Commonsense Competition and Access to Health Insurance Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to permit two or more states to enter into an agreement under which one or more qualified health plans could be offered in small group markets, as well as in the individual markets (as under current law), in all such states.
Directs the Secretary, by December 31, 2014, to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to report on health plans provided for under PPACA.
Allows the Secretary also to request NAIC to gather concepts for inclusion in the report from organizations and entities that have experience in offering qualified health plans in states in which those plans were not originally issued.
Requires the Secretary, by December 31, 2014, to report to Congress about: (1) how the Secretary may utilize the flexibility provided under PPACA (relating to allowing a regional or interstate exchange) to allow health insurance issuers offering qualified health plans in an Exchange operated by the federal government to offer plans in a state other than the state in which that plan was originally written or issued; and (2) how such an Exchange can be a conduit to forming interstate insurance state compacts.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2174 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2174
To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide
greater flexibility in offering health insurance coverage across State
lines.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 27, 2014
Mr. Warner (for himself, Mr. Manchin, Ms. Landrieu, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr.
Begich, Mr. Franken, and Ms. Klobuchar) 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
greater flexibility in offering health insurance coverage across State
lines.
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 ``Commonsense Competition and Access
to Health Insurance Act''.
SEC. 2. PROVIDING SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH INSURANCE ACROSS STATE LINES.
Section 1333(a)(1)(A) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act (42 U.S.C. 18053(a)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting ``and small
group markets'' after ``individual markets''.
SEC. 3. REPORT AND MODELS.
Section 1333 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42
U.S.C. 18053) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(b) NAIC Report and Models.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than December 31, 2014, the
Secretary shall request that the National Association of
Insurance Commissioners submit to the Secretary a report
concerning health plans provided for under this section. Such
report shall include--
``(A) a description of the challenges that States
would face by permitting issuers of qualified health
plans to offer such plans in States other than those
States where such plan was originally written or
issued;
``(B) an assessment of how an out-of-State insurer
would go about building an adequate provider network;
``(C) a description of how such challenges could be
lessened without weakening the enforcement of laws and
regulations described in subsection (a)(1)(B)(i) in any
State that is included in a compact under this section;
``(D) a description of the commonalities that exist
in State laws and opportunities to allow issuers of
qualified health plans to offer such plans in States
other than those States where such plan was originally
written or issued; and
``(E) models to be used by States to establish and
enter into interstate health care choice compacts under
this section, which--
``(i) may include model legislation for use
by States to enact laws to enter into such
compacts;
``(ii) shall identify how States would
continue to enforce, and not weaken, the laws
and regulations described in subsection
(a)(1)(B)(i) in any State that is included in
such compact; and
``(iii) shall identify how such models
would ensure that there is no violation of the
conditions for Secretarial approval under
subsection (a)(3).
``(2) Other organizations and entities.--In making the
request under paragraph (1), the Secretary may also request
that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners gather
concepts for inclusion in the report under such paragraph from
organizations and entities that have experience in offering
qualified health plans in States in which such plans were not
originally issued.
``(c) Report by Secretary.--Not later than December 31, 2014, the
Secretary, in consultation with the National Association of Insurance
Commissioners, shall submit to Congress a report that describes how the
Secretary may utilize the flexibility provided by section 1311(f)(1)
(relating to allowing a regional or interstate exchange) to allow
health insurance issuers offering qualified health plans in an Exchange
operated by the Federal Government to offer plans in a State other than
the State in which such plan was originally written or issued. Such
report shall describe how an Exchange operated by the Federal
Government can be a conduit to forming interstate insurance State
compacts.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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