High Risk Pool Flexibility Act of 2004

High Risk Pool Flexibility Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the definition of "qualified high risk pool" for grant purposes to allow a State to meet the requirement to provide all eligible individuals with health insurance coverage by utilizing an acceptable alternative mechanism that includes a high risk pool as a component and: (1) that provides for risk adjustment, risk spreading, or a risk spreading mechanism (among issuers or policies of an issuer) or for some financial subsidization for eligible individuals, including through assistance to participating issuers; or (2) under which each eligible individual is provided a choice of all individual health insurance coverage otherwise available.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5157 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5157

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to expand the risk pools that 
                   qualify for high risk pool grants.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 2004

  Mr. Nethercutt (for himself and Ms. Dunn) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Public Health Service Act to expand the risk pools that 
                   qualify for high risk pool grants.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``High Risk Pool Flexibility Act of 
2004''.

SEC. 2. REVISION OF DEFINITION OF QUALIFIED HIGH RISK POOL.

    Section 2745(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-
45(d)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Qualified high risk pool.--The term `qualified high 
        risk pool' has the meaning given such term in section 
        2744(c)(2), except that a State may elect to meet the 
        requirement of subparagraph (A) of such section (insofar as it 
        requires the provision of coverage to all eligible individuals) 
        through providing for the enrollment of eligible individuals 
        through an acceptable alternative mechanism (as defined for 
        purposes of section 2744) that includes a high risk pool as a 
        component.
            ``(2) State.--The term `State' means any of the 50 States 
        and the District of Columbia.''.
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