Federal Legislative Activity

Recent Enacted Legislation

Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009
Will spend $35 billion over the next five years and provide health insurance coverage for an additional 4 million children.
February 2009

 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Provides a 65 percent subsidy for COBRA premiums for up to nine months, $86.6 billion in additional Medicaid spending, $19 billion to promote the use of health IT and $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness research.

January 2009

 

Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008
(Passed as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, Division C, Title V, Subtitle B)
Requires that if an employer (including self-insured employers) provides coverage for mental health and addictions, the financial requirements and treatment limitations must be no more restrictive than those that apply to medical and surgical coverage.

October 2008

 

Michelle's Law
Requires insurers to continue coverage under a family health plan for students who take up to a one-year medically necessary leave of absence from a postsecondary institution. 
October 2008

 

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA)
Phases out Indirect Medical Education (IME) payments to health plans, requires private fee-for-service plans to develop provider networks, includes provisions for Special Needs Plans and other types of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and sets marketing requirements for MA plans. 
July 2008

Proposed Legislation

Medicare Payment Improvement Act of 2009
Bill would create payment incentives for doctors and hospitals to work together to improve quality and use resources efficiently.
June 2009

 

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Act of 2009
Bill would create a private Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to generate scientific evidence and new information on how diseases, disorders and other health conditions can be treated to achieve the best clinical outcome for patients.
June 2009

 

Healthy Living, Healthy Aging Demonstration Project Act of 2009
Bill would evaluate strategies for reducing the rates of chronic diseases for individuals who are about to become Medicare beneficiaries.
June 2009 

 

S. 1110
Legislation to Rename and Reform the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee
Bill would transfer MedPAC to the executive branch and grant it the authority to order changes in the Medicare program. Would also extend the terms of commissioners and establish three new advisory councils: health and economic advisory council, consumer advisory council and a federal health advisory council
May 2009

 

S. 623
Pre-Existing Condition Patient Protection Act 
Bill would prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions in all health insurance markets and require that HHS study the potential effects of adverse selection that may occur when insurers no longer exclude consumers based on pre-existing condition.
March 2009

 

H.R. 1427
Promoting Innovation and Access to Life-Saving Medicines Act 
Bill would create a pathway for follow-on biologics to enter the market.
March 2009

H.R. 859
Small Business Cooperatives for Health Care Options to Improve Coverage for Employees Act
Allows for the development of small business cooperatives that can form a captive insurance company to provide coverage for its members and creates a tax credit for small employers that addresses the costs of health insurance coverage for employees and their families.
February 2009

S. 442
Health Insurance Coverage Protection Act
Would mandate aggregate lifetime limits on benefits of no less than $5 million, increased to $10 million after two years and then adjusted by the Consumer Price Index. (House version is H.R. 1085.)
February 2009

H.R.362
Rural Hospital Assistance Act
Would revise, for FY 2010 only, the formula for determining Medicare payments to low-volume, rural hospitals.
January 2009

H.R. 444
340B Program Improvement and Integrity Act
Would expand drug discount program (section 340B of Public Health Service Act) to selected children's hospitals, critical access hospitals, Medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals and other facilities. Would also cover drugs used for inpatient services at enrolled hospitals.
January 2009

H.R. 323
Comprehensive Insurance Coverage of Childhood Immunization Act
Would require all large group health plans to cover routine immunizations for all individuals under 19 years of age who are dependents of plan members. Would also apply requirements to plans in the individual market.
January 2009

H.R. 109
America's Affordable Health Care Act
Would allow certified individual coverage plans to be sold in any state, regardless of individual state benefit mandates.
January 2009

S. 63
Medicaid Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants Act
Would increase coverage of mid-level provider services under the Medicaid fee-for-service program.
January 2009

H.R. 43
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act
Would repeal the Medicare outpatient therapy caps. (Senate version is S. 46.)
January 2009
 

Hearings on Insurance/Medicare Advantage 

7-17-08 Business Practices in the Individual Health Insurance Market: Terminations of Coverage (House Government and Oversight Reform Committee)

 

7-24-08 The Medicare Drug Benefit: Are Private Insurers Getting Good Discounts for the Taxpayer? (House Government and Oversight Reform Committee)

Report: Medicare Part D: Drug Pricing and Manufacturer Windfalls

Report: Private Medicare Drug Plans: High Expenses and Low Rebates Increase the Costs of Medicare Drug Coverage

 

2-28-08 Medicare Advantage (House Ways and Means/Health Subcommittee)

 

2-13-08 Selling to Seniors: The Need for Accountability and Oversight of Marketing and Sales by Medicare Private Plans (Part 2)  (Senate Finance Committee)

 

2-7-08 Selling to Seniors: The Need for Accountability and Oversight of Marketing and Sales by Medicare Private Plans (Part 1)  (Senate Finance Committee)

 

1-30-08 Private Fee for Service Plans in Medicare Advantage: A Closer Look (Senate Finance Committee)