Consumers Having Options in Choosing Enrollment Act or CHOICE Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue guidelines and necessary operational specifications to provide for the establishment of a permanent pathway to enable individuals to enroll in qualified health plans through: (1) a state-based Exchange, if there is one, or if appropriate, a health insurance issuer, a certified agent or broker, or a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-certified Internet web-based broker or entity; or (2) the Federal Exchange (in a state with no state exchange), a health insurance issuer, an agent or broker certified by the Federal Exchange, or a CMS-certified Internet web-based broker or entity.
Makes guidelines and operational capabilities issued under this Act available to consumers and applicable health insurance issuers and entities for any enrollment period required by PPACA.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2173 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2173
To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide a
permanent path for the direct enrollment of individuals in qualified
health plans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 27, 2014
Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Warner, Ms. Heitkamp, and
Mr. Begich) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide a
permanent path for the direct enrollment of individuals in qualified
health plans.
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 ``Consumers Having Options in Choosing
Enrollment Act'' or the ``CHOICE Act''.
SEC. 2. PERMANENT PATHWAY FOR DIRECT ENROLLMENT.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Successful implementation of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (referred to in this section as the
``ACA'') is critical to ensuring that more Americans are able
to access health care coverage.
(2) The ACA provided for the establishment of new State-
based or, in the absence of State action, federally facilitated
marketplaces to help connect consumers with health insurance
options and coverage.
(3) As part of the regulatory guidance related to the
marketplaces, the Department of Health and Human Services
provided consumers with an option to enroll in health insurance
coverage directly, known as direct enrollment.
(4) The Department of Health and Human Services also
permits enrollment through an Exchange with the assistance of
an agent or broker, including permitting consumers to select a
product on the Internet website of an agent or broker.
(5) Consumers should be permitted a permanent option to
enroll directly with a qualified health plan issuer, or
Internet website of an agent or broker, in a manner consistent
with the marketplaces and as long as certain consumer
protections are followed.
(6) Consumers should continue to be informed that other
health insurance products are available and offered.
(7) Consumers should be notified of their eligibility
determination for coverage through the Exchange Internet
website for premium tax credits and cost sharing reductions.
(8) Direct enrollment is not a new idea and has proven to
work successfully in getting seniors coverage through the
Medicare Advantage program and the Medicare Part D program.
(9) Providing a permanent pathway for consumers to directly
enroll with a qualified health plan issuer or the certified
Internet website of an agent or broker gives such consumers
another option to sign up for health insurance coverage and
takes the United States one step closer to achieving the goals
of the ACA.
(b) Direct Enrollment.--Section 1312 of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18032) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``(g) Direct Enrollment.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall issue
guidelines and necessary operational specifications to provide
for the establishment of a permanent pathway to enable
individuals to enroll in qualified health plans through--
``(A) in the case of a State with a State-based
Exchange, the Exchange, or if determined appropriate by
the State, a health insurance issuer, a certified agent
or broker, or a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services certified Internet web-based broker or entity;
or
``(B) in the case of a State with no State
Exchange, the Federal Exchange, a health insurance
issuer, an agent or broker certified by the Federal
Exchange, or a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
certified Internet web-based broker or entity.
``(2) Availability.--Guidelines and operational
capabilities issued under paragraph (1) shall be available to
consumers and applicable health insurance issuers and entities
for any enrollment period required under section 1311(c)(6).''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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