Congressional Research Service Reports - 556 Matching Results
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- Comparison of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA)
- This report discusses the comparison between the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the "discussion draft" titled, "The Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017" (BCRA).
- Congress Faces Calls to Address Expiring Funds for Primary Care
- This report discusses programs focused on expanding access to primary care services for populations that are typically underserved.
- The ACA Prevention and Public Health Fund: In Brief
- This report provides background information on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and discusses the authority and funding distributions.
- H.R. 1628: The American Health Care Act (AHCA)
- This report contains three tables that, together, provide an overview of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) provisions, as amended by the five manager's amendments and the amendment referenced in H.Res. 254. Table 1 includes provisions that apply to the private health insurance market, Table 2 includes provisions that affect the Medicaid program, and Table 3 includes provisions related to public health and taxes. Each table contains a column identifying whether the AHCA provision is related to an ACA provision (e.g., whether the AHCA provision repeals an ACA-related provision). In addition to the three tables, the report includes more detailed summaries of each AHCA provision and two graphics showing the effective dates of AHCA provisions. Figure 1 covers AHCA provisions related to the private health insurance market, public health, and taxes. Figure 2 covers AHCA provisions related to the Medicaid program. A table identifying key CRS policy staff appears at the end of the report.
- Medicaid Financial Eligibility for Long-Term Services and Supports
- This report provides an overview of the financial requirements used for determining eligibility for Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS). It first provides background information on the Medicaid program, including general eligibility requirements. Then it describes federal statutes as well as selected regulations and guidance regarding these financial eligibility requirements, including rules related to spousal impoverishment, asset transfers, treatment of certain assets, post-eligibility treatment of income, and estate recovery.
- Discretionary Spending Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- This report examines the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) effects on discretionary spending. It first discusses all the ACA authorizations (and reauthorizations) of appropriations for grant and other programs; this information, along with actual funding amounts, is summarized in a series of tables. The report then reviews the ACA administrative costs borne by CMS and the IRS.
- Legislative Actions in the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act
- This report a brief overview of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and discusses the legislative process known as budget reconciliation in an effort to repeal parts of the ACA.
- Health Benefits for Members of Congress and Designated Congressional Staff: In Brief
- This report discusses the health benefits for federal employees through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program.
- Use of the Annual Appropriations Process to Block Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (FY2011-FY2017)
- This report summarizes the ACA-related language added to annual appropriations legislation by congressional appropriators since the ACA was signed into law. The information is presented in Table 1. While a detailed examination of the ACA itself is beyond the scope of this report, a brief overview of the ACA's core provisions and its impact on federal spending is provided as context for the material in the table.
- Finding Medicare Enrollment Statistics
- This report presents basic categories and definitions for terms related to Medicare enrollment data, a quick reference table that summarizes key data available in selected resources, and a more detailed overview of core resources.
- Legislative Actions to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act
- This report a brief overview of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and discusses the legislative process known as budget reconciliation in an effort to repeal parts of the ACA.
- Increasing Choice, Access, and Quality in Health Care for Americans Act (Division C of P.L. 114-255)
- This report summarizes the Increasing Choice, Access, and Quality in Health Care for Americans Act, enacted December 13, 2016, as Division C of the 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-255). It includes an overview and a breakdown of provisions by section.
- The Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC): In Brief
- This report describes the eligibility criteria for the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) and the types of health insurance to which the tax credit may be applied. The tax credit's purpose is to make the purchase of health insurance more affordable for eligible individuals. The report also briefly describes the administration of the HCTC program and receipt of the credit by eligible taxpayers; it concludes with a summary of the HCTC's statutory history.
- Medicare: Part B Premiums
- This report provides an overview of Medicare Part B premiums, including information on Part B eligibility and enrollment, late-enrollment penalties, collection of premiums, determination of annual premium amounts, premiums for high-income enrollees, premium assistance for low-income enrollees, protections for Social Security recipients from rising Part B premiums, and historical Medicare Part B premium trends. This report also provides a summary of various premium-related issues that may be of interest to Congress.
- Use of the Annual Appropriations Process to Block Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (FY2011-FY2017)
- This report summarizes the ACA-related language added to annual appropriations legislation by congressional appropriators since the ACA was signed into law. The information is presented in Table 1. While a detailed examination of the ACA itself is beyond the scope of this report, a brief overview of the ACA's core provisions and its impact on federal spending is provided as context for the material in the table.
- Medicare Financial Status: In Brief
- This report provides an overview on Medicare, discussing its various components and sources of funding. It also examines projections for spending within the program.
- Puerto Rico and Health Care Finance: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Puerto Rico's health care system.
- Zika Response Funding: Request and Congressional Action
- This report presents the Administration's request for supplemental appropriations for the Zika response. It includes sections outlining Congressional actions, the emergency supplemental appropriations request for Zika response efforts -- by both U.S. health and human services agencies and international assistance programs -- and information about unobligated Ebola response funds.
- Public Health Service Agencies: Overview and Funding (FY2015-FY2017)
- This report gives a brief overview of the eight agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which are designated components of the U.S. Public Health Services (PHS), and summarizes its funding for FY2015 through FY2017.
- The Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility Determination and the Potential Employer Penalty
- This report describes potential employer penalties as well as regulations to implement the ACA employer provisions. The regulations address insurance coverage requirements, methodologies for determining whether a worker is considered full time, provisions relating to seasonal workers and corporate franchises, and other reporting requirements.
- Medicare Primer
- This report provides a general overview of the Medicare program including descriptions of the program's history, eligibility criteria, covered services, provider payment systems, and program administration and financing.
- Excise Tax on High-Cost Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage: In Brief
- This report provides an overview of the excise tax. The report includes cost estimates for the excise tax and explores the excise tax's relationship with the tax advantages for employer-sponsored health coverage. The information in this report is based on statute and two notices issued by the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
- Eligibility and Determination of Health Insurance Premium Tax Credits and Cost-Sharing Subsidies: In Brief
- Certain individuals without access to subsidized health insurance coverage may be eligible for premium tax credits, as established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended). This report examines these tax credits and their eligibility requirements, as well as cost-sharing subsidies.
- Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) Program: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report addresses frequently asked questions regarding the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) program, which was established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and aims to foster the creation of CO-OPs--nonprofit, member-run health insurance issuers that sell health plans in states in which they are licensed.
- The Use of Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) in Federal Health Programs
- This report explores how modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is defined differently across health programs such as Medicare, the health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and Medicaid. It also discusses why MAGI is used, and how it is applied, specific to each program. The report covers that MAGI is used to determine (1) penalty amounts owed if a person does not comply with the individual mandate or whether an individual is exempt from the individual mandate; (2) eligibility for and the amount of a premium credit to purchase coverage through a health insurance exchange; and (3) Medicaid income eligibility for certain populations.
- The Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC): In Brief
- This report describes the eligibility criteria for the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) and the types of health insurance to which the tax credit may be applied. The tax credit's purpose is to make the purchase of health insurance more affordable for eligible individuals. The HCTC has a sunset date of January 1, 2020. The report also briefly describes the administration of the HCTC program and receipt of the credit by eligible taxpayers; it concludes with a summary of the HCTC's statutory history.
- Private Health Insurance Market Reforms in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- This report provides background information about the private health insurance market, including market segments and regulation. It then describes each ACA market reform, grouped under the following categories: obtaining coverage, keeping coverage, cost of purchasing coverage, covered services, cost-sharing limits, consumer assistance and other health care protections, and plan requirements related to health care providers.
- Puerto Rico and Health Care Finance: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about how federal health care programs and requirements are implemented in Puerto Rico, including information about eligibility, coverage, program requirements, and payment rules. Examples provided in the FAQs illustrate that in many circumstances, some health programs in Puerto Rico differ from programs in the US, while in other circumstances, Puerto Rico is treated the same as the states. As such, these questions and answers should be viewed as a discussion of the complexity of health care financing as it relates to Puerto Rico under current law.
- Provisions of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3762
- This report includes a table listing all provisions in H.R. 3762 and the Senate amendment to H.R. 3762 that would amend or repeal Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions. It also provides a brief explanation of the provisions included in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3762.
- Discretionary Spending Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- This report examines the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) effects on discretionary spending. It first discusses all the ACA authorizations (and reauthorizations) of appropriations for grant and other programs; this information, along with actual funding amounts, is summarized in a series of tables. The report then reviews the ACA administrative costs borne by CMS and the IRS.
- Health-Related Tax Expenditures: Overview and Analysis
- This report analyzes health-related tax expenditures together at the budget function level, rather than focusing on the size of any single provision. To provide some insights into common questions about health-related expenditures, this report analyzes historical data on health-related tax expenditure estimates published by the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT).
- Use of the Annual Appropriations Process to Block Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (FY2011-FY2016)
- This report summarizes the language related to the Affordable Care (ACA) that was added to annual appropriations legislation by congressional appropriators since the ACA was signed into law. The information is presented in a table. While a detailed examination of the ACA itself is beyond the scope of this report, a brief overview of the ACA's core provisions and its impact on federal spending is provided as context for the material in the table. Congress remains deeply divided over implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which President Obama signed into law in March 2010.
- The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program: Overview and Impact of the Affordable Care Act
- This report discusses the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which makes federal funds available to metropolitan areas and states to that provide a number of health care services for HIV/AIDS patients.
- Puerto Rico and Health Care Finance: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Puerto Rico's health care system, including how federal health care programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program [CHIP]) and private health insurance requirements apply to Puerto Rico.
- The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB): Frequently Asked Questions
- This report responds to frequently asked questions about the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), including the board's background, current status, controversial issues including legal challenges, and recent legislative efforts to repeal the IPAB.
- Potential Policy Implications of the House Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 3762)
- This report provides background on the reconciliation process and summarizes the provisions in the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 (H.R. 3762), including their projected budgetary impact. It then briefly examines some of the bill's policy implications.
- Potential Impact of No Social Security COLA on Medicare Part B Premiums in 2016
- This report provides an overview of Medicare Part B premiums, the relationship between the Social Security cost-of-living increase (COLA) and Part B premiums, and the potential impact of a projected 0% Social Security COLA in 2016 on Medicare premiums, based on recent projections by the Medicare Trustees.
- Public Health Service Agencies: Overview and Funding (FY2010-FY2016)
- This report gives a brief overview of the eight agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which are designated components of the U.S. Public Health Services (PHS), and summarizes its funding for FY2010 through FY2016.
- Use of the Annual Appropriations Process to Block Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (FY2011-FY2016)
- This report summarizes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act (ACA)-related language added to annual appropriations legislation by congressional appropriators since the ACA was signed into law.
- Abortion, Hospital Admitting Privileges, and Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole
- This report revolves around the contentious issue of admitting privileges as can be seen in Whole Woman's Health v. Cole. The report also includes information on how admitting privileges have been used to impose an undue burden on a woman's ability to seek abortions.
- Abortion: Judicial History and Legislative Response
- This report discusses the judicial history of abortion and how legislatures respond to those decisions made by the court. The report tackles landmark cases such as Roe v. Wade as well as companion decisions such as Doe v. Bolton. The report highlights specifically how Congress has attempted to enact legislation that limits abortion practices.
- The Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility Determination and the Potential ACA Employer Penalty
- This report describes the potential employer penalties related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended) as well as regulations to implement the ACA employer provisions. The regulations address insurance coverage requirements, methodologies for determining whether a worker is considered full time, provisions relating to seasonal workers and corporate franchises, and other reporting requirements.
- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's Essential Health Benefits (EHB)
- This report provides an overview of the first component of the essential health benefits (EHB) package--a core package of health care services required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended) for non-group and small-group private health insurance markets. The report examines how the EHB are defined, regulations related to the EHB, state variation in the EHB, applicability of the EHB to health plans, and how the EHB interact with other ACA provisions.
- Health Insurance: Small is the New Large
- This report discusses aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that expand the definition of small employer to include employers with 100 or fewer employees. States must implement the expanded definition for plan years beginning in 2016, but have the option of implementing the expanded definition prior to the deadline.
- Medicare Financial Status: In Brief
- This report provides an overview on Medicare, discussing its various components and sources of funding. The report also examines projections for spending within the program.
- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Budget: Fact Sheet
- This report summarizes the goals and focus of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The AHRQ is a piece of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which is meant to improve the quality of health care, enhance the delivery of health care, and increase the amount of access people have to health services. Moreover, the report covers how the AHRQ is financed and debates how it will continue to be so.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Proposed Rule on Medicaid Managed Care: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report responds to a series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) identified to address some of the major updates included in the proposed rule. The FAQs summarize provisions such as the introduction of a minimum medical loss ratio (MLR), guidance on enrolling the long-term services and supports (LTSS) population in managed care, and network adequacy.
- Use of the Annual Appropriations Process to Block Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (FY2011-FY2016)
- Congress remains deeply divided over implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health reform law enacted in March 2010. Since the ACA's enactment, lawmakers opposed to specific provisions in the ACA or the entire law have repeatedly debated its implementation and considered bills to repeal, defund, delay, or otherwise amend the law. This report summarizes the ACA-related language added to annual appropriations legislation by congressional appropriators since the ACA was signed into law.
- H.R. 6: The 21st Century Cures Act
- Report about H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, which would reauthorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through FY2018 and provide other funding to the agency through FY2020.
- Timeline Related to Health Insurance and Exchange Rules: Backdrop to King v. Burwell
- This report provides a timeline that identifies selected 2015 dates related to exchange establishment and operation, legislative calendars, and regulation of the individual health insurance market, among other issues.