Stop COVID–19 Test Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2021
Latest action · Feb 2, 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.
- IntroducedJan 28, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Stop COVID-19 Test Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2021
This bill modifies provisions requiring health insurance plans to cover COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) diagnostic testing services at no cost, without prior authorization, and without medical management requirements. The bill specifies that a plan may not make determinations about the circumstances surrounding individuals' tests, such as why they sought testing or whether they showed symptoms of COVID-19. The bill also specifies that plans may encourage individuals to obtain tests from lower priced providers as long as such efforts do not delay, or impede access to, testing.
The bill also requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to survey and report on the cash prices of testing services and the compliance of providers with the requirement to publish such prices.
Additionally, HHS, jointly with the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Labor, must issue guidance clarifying the process for submitting claims for testing services.
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 28, 2021 to Nov 18, 2021; 16 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Al Lawson, Jr. | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-IA | Cynthia Axne | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-CA | Katie Porter | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-WA | Kim Schrier | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-CA | Mike Levin | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-NY | Mondaire Jones | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-NY | Nydia M. Velázquez | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-TX | Sylvia R. Garcia | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-TX | Veronica Escobar | Original | Jan 28, 2021 |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Feb 23, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Lauren Underwood | Feb 23, 2021 | |
| D-MI | Daniel T. Kildee | Nov 18, 2021 |
Committees 3
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 28, 2021 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Feb 2, 2021 | |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Jan 28, 2021 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jan 28, 2021 | |
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Jan 28, 2021 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 2, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jan 28, 2021Introduced in House
- Jan 28, 2021Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, 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.
- Jan 28, 2021Referred 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
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 17, January 28, 2021, page H251.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2411 | Stop COVID–19 Test Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2021 | Related bill | Jul 21, 2021 |
| HR 8419 | Stop COVID–19 Test Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020 | Reintroduction of | Sep 29, 2020 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To prevent surprise medical bills with respect to COVID-19 testing.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Stop COVID–19 Test Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Employee benefits and pensions
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Health
- Health care costs and insurance
- Health care coverage and access
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Medicare
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 28, 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.
