold Rogers | Jul 29, 2021 | |
| R-GA | A. Drew Ferguson IV | Aug 6, 2021 | |
| D-IA | Cynthia Axne | Aug 6, 2021 | |
| R-TX | Jodey C. Arrington | Aug 6, 2021 | |
| R-PA | Guy Reschenthaler | Aug 13, 2021 | |
| D-RI | James R. Langevin | Aug 13, 2021 | |
| D-CO | Ed Perlmutter | Sep 17, 2021 | |
| R-KS | Jake LaTurner | Sep 17, 2021 | |
| R-AR | Steve Womack | Sep 30, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Oct 8, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-AZ | Ann Kirkpatrick | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-TX | Henry Cuellar | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Albio Sires | Oct 26, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Bill Foster | Oct 26, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne, Jr. | Oct 26, 2021 | |
| D-OR | Peter A. DeFazio | Oct 26, 2021 | |
| D-TX | Vicente Gonzalez | Nov 4, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Nov 5, 2021 | |
| D-FL | Frederica S. Wilson | Nov 9, 2021 | |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Nov 9, 2021 | |
| D-DE | Lisa Blunt Rochester | Nov 9, 2021 | |
| R-NC | David Rouzer | Dec 9, 2021 | |
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Dec 16, 2021 | |
| R-CA | David G. Valadao | Dec 16, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Neal P. Dunn | Dec 16, 2021 | |
| D-VA | Elaine G. Luria | Jan 6, 2022 | |
| R-TX | Lance Gooden | Feb 4, 2022 | |
| R-AL | Jerry L. Carl | Feb 25, 2022 | |
| R-OK | Markwayne Mullin | Feb 25, 2022 | |
| D-PA | Susan Wild | Mar 24, 2022 | |
| R-FL | John H. Rutherford | Mar 30, 2022 | |
| R-TX | Beth Van Duyne | Apr 5, 2022 | |
| D-NM | Melanie A. Stansbury | Apr 5, 2022 | |
| R-AZ | Debbie Lesko | Apr 6, 2022 | |
| R-PA | Glenn Thompson | Apr 28, 2022 | |
| R-ID | Michael K. Simpson | Apr 28, 2022 | |
| D-MO | Emanuel Cleaver | May 10, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | May 10, 2022 | |
| R-TX | Pete Sessions | May 10, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Sean Patrick Maloney | May 11, 2022 | |
| R-ND | Kelly Armstrong | May 12, 2022 | |
| D-NJ | Tom Malinowski | May 12, 2022 | |
| R-AL | Mike Rogers | May 24, 2022 | |
| D-FL | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | Jul 14, 2022 | |
| R-NC | Gregory F. Murphy | Jul 21, 2022 | |
| R-NE | Don Bacon | Aug 9, 2022 | |
| R-TX | Pat Fallon | Sep 14, 2022 | |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Oct 31, 2022 | |
| D-GA | Nikema Williams | Dec 20, 2022 |
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 May 21, 2021 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred May 24, 2021 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 24, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- May 21, 2021Introduced in House
- May 21, 2021Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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. 167, no. 89, May 21, 2021, page H2659.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1793 | DOC Access Act of 2021 | Related bill | May 24, 2021 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to improve health care coverage under vision and dental plans, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- DOC Access Act of 2021
- Dental and Optometric Care Access Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 21, 2021Introduced 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.
