Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act of 2022
Latest action. ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Walberg asked unanimous consentDoing business by universal agreement instead of votes. Most Senate floor action happens this way, which is why a single objecting senator has real power.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 7353 a bill originally introduced by Representative Walorski, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.
Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act of 2022
This bill expands the exception for stand-alone telehealth benefits plans from certain requirements that generally apply to private health insurance plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Under the bill, employers may offer stand-alone telehealth benefits to all employees. This includes employees who are eligible for enrollment in their employer's group health plan.
Currently, employers may offer telehealth benefits to employees who are otherwise ineligible for the employer's group health plan. This flexibility applies during any plan year beginning before the end of the COVID-19 emergency.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 31, 2022. 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 September 20, 2022: ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Walberg asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 7353 a bill originally introduced by Representative Walorski, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.
- 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 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 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?
Jackie Walorski (R-IN) introduced it on March 31, 2022, and 6 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 3 Republicans.
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 March 31, 2022, 1624 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1451 days ago, on September 20, 2022.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 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
- HouseIntroduced, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers