[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3450 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3450

   To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to allow 
   individuals to opt out of the minimum required health benefits by 
  permitting health insurance issuers to offer qualified health plans 
    that offer alternative benefits to the minimum essential health 
          benefits otherwise required, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 12, 2013

 Mrs. Ellmers introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to allow 
   individuals to opt out of the minimum required health benefits by 
  permitting health insurance issuers to offer qualified health plans 
    that offer alternative benefits to the minimum essential health 
          benefits otherwise required, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Health Insurance Freedom Act of 
2013''.

SEC. 2. PERMITTING HEALTH INSURANCE ISSUERS TO OFFER QUALIFIED HEALTH 
              PLANS WITH ALTERNATIVE HEALTH BENEFITS SO INDIVIDUALS CAN 
              OPT OUT OF MINIMUM ESSENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1301 of the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18021) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B), by inserting ``subject to 
        paragraph (3),'' after ``(B)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Permitting alternative benefits.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding subsection 
                (a)(1)(B) or any other provision of this Act, a health 
                insurance issuer may offer, both through an Exchange 
                and outside of an Exchange, health insurance coverage 
                that--
                            ``(i) provides the essential health 
                        benefits package described in subsection (a) of 
                        section 1302, other than the minimum benefits 
                        required under subsection (b) of such section 
                        and the level of coverage required under 
                        subsection (c) of such section; and
                            ``(ii) meets such Federal and State benefit 
                        requirements as otherwise applied as of October 
                        1, 2013, in the State in which the coverage is 
                        offered.
                    ``(B) Treatment.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Except as provided in 
                        paragraph (2), health insurance coverage that 
                        is offered under paragraph (1) shall be treated 
                        as a qualified health plan for purposes of this 
                        Act (and the amendments made by this Act), 
                        including constituting minimum essential 
                        coverage for purposes of section 5000A(f)(1) of 
                        the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
                            ``(ii) Not eligible for subsidies; not 
                        treated as a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum 
                        plan.--Such health insurance coverage shall 
                        not--
                                    ``(I) be treated as a qualified 
                                health plan for purposes of applying 
                                section 36B of the Internal Revenue 
                                Code of 1986 and section 1402 of this 
                                Act; and
                                    ``(II) be treated as a bronze, 
                                silver, gold, or platinum plan or be 
                                taken into account in applying section 
                                36B(b)(3)(B) of such Code.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall be 
effective as if included in the enactment of the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act.
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