Protecting Patient Access to Lifesaving COVID–19 Drugs Act of 2021

Protecting Patient Access to Lifesaving COVID-19 Drugs Act of 2021

This bill requires health insurance plans to cover COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) antibody treatment at no cost for individuals who have tested positive for the virus.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 467 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 467

To amend the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act 
  to require group health plans and health insurance issuers offering 
  group or individual health insurance coverage to provide coverage, 
     without cost sharing, of certain COVID-19 antibody treatments.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 25, 2021

 Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio (for himself and Ms. Spanberger) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act 
  to require group health plans and health insurance issuers offering 
  group or individual health insurance coverage to provide coverage, 
     without cost sharing, of certain COVID-19 antibody treatments.

    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 ``Protecting Patient Access to 
Lifesaving COVID-19 Drugs Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING GROUP HEALTH PLANS AND HEALTH INSURANCE ISSUERS 
              OFFERING GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE TO 
              PROVIDE COVERAGE, WITHOUT COST SHARING, OF CERTAIN COVID-
              19 ANTIBODY TREATMENTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 6001(a) of the Families First Coronavirus 
Response Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5 note) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting 
        ``(or, in the case of items and services described in paragraph 
        (3), beginning on or after the date of the enactment of the 
        Protecting Patient Access to Lifesaving COVID-19 Drugs Act of 
        2021)'' after ``this Act''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Items consisting of monoclonal antibody infusions (as 
        specified by the Secretary) approved, cleared, or otherwise 
        authorized by the Food and Drug Administration needed for the 
        treatment of COVID-19 in individuals with positive COVID-19 
        test results, including services for the administration of such 
        items.''.
    (b) Reimbursement for Treatments.--Section 3202 of the CARES Act 
(42 U.S.C. 256b note) is amended--
            (1) in the header, by inserting ``and antibody treatments'' 
        after ``testing'';
            (2) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph 
        (1), by inserting ``or antibody treatment, as applicable,'' 
        after ``diagnostic testing''; and
            (3) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in the header, by inserting ``and Antibody 
                Treatments'' after ``Testing''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by inserting ``or antibody treatment'' 
                        after ``diagnostic test''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``or treatment (including 
                        the administration of such treatment)'' after 
                        ``such test''.
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