Signed by President Bill Clinton

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that reforms health insurance coverage by increasing access to health insurance for workers who have recently changed jobs, creating medical savings accounts, and defining the length of time an insurance provider can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, among other reforms.

Highlights:

• Creates temporary tax-exempt medical savings accounts, which are trusts created to pay the qualified medical expenses of the account holder.

• Requires group health plans, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and insurers to credit periods of coverage under a former health plan toward coverage of a pre-existing condition, as long as an individual does not have a break in coverage of more than 63 days.

• Limits the amount of time an insurer can deny coverage for a pre-existing condition to 12 months, or 18 months for a late enrollee.

• Prohibits insurers from refusing or canceling coverage based on health status.

• Increases the deduction for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to 80% by 2006.

• Requires each insurer or HMO to offer coverage to individuals who previously had group coverage.

• Allows HMOs to offer a high-deductible health plan.

• Excludes individuals from participating in Medicare if they have committed a felony related to a controlled substance, health care fraud, or any program partially funded by the state.

• Allows the government to tax certain individuals who have renounced their United States citizenship in order to avoid taxes.

• Directs the Attorney General to establish a program to conduct investigations and facilitate enforcement statutes applicable to health care fraud and abuse, and issue advisory opinions and special fraud alerts.

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that reforms health insurance coverage by increasing access to health insurance for workers who have recently changed jobs, creating medical savings accounts, and defining the length of time an insurance provider can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, among other reforms.

Highlights:

• Creates temporary tax-exempt medical savings accounts, which are trusts created to pay the qualified medical expenses of the account holder.

• Requires group health plans, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and insurers to credit periods of coverage under a former health plan toward coverage of a pre-existing condition, as long as an individual does not have a break in coverage of more than 63 days.

• Limits the amount of time an insurer can deny coverage for a pre-existing condition to 12 months, or 18 months for a late enrollee.

• Prohibits insurers from refusing or canceling coverage based on health status.

• Increases the deduction for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to 80% by 2006.

• Requires each insurer or HMO to offer coverage to individuals who previously had group coverage.

• Allows HMOs to offer a high-deductible health plan.

• Excludes individuals from participating in Medicare if they have committed a felony related to a controlled substance, health care fraud, or any program partially funded by the state.

• Allows the government to tax certain individuals who have renounced their United States citizenship in order to avoid taxes.

• Directs the Attorney General to establish a program to conduct investigations and facilitate enforcement statutes applicable to health care fraud and abuse, and issue advisory opinions and special fraud alerts.

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that reforms health insurance coverage by increasing access to health insurance for workers who have recently changed jobs, creating medical savings accounts, and defining the length of time an insurance provider can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, among other reforms.

Highlights:

• Creates tax-exempt medical savings accounts which allows the account holder to put money into a trust to pay their qualified medical expenses.

• Requires group health plans, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and insurers to credit periods of coverage under a former health plan toward coverage of a pre-existing condition, as long as an individual does not have a break in coverage of more than 60 days.

• Limits the amount of time an insurer can deny coverage for a pre-existing condition to 12 months, or 18 months for a late enrollee.

• Prohibits insurers from refusing or canceling coverage based on health status.

• Increases the deduction for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to 50% by 2003.

• Requires each insurer or HMO to offer coverage to individuals who previously had group coverage.

• Directs the Attorney General to establish a program to conduct investigations and facilitate enforcement statutes applicable to health care fraud and abuse, and issue advisory opinions and special fraud alerts.

• Limits awards in medical malpractice suits to $250,000 for non-economic damages, and sets punitive damages at either 3 times the amount of damages awarded for economic loss, or $250,000, whichever is higher.

• Allows the government to tax certain individuals who have renounced their United States citizenship in order to avoid taxes.

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text