[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1729 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1729

  To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide 
  further options with respect to levels of coverage under qualified 
                             health plans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 19, 2013

  Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide 
  further options with respect to levels of coverage under qualified 
                             health plans.

    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 ``Expanded Consumer Choice Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVIDING FOR A NEW LEVEL OF COVERAGE UNDER QUALIFIED HEALTH 
              PLANS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1302 of the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18022) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(3), by inserting ``copper,'' after 
        ``either the'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 
                following:
                    ``(C) Copper plans.--The cost-sharing incurred 
                under a health plan in the copper level with respect to 
                self-only coverage or coverage other than self-only 
                coverage for a plan year beginning in 2015 shall not be 
                less than an amount determined appropriate by the 
                Secretary (such amount to be in excess of the amount 
                applicable to a bronze plan) increased as provided for 
                in subparagraph (B) for later plan years.'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) in clause (i), by striking 
                                ``and'' at the end;
                                    (II) in clause (ii), by striking 
                                the period and inserting ``; and''; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
                            ``(iii) for plan years beginning in 2015, 
                        the amount provided for under paragraph (1)(C) 
                        in the case of a plan in the copper level.''; 
                        and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``or 
                        copper'' after ``bronze''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) Regulations relating to plans in the copper level.--
        The Secretary shall promulgate regulations to provide for 
        annual limits on deductibles and cost-sharing for plans in the 
        copper level to ensure that such limits are reasonable for 
        every marketplace and to take into account the feasibility of 
        the relative plan design in each local insurance 
        marketplace.'';
            (3) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 
                following:
                    ``(E) Copper level.--Beginning in plan year 2015, a 
                plan in the copper level shall provide a level of 
                coverage that is designed to provide benefits that are 
                actuarially equivalent to 50 percent of the full 
                actuarial value of the benefits provided under the 
                plan.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``copper,'' 
                after ``providing a''; and
            (4) in subsection (e)(1), in the matter preceding 
        subparagraph (A), by inserting ``copper,'' after ``providing 
        a''.
    (b) Multi-State Plans.--Section 1334(c)(1)(B) of the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18054(c)(1)(B)) is 
amended by inserting ``copper,'' after ``offering of the''.
                                 <all>