Official Summaries

Healthcare Freedom and Choice Act

This bill nullifies a rule regarding short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans. The rule was promulgated by the Internal Revenue Service, Employee Benefits Security Administration, and Department of Health and Human Services; is titled Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance and Independent, Noncoordinated Excepted Benefits Coverage; and was published April 3, 2024.

Short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans are plans that may only offer coverage for a limited amount of time and are exempt from the market requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (e.g., coverage of individuals with preexisting conditions).

The rule limits the length of the initial contract period for such a plan to no more than three months and, taking into account any renewals or extensions, the maximum coverage period to no more than four months. The rule also includes within the maximum renewal period limitation a new plan sold by the same issuer, or any issuer that is a member of the same controlled group, to the same policyholder within a 12-month period.

Regulations in effect prior to the rule this bill nullifies permitted short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans with an initial contract period of fewer than 12 months and a maximum coverage period of up to 36 months, including renewals and extensions.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 379 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 379

  To provide that the rule relating to ``Short-Term, Limited-Duration 
Insurance and Independent, Noncoordinated Excepted Benefits Coverage'' 
  (89 Fed. Reg. 23338 (April 3, 2024)) shall have no force or effect.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 14, 2025

  Mr. Carter of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Crenshaw, Ms. 
    Letlow, Mr. Allen, Mr. Smucker, and Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and 
    Workforce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide that the rule relating to ``Short-Term, Limited-Duration 
Insurance and Independent, Noncoordinated Excepted Benefits Coverage'' 
  (89 Fed. Reg. 23338 (April 3, 2024)) shall have no force or effect.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Healthcare Freedom and Choice Act''.

SEC. 2. SHORT-TERM, LIMITED DURATION INSURANCE RULE NULLIFICATION.

    The final interagency rule published by the Internal Revenue 
Service, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Health 
and Human Services Department relating to ``Short-Term, Limited-
Duration Insurance and Independent, Noncoordinated Excepted Benefits 
Coverage'' (89 Fed. Reg. 23338 (April 3, 2024)) shall have no force or 
effect.
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