3.0.0 1935 2023-01-15T09:03:29Z 2023-01-15T09:03:29Z Senate S S 2003-11-23 108 ssfi00 Finance Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2003-11-24T01:34:25Z 2003-11-23 ssfi00 Finance Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S15653-15663) IntroReferral 2003-11-23 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S15652-15653) IntroReferral B00100 9 Library of Congress 2003-11-23 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress C001042 Sen. Corzine, Jon S. [D-NJ] JON CORZINE D NJ S. N Health Access to health care Age Auditing Case management Child health Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Commerce Congress Congressional investigations Congressional reporting requirements Discrimination in insurance Discrimination in medical care Dislocated workers Drugs Economics and Public Finance Employee health benefits Executive reorganization Families Federal aid to child health services Federal aid to health facilities Federal employees Federal-state relations Federally-guaranteed loans Finance and Financial Sector Fines (Penalties) Government Operations and Politics Government employees' health insurance Government lending Government paperwork Government publicity Government trust funds Health information systems Health insurance Health insurance continuation Income Income tax Indexing (Economic policy) Insurance premiums Interstate relations Labor and Employment Law Local employees Married people Medicaid Medical research Medical screening Medically uninsured Medicare Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Part-time employment Payroll deductions Poor children Preventive medicine Science, Technology, Communications Self-employed Small business Social Welfare State employees Subsidies Tax credits Tax deductions Tax exemption Tax rates Taxation Telephone Unemployment Working poor Health 00 2003-11-23 Introduced in Senate 2004-03-25T22:41:40Z Universal Secure Access to Health Care Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add a new title XXVIII (Universal Health Insurance Coverage). Requires each employer of at least 50 full-time employees to offer to enroll each of its employees and their families in a standard health benefit plan providing benefits for health care items and services that are actuarily equivalent to or greater in value than the benefits offered as of January 1, 2000, under the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Standard Option Plan provided under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP).

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Federal program to award grants to States for State premium assistance programs for low-income workers and small business employers.

Authorizes a small business employer of at least 75 full-time employees to enroll its employees in an FEHBP plan or the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA) if such employees are at least 50 years of age.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow a tax deduction for self-employed individuals equal to 100 percent of the amount paid during the taxable year for insurance which constitutes medical care for the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, and the taxpayer's dependents.

Amends SSA to add a new part D (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 62-to-65 Years of Age).

Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund for collected premiums and other revenues for use in funding the new part D program.

Provides access to Medicare benefits for displaced workers 55 to 62 years of age.

Amends Federal civil service law to make FEHBP coverage available for the self-employed.

Establishes a MediKids Program under a new SSA title XXII to allow certain eligible individuals born after December 31, 2002, who have not attained age 23, to enroll for benefits specified by the Secretary, including early and periodic screening, diagnostic services, and treatment services under Medicaid (SSA title XIX), and prescription drugs and biologicals.

Creates in the Treasury the MediKids Trust Fund for collected premiums and other revenues for use in funding the MediKids Program.

Amends SSA title XVIII to increase the membership of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, with the initial terms of additional members staggered.

Amends the IRC to: (1) impose a MediKids premium tax in the case of any taxpayer (with certain exceptions) required to pay a premium under the MediKids Program for an eligible individual; and (2) provide for a refundable tax credit for 50 percent of cost-sharing expenses under the MediKids Program.

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to propose a gradual schedule of progressive tax changes to fund the MediKids Program as the number of enrollees grows in the out-years.

]]> Universal Secure Access to Health Care Act of 2003 Display Title Universal Secure Access to Health Care Act of 2003 Official Title as Introduced A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to require employers to offer health care coverage for all employees, to amend the Social Security Act to guarantee comprehensive health care coverage for all children born after 2001, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Short Titles as Introduced Universal Secure Access to Health Care Act of 2003 Introduced in Senate 2003-11-23T05:00:00Z 2003-11-23 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S15653-15663) text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.