HB 28-17: COVIDEBT Act (Debating)

[SevenEleven]

A BILL
To provide government relief of COVID-19-related medical debt.
Be it enacted in both Houses of Congress assembled

II. TITLE

1. The title of this act shall be the Completely Obliterate Virus Insolvency and Debt, Ending Bad Times Act.
a. This legislation may also be cited as the "COVIDEBT Act."

I. PAYMENT FREEZE

1. No healthcare provider or private debtholder may demand servicing of debts from uninsured patients for COVID-19 treatment until August 1st, 2021.

II. PAYING OFF DEBT

1. $X,XXX,XXX,XXX shall be appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a "COVIDEBT Fund" from which payments to healthcare providers shall originate.
a. Healthcare providers may apply for payments by providing a comprehensive statement of invoices and billing statements related to undischarged debts from uninsured patients for COVID-19 treatment.
b. Healthcare providers must submit this statement by July 1st, 2021; to be eligible to receive funding.
c. The Department of Health and Human Services shall allocate funding to applicants equal to the gross amount of undischarged payment or debt stated therein.
d. All other holders of medical debt may apply for funding as well, subject to the same requirements.
i. In cases in which non-healthcare-provider debtholders have not been informed that payment is owed for COVID-19 treatments, the original healthcare provider shall inform the debtholder of this aspect of the nature of the debt by April 1st, 2021.

2. $15,000,000 shall be appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services for the implementation of this act.

III. ENACTMENT

1. This legislation shall go into effect immediately upon the President's signature, except where otherwise specified herein.

Sponsor: Harvey
Status: Debating

[Mike Thick]

Hi folks. I will have some advocacy on this posted later tonight.

[Harvey Updyke Jr🌹]

I'll sponsor.

[Mike Thick]

I'll sponsor.

Thanks, Harv! Appreciate it.

Basically, this bill would freeze payments on COVID-related medical debt for uninsured patients, give hospitals and debtholders time to gather an accounting of that debt, and have them submit it to the government to get it paid off. I think this is appropriate -- while our healthcare system is great, lots of people have incurred serious costs through no fault of their own because of this crisis, and they deserve a hand from their government in situations like that.

There are a couple of things left to decide:
 - Dollar amount. I wasn't sure what was appropriate so I would love your suggestions
 - Whether we should extend this coverage to people who went into debt despite being insured. The last COVID bill required insurers to cover COVID treatment. I think some of those people may be in debt depending on deductibles and such, but I kind of wanted to gear this bill towards people that incurred really exorbitant costs. Open to suggestions, of course.

Looking forward to hashing this out with y'all.

[SevenEleven]

I'll sponsor.

24 hours to object.

[Joseph Cao]

Harvey is recognized as sponsor and is cordially invited to offer any thoughts he may have on the bill. As are the rest of his fellow representatives.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Anyone have any ideas as to how we should fill in those X's?

[Harvey Updyke Jr🌹]

Anyone have any ideas as to how we should fill in those X's?

lol

There isn't much to say about this:  Coronavirus has an extreme economic impact in addition to its public health impact.  People are dying. People need relief. Let's pass this bill.

[Harvey Updyke Jr🌹]

If I recall correctly from medical school, the average amount of expendature per uninsured person is around 11,000 USD per year. So the question is: how many uninsured persons are there in Atlasia? Multiply it by like 15,000 (extra costs from COVID, although that might not be enough) and that's probably the number we want...

[Harvey Updyke Jr🌹]

Do we have any kind of a guess at how many uninsured are in our country?

[Dr. MB]

Do we have any kind of a guess at how many uninsured are in our country?

Unfortunately we don't have a GM team right now so I'm not really sure. I know we're supposed to have universal healthcare passed under president dfwlibertylover but not sure how that practically went into effect.

[Harvey Updyke Jr🌹]

Can we pester Lumine?

[Dr. MB]

I'm not really sure where we're at with this bill. It's not finished in the current form but it seems like nobody knows how to complete it.

[Talleyrand]

I'm not really sure where we're at with this bill. It's not finished in the current form but it seems like nobody knows how to complete it.

Don't we just need a cost estimate? Can we ask the GM about this?

[Continential]

I'm not really sure where we're at with this bill. It's not finished in the current form but it seems like nobody knows how to complete it.

Don't we just need a cost estimate? Can we ask the GM about this?

The Comptroller General covers this, and as of now, it is vacant.

[Peanut]

While it's not, as Ishan mentioned, the GM's job, thanks to the absence of a Comptroller General the opinions and/or suggestions of several prominent economists on this bill will have a spot in the next Citizen's Dispatch.

[Dr. MB]

Per the GM's suggestion introducing an amendment:

A BILL
To provide government relief of COVID-19-related medical debt.
Be it enacted in both Houses of Congress assembled

II. TITLE

1. The title of this act shall be the Completely Obliterate Virus Insolvency and Debt, Ending Bad Times Act.
a. This legislation may also be cited as the "COVIDEBT Act."

I. PAYMENT FREEZE

1. No healthcare provider or private debtholder may demand servicing of debts from uninsured patients for COVID-19 treatment until August 1st, 2021.

II. PAYING OFF DEBT

1. $12,000,000,000 shall be appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a "COVIDEBT Fund" from which payments to healthcare providers shall originate.
a. Healthcare providers may apply for payments by providing a comprehensive statement of invoices and billing statements related to undischarged debts from uninsured patients for COVID-19 treatment.
b. Healthcare providers must submit this statement by July 1st, 2021; to be eligible to receive funding.
c. The Department of Health and Human Services shall allocate funding to applicants equal to the gross amount of undischarged payment or debt stated therein.
d. All other holders of medical debt may apply for funding as well, subject to the same requirements.
i. In cases in which non-healthcare-provider debtholders have not been informed that payment is owed for COVID-19 treatments, the original healthcare provider shall inform the debtholder of this aspect of the nature of the debt by April 1st, 2021.

2. $15,000,000 shall be appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services for the implementation of this act.

III. ENACTMENT

1. This legislation shall go into effect immediately upon the President's signature, except where otherwise specified herein.

[Joseph Cao]

Looks like a fairly uncontroversial amendment.

Presumably it has been adopted?

[Dr. MB]

Amendment has been adopted. I'll motion for a final vote.

[Joseph Cao]

Mr. Speaker?

[Dr. MB]

A final vote has started. 72 hours.

[Dr. MB]

Aye

[Harvey Updyke Jr🌹]

AYE

[Continential]

AYE

[Saint Milei]

Nay