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CCH® BENEFITS — 01/16/09

New Benefits-Related Legislation Focuses On Health Care

from Spencer’s Benefits Reports: On the first two days of the 111th Congress, legislators introduced the following benefits-related legislation.

Health Care Reform

H.R.15: To provide a program of national health insurance, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep.. John D. Dingell (Mich.). Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.109: To provide for the offering of health care benefit plans to individuals, to increase funding for state high risk health insurance pools, and to promote best practice protocols for state high risk pools. Sponsor: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (Neb.). Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

H.R.193: To amend the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for an AmeriCare that assures the provision of health insurance coverage to all residents, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Fortney Pete Stark (Cal.). Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committees on Ways and Means and Education and Labor.

H.R.194: To amend the Social Security Act to guarantee comprehensive health care coverage for all children born after 2009, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Fortney Pete Stark (Cal.). Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means.

S.4: A bill to guarantee affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid (Nev.). Cosponsors (18).

S.29: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to increase the credit for the health insurance costs of eligible individuals, to expand such credit to individuals covered under COBRA, and to extend the period of COBRA continuation coverage for certain individuals. Sponsor: Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.93: A bill to provide quality, affordable health insurance for small employers and individuals. Sponsor: Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio). Referred to to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Other Benefits Legislation House

H.R.11: To amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and to modify the operation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to clarify that a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice that is unlawful under such Acts occurs each time compensation is paid pursuant to the discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. George Miller (Cal.). Cosponsors (168). Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.27: To amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within the Medicare Program, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Judy Biggert (Ill.). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Judiciary Committee.

H.R.33: To amend Title II of the Social Security Act to eliminate the five-month waiting period for entitlement to disability benefits and to eliminate reconsideration as an intervening step between initial benefit entitlement decisions and subsequent hearings on the record on such decisions. Sponsor: Rep. Mike McIntyre (N.C.). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.43: To amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to repeal the Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps. Sponsor: Rep. Xavier Becerra (Cal.) Cosponsors (2). Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.55: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a refundable credit against income tax for 50% of the employer’s cost of providing tax-free transit passes to employees. Sponsor: Rep. Mark Kirk (Ill.). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.77 : To provide for a credit for certain health care benefits in determining the minimum wage. Sponsor: Rep. Darrell E. Issa (Cal.). Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.84: To amend Title 38 of the United States Code, to establish standards of access to care for veterans seeking health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (Fla.). Referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

H.R.99: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to reduce taxes by providing an alternative determination of income tax liability for individuals, repealing the estate and gift taxes, reducing corporate income tax rates, reducing the maximum tax for individuals on capital gains and dividends to 10%, indexing the basis of assets for purposes of determining capital gain or loss, creating tax-free accounts for retirement savings, lifetime savings, and life skills, repealing the adjusted gross income threshold in the medical care deduction for individuals younger than age 65 who have no employer health care coverage, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. David Dreier (Cal.). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.107: To reform Social Security retirement and Medicare by establishing a Personal Social Security Savings Program to create a safer, healthier, more secure, and more prosperous retirement for all Americans and to reduce the burden on young Americans. Sponsor: Rep. Jeff Flake (Ariz.). Cosponsors (2). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and to the Committees on Education and Labor, the Budget, Energy and Commerce, and Rules.

H.R.143: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a two-month suspension of employment and income taxes, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Louie Gohmert (Texas). Cosponsors (50). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Financial Services.

H.R.153: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide for tax-favored unemployment savings accounts, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. John M. McHugh (N.Y.). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.154: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to exclude certain amounts of severance payments from gross income. Sponsor: Rep. John M. McHugh (N.Y.) Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.155: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to suspend the taxation of unemployment compensation for two years. Sponsor: Rep. John M. McHugh (N.Y.). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.161: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the 1993 increase in taxes on Social Security benefits. Sponsor: Rep. Ron Paul (Texas). Cosponsors (4). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.162: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the inclusion in gross income of Social Security benefits. Rep. Ron Paul (Texas). Cosponsors (2). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.164: To provide greater health care freedom for seniors. Sponsor: Rep. Ron Paul (Texas). Cosponsors (2). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

H.R.219: To amend Title II of the Social Security Act to ensure the integrity of the Social Security trust funds by requiring the managing trustee to invest the annual surplus of such trust funds in marketable interest-bearing obligations of the United States and certificates of deposit in depository institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and to protect such trust funds from the public debt limit. Sponsor: Rep. Ron Paul (Texas). Cosponsors (8). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.235: To amend Title II of the Social Security Act to repeal the Government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions. Sponsor: Rep. Howard L. Berman (Cal.). Cosponsors (81). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.236: To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to protect Social Security beneficiaries against any reduction in benefits. Sponsor: Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (Fla.). Referred to the Committee on Rules, and the Committee on the Budget.

H.R.237: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable credit to military retirees for premiums paid for coverage under Medicare Part B. Sponsor: Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (Mo.). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.238: To amend Title II of the Social Security Act to provide for an improved benefit computation formula for workers affected by the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977 who attain age 65 during the ten-year period after 1981 and before 1992 (and related beneficiaries) and to provide prospectively for increases in their benefits accordingly. Sponsor: Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (Mo.). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.251: To prevent the nondisclosure of employer-owned life insurance coverage of employees as an unfair trade practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Gene Green (Texas). Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Other Benefits Legislation-Senate

S.1: A bill to create jobs, restore economic growth, and strengthen America’s middle class through measures that modernize the nation's infrastructure, enhance America’s energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid (Nev.). Cosponsors (16). Placed on the Senate legislative calendar under general orders.

S.21: A bill to reduce unintended pregnancy, reduce abortions, and improve access to women’s health care. Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid (Nev.). Cosponsors (14). Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

S.42: A bill to amend Title II of the Social Security Act to preserve and protect Social Security benefits of American workers and to help ensure greater congressional oversight of the Social Security system by requiring that both houses of Congress approve a totalization agreement before the agreement, giving foreign workers Social Security benefits, can go into effect. Sponsor: Sen. John Ensign (Nev.). Cosponsors (6). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.45: A bill to improve patient access to health care services and provide improved medical care by reducing the excessive burden the liability system places on the health care delivery system. Sponsor: Sen. John Ensign (Nev.). Cosponsors (8). Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

S.52: A bill to amend Title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide 100% reimbursement for medical assistance provided to a Native Hawaiian through a federally-qualified health center or a Native Hawaiian health care system. Sponsor: Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (Hawaii). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.55: A bill to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide improved reimbursement for clinical social worker services under the Medicare program. Sponsor: Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (Hawaii). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.75: A bill to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require the use of generic drugs under the Medicare part D prescription drug program when available unless the brand name drug is determined to be medically necessary. Sponsor: Sen. Herb Kohl (Wis.). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.77 : A bill to amend Title XXI of the Social Security Act to provide for equal coverage of mental health services under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Sponsor: Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass). Cosponsors (1). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.79: A bill to amend the Social Security Act to establish a Federal Reinsurance Program for Catastrophic Health Care Costs. Sponsor: Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.82: A bill to amend Title XXI of the Social Security Act to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program, to limit income eligibility expansions under that program until the lowest income eligible individuals are enrolled, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen. David Vitter (La.). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.86: A bill to establish a procedure to safeguard the Social Security trust funds. Sponsor: Sen. David Vitter (La.). Cosponsors (1). Referred to the Committee on the Budget.

S.94: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a nonrefundable tax credit for long-term care insurance premiums. Sponsor: Sen. David Vitter (La.). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.142: A bill to amend Titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to ensure that every uninsured child in America has health insurance coverage, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen. John F. Kerry. (Mass.). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.155: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to suspend the taxation of unemployment compensation for two years. Sponsor: Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine). Cosponsors (2). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.157: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to expand the temporary waiver of required minimum distribution rules for certain retirement plans and accounts. Sponsor: Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine). Cosponsors (1). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

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