Rep. Lauren Underwood

Maddy summaryHR 9132, the Chronic Condition Copay Elimination Act, requires health plans and insurance issuers to cover specific preventive care and screenings for individuals with certain chronic conditions without cost-sharing (like copays or deductibles). It directly affects people with conditions including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, depression, and others listed in the bill. The law mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services determine which preventive services meet three criteria: being low-cost, having medical evidence of effectiveness in preventing complications, and reducing future high-cost treatments. Coverage must be updated every three years based on new evidence, applying to plan years starting one year after the bill’s enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurance plans to cover three primary care visits and three behavioral health visits per year with no patient cost-sharing (like copays or deductibles). It applies to employer-sponsored health plans and individual insurance policies under ERISA, the Public Health Service Act, and tax code provisions. Plans must treat these visits equally to other covered care, with no stricter limits or lower reimbursement rates. The requirement takes effect two years after the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThe Community Housing Act of 2024 significantly increases federal investment in affordable housing through major funding boosts, including $44.5 billion for the Housing Trust Fund and $1.5 billion for the Capital Magnet Fund over the next decade. It repeals the Faircloth amendment, which had limited public housing construction since 1992, allowing public housing authorities to build new units without the previous cap. The bill establishes a permanent emergency rental assistance program providing $3 billion annually through 2029 to help low-income households with rent payments and creates the Unlocking Possibilities program to fund local efforts to streamline housing regulations and reduce zoning barriers. These provisions directly affect low- and moderate-income households, community land trusts, and rural communities facing housing insecurity and affordability challenges.

Maddy summaryThe 9-8-8 Implementation Act of 2023 establishes a national mental health crisis response system centered around the 9-8-8 suicide prevention hotline. It provides $441 million for call center technology, staffing, and operations, and requires Medicare, Medicaid, and private health plans to cover crisis response services including mobile crisis teams and crisis stabilization facilities. The bill also mandates a national suicide prevention media campaign and creates protocols for 9-1-1 dispatchers to better respond to mental health crises. These provisions aim to improve access to mental health crisis care across the United States.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires most health insurance plans (both employer-sponsored and individual plans) to cover a full year's supply of contraceptives in a single prescription, without any extra costs to the patient. It directly affects individuals enrolled in group health plans or individual health insurance coverage who need contraceptive services. The key provision allows enrollees to obtain up to 365 days of contraceptive supply at once (instead of monthly refills) at no additional cost, aligning with existing coverage requirements under the law. The rule takes effect for plan years starting January 1, 2024.

Maddy summaryThe Social Security 2100 Act would significantly enhance Social Security benefits for millions of Americans by increasing monthly payments for retirees, disabled workers, widows/widowers, and children. Key provisions include raising the minimum benefit for long-term low earners, improving cost-of-living adjustments using a more accurate index, eliminating the 5-month waiting period for disability benefits, and extending child benefits to age 26. The bill also changes how Social Security taxes are calculated by applying them to income above $400,000 and establishes a unified Social Security Trust Fund to manage program finances. Most provisions would apply to benefits payable from 2025 through 2034, affecting all current and future Social Security beneficiaries.

Maddy summaryThe PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2023 requires private health insurance plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and other public health programs to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention without cost-sharing, including the medication, related lab tests, and follow-up care. The bill also prohibits life, disability, and long-term care insurance companies from denying coverage or charging higher premiums to people taking PrEP. It establishes public education campaigns to increase awareness of PrEP and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and creates funding for state and community programs to expand access to HIV prevention services, particularly for populations disproportionately affected by HIV including Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and transgender individuals. The legislation specifically addresses current disparities in PrEP access, as data shows only 11% of Black/African American and 21% of Hispanic/Latinx individuals eligible for PrEP received prescriptions in 2022 compared to 82% of White individuals. Coverage requirements for most plans will take effect on January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act of 2023, amends Social Security to better protect public servants who work in jobs not covered by Social Security (such as certain government positions). It creates a new formula for calculating retirement benefits that combines both covered and noncovered earnings, ensuring public servants receive the higher of two benefit calculations. The bill also provides an additional $150 monthly payment for certain public servants whose benefits were previously reduced by the windfall elimination provision. It improves Social Security account statements to clearly show noncovered earnings and requires a study of how state retirement plans handle these benefits. These changes will apply to benefits starting in 2025.

Maddy summaryThe Educating Future Nurses Act creates a Medicare-funded program to reimburse eligible hospitals for training advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), such as nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, in clinical settings. Hospitals must partner with nursing schools and non-hospital care settings (like clinics and rural health centers) to provide at least half of the training in non-hospital environments, with waivers available for rural or underserved areas. Participating hospitals must report annually on program outcomes, including how many APRNs graduate, where they practice (especially in health professional shortage areas), and patient care metrics. The program requires reimbursements to supplement, not replace, existing federal nursing education funding.

Maddy summaryHR 3589, the Affordability is Access Act of 2023, requires health insurance plans to cover FDA-approved over-the-counter birth control without cost-sharing (like copays or deductibles). It directly affects millions of people who use contraception, particularly low-income individuals and those in areas with limited access to reproductive health services ("contraceptive deserts"). The bill clarifies that existing insurance coverage rules under the Affordable Care Act apply to over-the-counter contraceptives, and directs the FDA to expedite reviews for over-the-counter status. Retailers must not block access to these products but may refuse sales if payment isn’t provided.