Key Votes
H 559 - Establishes a Health Benefit Exchange - Key Vote
Vermont Key Votes
John Malcolm voted Yea (Passage) on this legislation.
Read recent statements John Malcolm made in this general time period.
Stages
- May 16, 2012 Executive Signed
- May 4, 2012 House Conference Report Adopted
- May 2, 2012 Senate Conference Report Adopted
- April 26, 2012 House Concurrence Vote Failed
- April 24, 2012 Passage With Amendment
- Feb. 24, 2012 House Bill Passed
- Jan. 17, 2012 Introduced
Family
Issues
Stage Details
Legislation - Signed (Executive) - May 16, 2012
Title: Establishes a Health Benefit Exchange
Legislation - Conference Report Adopted (House) (94-46) - May 4, 2012
Legislation - Conference Report Adopted (Senate) - May 2, 2012
Legislation - Concurrence Vote Failed (House) - April 26, 2012
Legislation - Passage With Amendment (Senate) (20-7) - April 24, 2012
Legislation - Bill Passed (House) (88-38) - Feb. 24, 2012 (Key vote)
Title: Establishes a Health Benefit Exchange
Vote to pass a bill that establishes a health benefit exchange in Vermont in conjunction with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
- Authorizes the merging of individual and small group insurance markets (Sec. 3).
- Defines “small employer” as an employer that (Sec. 3):
- As of January 1, 2016, will have between 1 and 50 employees during the last calendar quarter who are not part-time workers, that work less than 30 hours per week; or
- Prior to January 1, 2016, has between 1 and 100 employees during the last calendar quarter who are not part-time workers, that work less than 30 hours per week.
- Specifies that self-employed persons are also eligible for the exchange (Sec. 3).
- Specifies that no person may provide a health benefit plan to an individual or small employer unless the plan is offered through the Vermont health care benefit exchange and the provider is a registered carrier (Sec. 3).
- Defines “registered carrier” as a person who is registered with the commissioner of banking, insurance, securities, and healthcare administration to issue a health benefit plan (Sec. 3).
- Specifies that registered carriers are not insurance agents, brokers, appraisers, or adjusters (Sec. 3).
- Effective date of merging of individual and small employer insurance markets is January 1, 2013 (Sec. 42).
- Requires a registered carrier to guarantee acceptance to any health plan he or she offers to the following groups (Sec. 3):
- Individuals;
- Small employers and their employees; and
- Each dependant of those individuals and employees.
- Prohibits use of the following factors to play a role in a provider/carrier’s rating methods (Secs. 3 & 4):
- Demographic rating (including race and gender);
- Geographic area rating;
- Medical underwriting and screening;
- Experience rating;
- Tier rating; and
- Durational rating.
- Prohibits the use of discretionary clauses by carriers in providing health insurance benefits, disability income protection coverage, and life insurance benefits (Sec. 31).
- Effective date of prohibition on the discretionary clause is January 1, 2013 (Sec. 42).
- Specifies and expands the duties and provisions of the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) (Sec. 5).
- Requires the GMCB to develop a unified health care budget and develop an expenditure analysis (Secs. 12 & 13).
- Specifies the GMCB as the means of administration in carrying out health care provisions and programs (Secs. 14-23).
- Authorizes the health care commissioner and GMCB as the main authorities in enforcement of these regulations (Sec. 14).
- Repeals the Catamount Health and Vermont Health Access Plan upon implementation of the health benefit exchange (Sec. 41).
- Specifies the Unified Health Care Budget and new authority of the GMCB effective immediately upon bill passage (Sec. 42).
Legislation - Introduced (House) - Jan. 17, 2012
Title: Establishes a Health Benefit Exchange
