Medicare Crisis Program Act of 2020
Latest action. Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdictionA court's legal authority to hear a case: over the subject matter, the parties, and the territory.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) of the committee concerned.
Medicare Crisis Program Act of 2020
This bill makes a series of changes to health insurance coverage and requirements during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
For example, the bill makes several changes to Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) during the public health emergency. Among other things, the bill
allows all individuals who receive unemployment benefits, and their dependents, to enroll in Medicare if they otherwise do not have health insurance coverage;
eliminates cost-sharing for COVID-19 drugs and treatment services under Medicare and MA;
eliminates premiums under Medicare and caps overall cost-sharing under Medicare and MA; and
establishes a national clearinghouse for the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 personal protective equipment for Medicare providers.
The bill also alters requirements under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and for private health insurers during the emergency. Among other things, the bill
requires coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and treatment services under Medicaid and CHIP without cost-sharing;
increases the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) that is otherwise applicable during the public health emergency, including for states experiencing economic downturns (i.e., high unemployment);
requires private health insurers to cover COVID-19 treatment services without cost-sharing; and
requires federal payment to health care providers for the cost of COVID-19 treatment services that are provided to uninsured individuals, based on Medicare payment rates.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 1, 2020. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 1, 2020: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Armed Services, 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.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) introduced it on May 1, 2020, and 45 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 45 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 1, 2020, 2323 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2323 days ago, on May 1, 2020.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers