2013 House Bill 4111

Fund state role in federal "Obamacare partnership exchange"

Introduced in the House

Jan. 29, 2013

Introduced by Rep. Joseph Haveman (R-90)

As introduced, the bill would provide a template or "place holder" for a potential supplemental multidepartment appropriation for Fiscal Year 2012-2013. This bill originally containeed no appropriations, was amended as described below.

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations

Feb. 27, 2013

Reported without amendment

With the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

Substitute offered

To adopt a version of the bill that contains actual appropriations.

The substitute passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Peter MacGregor (R-73)

To require the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to "work to ensure that the privacy of individual citizens is protected in all aspects of the partnership exchange." Note: Since a federal version of this entity will be performing its actual insurance subsidy eligibility determinations and administration, a state department will have little more than an advisory role on these matters.

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Peter MacGregor (R-73)

To require that the "navigators" authorized by the federal health care law to advise subsidy applicants and recipients about its extremely detailed regulations must undergo criminal and regulatory background screening.

The amendment passed by voice vote

Feb. 28, 2013

Passed in the House 78 to 31 (details)

To appropriate $30.5 million in federal grant money to set up a consumer assistance call center related to insurance subsidies provided by the federal health care law. The actual subsidy administration and eligibility determinations will be performed by a federal entity styled under the law as an "exchange" (in 2012 the legislature declined to create a state-run version of this entity). The money will also be used for state Medicaid system software upgrades required in part because of this law.

Received in the Senate

March 5, 2013

Referred to the Committee of the Whole