Fact Sheet on Feingold’s State-Based Health Care
Reform Act
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
will introduce the State-Based Health Care Reform Act in order to end the
political stalemate in Congress that has been preventing meaningful health
coverage from being enacted.
Feingold’s State-Based
Health Care Reform Act:
- Authorizes funding for
pilot projects so that a few states can ensure health care coverage to all
their residents.
- Gives flexibility to
the states to use their own approach to achieve health care coverage for all
their residents.
- Instead of requiring
states to follow a certain program, Feingold’s bill gives states the
flexibilityto achieve expanded coverage through any system deemed
appropriate by a Health Care Reform Task Force.
Overview of Project:
- The pilot programs
would last for five years and would be funded through a grant application
program overseen by the Health Care Reform Task Force established in the
legislation.
- The Health Care Reform
Task Force would evaluate state applications, select state projects, and
oversee implementation of the states’ proposals.
- Participating states
will be required to submit an annual report to the Task Force detailing
their progress.
- The Task Force will be
a committee with members appointed by the Government Accountability Office’s
Comptroller General. The Task Force will be housed under Health and Human
Services (HHS), and the Secretary of HHS will be a member of the Task Force.
- The bill will cost $32
billion over ten years and is fully paid for through offsets, making funding
available right away and allowing the program to take effect immediately.
State Plan Requirements:
- Coverage must meet
certain minimum standards and must include protections for low-income
people.
- Once approved by the
Task Force, a state will be required to provide some matching funds.
- States are expected to
improve the efficiency of health care spending and work to lower health care
costs.
Congressional Action:
- The Task Force will be
responsible for submitting an evaluation of all pilot projects to Congress
at the end of the initial five-year grant period.
- The recommendations
will be based on states’ experiences, and the bill requires congressional
debate of these recommendations and findings.