State Health Care Premium Reduction Act of 2021 This bill establishes and provides funding for the Improve Health Insurance Affordability Fund. States must use allocated funds to (1) issue reinsurance payments to health insurers (i.e., reimbursements to protect insurers against exceedingly high claims) for individual health insurance coverage, or (2) provide other assistance to reduce out-of-pocket costs (e.g., copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles) for qualified health plans offered in the individual market through an exchange. Reinsurance payments using such funds may not be applied to (1) grandfathered health plans in place on March 23, 2010, (2) non-grandfathered transitional plans meeting specified requirements identified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), or (3) student health insurance plans provided by institutions of higher education. The bill appropriates $10 billion per year for the fund, which the CMS must distribute to states in accordance with a specified methodology based on the estimated amount of reinsurance payments for individuals in a state during the given year, subject to specified deductions. Additionally, states must submit applications explaining how they will use such funds. In the event that a state does not submit an application, the bill directs the CMS to allocate the calculated funding amount to reinsurance programs in that state.
Environmental Justice for Coronavirus Affected Communities Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2022 (1) the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program; (2) the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program, which provides financial assistance to address local environmental or public health issues; and (3) the Community Action for a Renewed Environment grant program, which assists communities address multiple sources of toxic pollutants.
Marketing and Outreach Restoration to Empower Health Education Act of 2021 or the MORE Health Education Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct outreach and reporting related to federally facilitated exchanges (i.e., health insurance exchanges established and operated within states by HHS). The activities must inform potential enrollees of the availability of coverage and related financial assistance under the exchanges and must be provided in culturally and linguistically appropriate formats. The bill provides funding for the activities. Beginning for plan year 2022, HHS also must publish biweekly reports that include specified metrics about the performance of such exchanges during each annual open enrollment period. Further, after each open enrollment period, HHS must report on how many consumers enrolled in coverage with assistance from patient navigators, the advertising and outreach expenses related to raising awareness about open enrollment, and the amount of monthly user fees collected during the plan year.
Health Care Enrollment Innovation Act This bill funds and requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to states for promoting greater enrollment in health insurance coverage. Grants may be used by the state's primary health and human services agency for activities such as automatically enrolling uninsured individuals who are eligible for premium assistance tax credits in plans through the individual or small group market and establishing a state-level requirement for individuals to enroll in coverage.
Children’s Health Insurance Program Permanency Act or the CHIPP Act This bill permanently extends the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and related measures, programs, and authorities. Specifically, the bill permanently funds CHIP and related programs that support the development of child health quality measures and outreach and enrollment efforts. The bill also permanently authorizes the Medicaid and CHIP express lane eligibility option, which allows states to use information from designated programs (e.g., the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to streamline eligibility determinations for children. Additionally, under the bill, states may expand eligibility to children whose family income exceeds the otherwise applicable limits.
Medicaid Report on Expansion of Access to Coverage for Health Act or the Medicaid REACH Act This bill reduces federal payment for Medicaid administrative expenses incurred by states that have not elected to participate in Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (i.e., nonexpansion states) if the state does not comply with specified reporting requirements. The bill requires nonexpansion states to report, among other information, the number of uninsured individuals under the age of 65 and the estimated percentage of such individuals who would be eligible to receive coverage if the state expanded Medicaid.
Fair Indexing for Health Care Affordability Act This bill revises the method for determining the annual per capita change in health insurance premiums for the purpose of determining the premium adjustment percentage that is used to establish the annual limits on cost sharing for health insurance plans.
Veterans Economic Recovery Act of 2021 This bill addresses the employment and retraining of veterans, specifically during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a program under which the VA must provide up to 12 months of nontransferable retraining assistance (including a housing stipend) to up to 35,000 eligible veterans for the pursuit of a specified program of education. Under the bill, an eligible veteran is an individual who, among other requirements, is unemployed due to COVID-19. Veterans who receive retraining assistance may only use such assistance to pursue specified programs, including those designed to provide training for high-demand occupations. The bill requires the Department of Labor to conduct outreach to veterans participating in the program to notify them of employment placement services and facilitate employment placement. Additionally, the VA must enter into a memorandum of understanding with one or more qualified nonprofit organizations to facilitate the employment of veterans participating in the program. The Government Accountability Office must report on the outcomes and effectiveness of the retraining assistance program. The program will terminate 21 months after the date of the enactment of this bill.
No Coronavirus Copays for Veterans Act This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from requiring a co-payment or other cost sharing for qualifying preventive services related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). A qualifying preventive service is intended to prevent or mitigate COVID-19 and is either (1) an evidence-based item or service with an A or B rating in the current recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, or (2) an immunization that has in effect a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved. Such a prohibition shall take effect 15 business days after the date on which a recommendation is made regarding a qualifying preventive service related to COVID-19.
Emergency Care for Veterans During COVID Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system with emergency treatment at non-VA facilities during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The VA may not require such veterans to seek authorization for such emergency treatment during this time. The bill also sets forth the payment rates and procedures for such emergency treatment.
No Glory for Hate Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to commemorate a president twice impeached by the House of Representatives and restricts the benefits afforded such president after leaving office. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds for any symbol, monument, structure, building, or public land commemorating a former president twice impeached or who has been convicted of a state or federal crime relating to actions taken in an official capacity. The bill also restricts the benefits given to former presidents who have been twice impeached, including with regard to pension, staff, travel, and burial in Arlington National Cemetery.
Supporting Veteran Families in Need Act This bill permanently extends the authorization for the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide financial assistance for supportive services for very low-income veteran families in permanent housing.
