Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act of 2017

"The Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act of 2017 would make several changes to the state innovation waiver process established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), appropriate money for cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) through 2019, require many insurers to pay rebates to individuals and the federal government related to premiums in the nongroup health insurance market for 2018, allow anyone in the nongroup market to purchase a catastrophic plan, and require some existing funding for health insurance marketplace operations to be used specifically for outreach and enrollment activities for 2018 and 2019.

On net, CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimate that implementing the legislation would reduce the deficit by $3.8 billion over the 2018-2027 period relative to CBO’s baseline. The agencies estimate that the legislation would not substantially change the number of people with health insurance coverage, on net, compared with that baseline projection. Enacting the legislation would affect direct spending and revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply.

CBO and JCT estimate that enacting the legislation would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028..."
Bipartisan Health Care

Health Care: Constitutional Rights and Legislative Powers

"The health care reform debate raises many complex issues including those of coverage,
accessibility, cost, accountability, and quality of health care. Underlying these policy
considerations are issues regarding the status of health care as a constitutional or legal right. This
report analyzes constitutional and legal issues pertaining to a right to health care, as well as the
power of Congress to enact and fund health care programs. The United States Supreme Court’s
decision in NFIB v. Sebelius, which upheld most of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act (Affordable Care Act/ACA), is also discussed..."

Statement from the Department of Health and Human Services on the Regulation for the Enforcement of Federal Health Care Conscience Protections
"The administration strongly supports provider conscience laws that protect and support the rights of health care providers, and also recognizes and supports the rights of patients. Strong conscience laws make it clear that health care providers cannot be compelled to perform or assist in an abortion. Many of these strong conscience laws have been in existence for more than 30 years. The rule being issued today builds on these laws by providing a clear enforcement process.

To underscore its support, HHS is beginning a new awareness initiative for our grantees through the HHS Office for Civil Rights, to ensure they understand the statutory conscience protections, and the enforcement process for those who believe their rights have been violated.

The final conscience protection rule being issued today by HHS reaffirms the Department’s commitment to longstanding federal conscience statutes by maintaining and building upon provisions of the Bush administration rule that established an enforcement process for federal conscience laws, while rescinding the definitions and terms of the previous rule that caused confusion and could be taken as overly broad."

New report: 129 million Americans with a pre-existing condition could be denied coverage without new health reform law
"Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new analysis showing that, without the Affordable Care Act, up to 129 million non-elderly Americans who have some type of pre-existing health condition, like heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis or cancer, would be at risk of losing health insurance when they need it most, or be denied coverage altogether. Under the full range of policies in the Affordable Care Act to be enacted by 2014, Americans living with pre-existing conditions are free from discrimination and can get the health coverage they need, and families are free from the worry of having their insurance cancelled or capped when a family member gets sick, or going broke because of the medical costs of an accident or disease. Repealing the law would once again leave millions of Americans worrying about whether coverage will be there when they need it...

The analysis found that:

Anywhere from 50 to 129 million (19 to 50 percent) of Americans under age 65 have some type of pre-existing condition. Examples of what may be considered a pre-existing condition include:Heart disease, Cancer, Asthma, High blood pressure,
Arthritis.

Older Americans between ages 55 and 64 are at particular risk; 48 to 86 percent of people in that age bracket live with a pre-existing condition.
15 to 30 percent of people under age 65 in perfectly good health today are likely to develop a pre-existing condition over the next eight years.
Up to one in five Americans under age 65 with a pre-existing condition – 25 million individuals – is uninsured..."

OBAMACARE: A BUDGET-BUSTING, JOB-KILLING HEALTH CARE LAW
"This report details the economic and fiscal consequences of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (PPACA,) signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23,
2010. Several rationales were offered in support of this legislation, including that it would
lead to the creation of jobs and the reduction of the federal budget deficit. This report
shows that the health care law will achieve neither effect.

Economic Consequences. Consistent with respected economists‟ forecasts, the health
care law contains a number of provisions that will eliminate jobs, reduce hours and wages,
and limit future job creation. Specifically, the law:

 Penalizes employers for failing to offer coverage deemed acceptable by the
government;
 Imposes burdensome mandates on small businesses, including new paperwork
requirements; and
 Compounds the uncertainty employers and entrepreneurs are facing amid a
challenging economic climate..."

At Risk: Pre-Existing Conditions Could Affect 1 in 2 Americans:129 Million People Could Be Denied Affordable Coverage Without Health Reform
"According to a new analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services, 50 to 129 million (19 to 50 percent of) non-elderly Americans have some type of pre-existing health condition. Up to one in five non-elderly Americans with a pre-existing condition – 25 million individuals – is uninsured. Under the Affordable Care Act, starting in 2014, these Americans cannot be denied coverage, be charged significantly higher premiums, be subjected to an extended waiting period, or have their benefits curtailed by insurance companies.

As many as 82 million Americans with employer-based coverage have a pre-existing condition, ranging from life-threatening illnesses like cancer to chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, or heart disease. Without the Affordable Care Act, such conditions limit the ability to obtain affordable health insurance if they become self-employed, take a job with a company that does not offer coverage, or experience a change in life circumstance, such as divorce, retirement, or moving to a different state. Older Americans between ages 55 and 64 are at particular risk: 48 to 86 percent of people in that age bracket have some type of pre-existing condition. And 15 to 30 percent of people in perfectly good health today are likely to develop a pre-existing condition over the next eight years, severely limiting their choices without the protections of the Affordable Care Act..."

H.R. 2, the Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act
"Dear Mr. Speaker:
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has reviewed H.R. 2,
the Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act, as introduced
on January 5, 2011. That bill would repeal the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (PPACA, Public Law 111-148) and the provisions of
the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152)
that are related to health care. Both of those laws were enacted in
March 2010.."

Economic Effects of the March Health Legislation
Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director, presentation at the University of Southern California, October 22, 2010.
"The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act:
–Expansion of insurance coverage.
–Changes in Medicare.
–Revenue increases.

■The economic effects of the legislation can be divided into two pieces:
–The effects on the five-sixths of the economy outside the health sector.
–The effects on the health sector itself.

The most significant effects will be through the labor market—but those effects will probably be small.

■The legislation will affect some individuals’ decisions about whether and how much to work, and some employers’ decisions about hiring workers. We estimated that the legislation, on net, will reduce the amount of labor used in the economy by roughly half a percent, primarily by reducing the amount of labor that workers choose to supply..."

U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Issue Regulation on “Grandfathered” Health Plans under the Affordable Care Act
"he U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury today issued a new regulation that makes good on President Obama’s promise that Americans who like their health plan can keep it.

The new regulation protects the ability of individuals and businesses to keep their current plan while providing important consumer protections that give Americans – rather than insurance companies – control over their own health care. The new regulation also provides stability and flexibility to insurers and businesses that offer health insurance coverage as the nation transitions to a more competitive marketplace in 2014 when businesses and consumers will have more affordable choices through exchanges.

“The Affordable Care Act gives American families more control over their health care by providing greater benefits, cost savings and protections,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. “Today, with the announcement of the new ‘grandfather’ rule, we’re providing the market stability and flexibility to ensure that families and businesses can make the choices that work best for them.”

While the Affordable Care Act requires all health plans to provide important new benefits to consumers, under the law, plans that existed on March 23, 2010 are exempt from some new requirements. The “grandfather rule” issued today makes it clear that these plans can continue to innovate and contain costs by allowing insurers and employers to make routine changes without losing grandfather status. Plans will lose their “grandfather” status if they choose to significantly cut benefits or increase out-of-pocket spending for consumers – and consumers in plans that make such changes will gain new consumer protections..."

U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Issue Regulation on “Grandfathered” Health Plans under the Affordable Care Act
"The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury today issued a new regulation that makes good on President Obama’s promise that Americans who like their health plan can keep it.

The new regulation protects the ability of individuals and businesses to keep their current plan while providing important consumer protections that give Americans – rather than insurance companies – control over their own health care. The new regulation also provides stability and flexibility to insurers and businesses that offer health insurance coverage as the nation transitions to a more competitive marketplace in 2014 when businesses and consumers will have more affordable choices through exchanges.

“The Affordable Care Act gives American families more control over their health care by providing greater benefits, cost savings and protections,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. “Today, with the announcement of the new ‘grandfather’ rule, we’re providing the market stability and flexibility to ensure that families and businesses can make the choices that work best for them.”

While the Affordable Care Act requires all health plans to provide important new benefits to consumers, under the law, plans that existed on March 23, 2010 are exempt from some new requirements. The “grandfather rule” issued today makes it clear that these plans can continue to innovate and contain costs by allowing insurers and employers to make routine changes without losing grandfather status. Plans will lose their “grandfather” status if they choose to significantly cut benefits or increase out-of-pocket spending for consumers – and consumers in plans that make such changes will gain new consumer protections..."

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
History and full text of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

House Report 111-330 to accompany for H.R. 3962,the Affordable Health Care for America Act
"PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE BILL (H.R. 3962) TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE,
QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR ALL AMERICANS AND REDUCE THE GROWTH IN HEALTH CARE SPENDING, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE BILL (H.R. 3961) TO
AMEND TITLE XVIII OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT TO REFORM THE MEDICARE SGR PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR PHYSICIANS."