HR 3961 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

COVER Now Act

Introduced Jun 17, 2021 Originated House Sponsor Lloyd Doggett D-TX

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Jun 18, 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.

  1. IntroducedJun 17, 2021
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Cover Outstanding Vulnerable Expansion-eligible Residents Now Act or the COVER Now Act

This bill establishes a demonstration program to allow local governments to provide health benefits to the Medicaid expansion population in states that have not expanded Medicaid.

Under the program, local governments may provide coverage for individuals who are newly eligible for Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (i.e., the Medicaid expansion population) for a maximum of 10 years, or until their respective states expand Medicaid. The bill provides a 100% federal matching rate for the first three years of program participation.

The bill prohibits states from taking certain actions against participating localities, such as withholding funding, increasing taxes, or restricting provider participation. States that violate these requirements are subject to certain funding penalties.

Cosponsors 47

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 17, 2021 to Jul 20, 2021; 42 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-TXAl GreenOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLAl Lawson, Jr.OriginalJun 17, 2021
D-NCAlma S. AdamsOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-MSBennie G. ThompsonOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-GACarolyn BourdeauxOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLCharlie CristOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXColin Z. AllredOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-MOCori BushOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLDarren SotoOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-NCDavid E. PriceOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-GADavid ScottOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLDebbie Wasserman SchultzOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-NCDeborah K. RossOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXEddie Bernice JohnsonOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-MOEmanuel CleaverOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXFilemon VelaOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLFrederica S. WilsonOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-NCG. K. ButterfieldOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-VAGerald E. ConnollyOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-GAHenry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.OriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXHenry CuellarOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-SCJames E. ClyburnOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TNJim CooperOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXJoaquin CastroOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLKathy CastorOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-NCKathy E. ManningOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXLizzie FletcherOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLLois FrankelOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-GALucy McBathOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXMarc A. VeaseyOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-WIMark PocanOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-GANikema WilliamsOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-GASanford D. Bishop, Jr.OriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXSheila Jackson LeeOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLStephanie N. MurphyOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TNSteve CohenOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXSylvia R. GarciaOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-ALTerri A. SewellOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLTheodore E. DeutchOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-FLVal Butler DemingsOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXVeronica EscobarOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-TXVicente GonzalezOriginalJun 17, 2021
D-MDJamie RaskinJun 23, 2021
D-CASalud O. CarbajalJun 23, 2021
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonJun 30, 2021
D-CAMark DeSaulnierJun 30, 2021
D-CAGrace F. NapolitanoJul 20, 2021

Committees 1

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

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseEnergy and Commerce Committee
Referred Jun 17, 2021
Health Subcommittee
Referred Jun 18, 2021

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Jun 18, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
  2. Jun 17, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Jun 17, 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

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Clause 1 of Section 8 of Article I of the United States Constitution.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 106, June 17, 2021, page H2928.

Related bills 1

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

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 31COVER Now ActReintroduced BillJan 9, 2023

Titles 3

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

Official Title as Introduced
To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for a demonstration project under the Medicaid program for political subdivisions of States to provide medical assistance for the expansion population under such program, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
COVER Now Act
Cover Outstanding Vulnerable Expansion-eligible Residents Now Act

Subjects

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

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Jun 17, 2021Introduced in House

Support LegiList

This page is free, carries no paywall, and is built and maintained by one person. If the record here is useful to you, a few dollars keeps it going.

$1 $5 $10

Processed by Stripe in a separate window. LegiList never sees card details.

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.