117 HR 8889 IH: Readable Insurance Coverage Explanations Act U.S. House of Representatives 2022-09-19 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.

I117th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 8889IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESSeptember 19, 2022Ms. Plaskett (for herself, Mr. Rice of South Carolina, and Mr. Smucker) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, 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 concernedA BILLTo provide for improved access to group health plan and health insurance coverage summary of benefits and coverage explanation, require a joint report by the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Treasury, and Labor relating to summaries of benefits and coverage, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Readable Insurance Coverage Explanations Act or the RICE Act.

2.

Improved access to group health plan and health insurance coverage summary of benefits and coverage explanation

(a)

In general

Section 2715(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg–15(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:(5)

Machine readable submission and public posting

(A)

Annual submission

Not later than for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, each entity described in paragraph (3) shall annually submit to the Secretary the summaries of benefits and coverage described in paragraph (1), with respect to such entity, in a machine-readable file (as defined in section 147.210(a)(2)(xiv) of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation).(B)

Public Posting

Not later than 60 days after the date of submission of summaries of benefits and coverage pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall make the summaries of benefits and coverage available on a public Federal Government website..(b)

Joint report by Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury

Not later than January 1, 2024, the Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury shall jointly conduct a study, and submit to Congress a report, containing—(1)the extent to which summaries of benefits and coverage described in section 2715(d)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg–15(d)(1)) are accessible and comprehensible to individuals applying for or enrolled in a group health plan or group or individual health insurance coverage (as such terms are defined in section 2791 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg–91)); and(2)recommendations for improving such access and comprehension.(c)

Implementation by Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury

The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury may implement the provisions of, including the amendments made by, this section through interim final rule, sub-regulatory guidance, program instruction, or otherwise.