Summary
State-Based Universal Health Care Act of 2015
This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to allow states to apply for waivers to health benefits coverage requirements in order to implement a universal health care plan. The state universal health care plan must be at least as comprehensive and affordable as coverage under federal health programs and cover substantially all state residents.
States may apply to waive requirements for:
- health insurance exchanges, plans sold on exchanges, and the program to support nonprofit insurance issuers;
- reduced cost-sharing for individuals meeting income criteria;
- health insurance premium subsidies, employer shared responsibility payments, and minimum essential coverage;
- health benefits under titles XI (General Provisions), XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act;
- federal employee health benefits;
- health benefits for members of the military; and
- health insurance under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must pay a state that assumes responsibility for health coverage currently provided under a federal health program the amount that would otherwise have been spent under the program.
HHS, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Departments of the Treasury, Defense, and Labor must coordinate and consolidate this state waiver process with existing waiver processes to ensure consistency and avoid duplication of effort.Lifecycle of the Bill
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