[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2236 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2236

 To prohibit health insurance companies from denying individual health 
   insurance coverage or from discriminating in benefits under such 
          coverage because of the receipt of grief counseling.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 4, 2009

Mrs. Halvorson introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prohibit health insurance companies from denying individual health 
   insurance coverage or from discriminating in benefits under such 
          coverage because of the receipt of grief counseling.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Grieving Families Insurance 
Protection Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITING DENIAL OF HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE OR 
              DISCRIMINATION IN BENEFITS UNDER THE COVERAGE BECAUSE OF 
              RECEIPT OF GRIEF COUNSELING.

    (a) In General.--Title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act is 
amended by inserting after section 2745 the following new section:

``SEC. 2746. PROHIBITION ON DENIAL OF HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE AND 
              DISCRIMINATION IN BENEFITS BECAUSE OF RECEIPT OF GRIEF 
              COUNSELING.

    ``A health insurance issuer offering health insurance coverage in 
the individual market may not--
            ``(1) establish or maintain rules for eligibility 
        (including continued eligibility) of any individual to enroll 
        under the terms of the coverage based on any individual's 
        receipt of grief counseling at any time; or
            ``(2) reduce the benefits covered (or offered for coverage) 
        on such basis.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to health insurance coverage offered, sold, issued, 
renewed, in effect, or operated in the individual health insurance 
market on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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