Coverage Protection Act of 2013

Coverage Protection Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in the case of an individual who enrolls in a qualified health plan offered through a health care exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) before February 1, 2014, to require the issuer of the plan to treat such individual as enrolled as of December 23, 2013, if the individual:

• attests, not later than January 31, 2014, to making reasonable, good-faith attempts to successfully enroll in such a plan through an exchange before December 23, 2013, or was initially determined through an exchange to be eligible to enroll in a Medicaid plan but is not eligible to so enroll in such a plan and, because of the incorrect eligibility determination, was subsequently unable to enroll in a qualified plan before December 23, 2013; and
• pays, not later than January 31, 2014, the monthly premiums for the plan in which such individual enrolls for January and February 2014, taking into account the amount of any premium assistance made available under the Internal Revenue Code.

Counts coverage provided under a qualified plan for January and February 2014 under this Act as coverage under such a plan by or through an exchange for such months for all purposes, including premium assistance, PPACA cost-sharing reductions, and the requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.

Directs the Secretary to require a health insurance issuer that offers a qualified plan through an exchange to:

• allow in-network providers in the plan to treat a receipt of payment of premiums by an individual enrolled for January or February 2014 who has not received a health insurance card from the issuer in the same manner as if such receipt were such a health insurance card issued for services furnished during such month; and
• notify such in-network providers of that policy.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3745 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3745

 To ensure that individuals who attempted to, or who are enrolled in, 
 qualified health plans offered through an Exchange have continuity of 
                   coverage, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 12, 2013

   Mrs. Kirkpatrick (for herself, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Michelle Lujan 
 Grisham of New Mexico, Ms. Shea-Porter, Mrs. Bustos, Mr. Barber, Mr. 
  Israel, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Waxman, and Mr. Levin) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
   Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To ensure that individuals who attempted to, or who are enrolled in, 
 qualified health plans offered through an Exchange have continuity of 
                   coverage, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Coverage Protection Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE TIMELY COVERAGE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE 
              UNABLE TO ENROLL IN A QUALIFIED HEALTH PLAN.

    (a) In General.--In the case of an individual who enrolls in a 
qualified health plan offered through an Exchange established under 
title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 
111-148) before February 1, 2014, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services may require that the issuer of the plan treat such individual 
as enrolled in such plan as of December 23, 2013, if the following 
conditions are met:
            (1) Attempted timely enrollment.--The individual submits, 
        not later than January 31, 2014, an attestation (in such form 
        and manner as the Secretary may require) that the individual--
                    (A) made reasonable, good-faith attempts, but was 
                unable, to successfully enroll in such a plan through 
                an Exchange before December 23, 2013; or
                    (B) was initially determined through an Exchange to 
                be eligible to enroll in a Medicaid plan under title 
                XIX of the Social Security Act but is not eligible to 
                so enroll in such a Medicaid plan and, because of such 
                incorrect eligibility determination, was subsequently 
                unable to enroll in a qualified health plan before 
                December 23, 2013.
            (2) Payment of premiums.--The individual pays, not later 
        than January 31, 2014, the amount of the applicable monthly 
        premiums for the plan in which such individual enrolls for 
        January and February of 2014, taking into account the amount of 
        any premium assistance made available under section 36B of the 
        Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
    (b) Application for Purposes of Premium Assistance, Reduced Cost-
Sharing, and Individual Responsibility.--Coverage provided under a 
qualified health plan for January and February of 2014 under subsection 
(a) shall be counted as coverage under such a plan by or through an 
Exchange for such months for all purposes, including the following:
            (1) Premium assistance.--Section 36B of the Internal 
        Revenue Code of 1986.
            (2) Cost-sharing reductions.--Section 1402 of the Patient 
        Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18071).
            (3) Individual responsibility requirement.--Section 5000A 
        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

SEC. 3. TRANSITIONAL USE OF RECEIPT OF INSURANCE PAYMENT AS ALTERNATIVE 
              TO HEALTH INSURANCE CARD FOR EXCHANGE PLANS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
require a health insurance issuer that offers a qualified health plan 
through an Exchange under title I of the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148)--
            (1) to allow in-network providers in such plan to treat, 
        for purposes of coverage under the plan, a receipt of payment 
        of premiums by an individual enrolled under the plan for 
        January or February 2014 who has not received a health 
        insurance card from the issuer in the same manner as if such 
        receipt were such a health insurance card issued to such 
        individual by the issuer for services furnished during such 
        month; and
            (2) to notify such in-network providers of the policy under 
        paragraph (1).
    (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed as precluding a health care provider from directly seeking to 
verify the status of the enrollment of an individual in a qualified 
health plan offered through an Exchange by contacting the issuer of 
such plan.
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