House Ways & Means Advances Bills Seeking to Expand Health Care Options

On May 24, the House Ways and Means Committee advanced three pieces of legislation that Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) says are designed to improve access to affordable, quality health care. According to a W&M press release:

The VETERAN Act (H.R. 2372), sponsored by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX): The legislation puts into law an existing regulation that ensures veterans who are not already enrolled in and receiving health insurance through the Veterans Administration have help to purchase coverage on the individual insurance market.

The Broader Options for Americans Act (H.R. 2579), sponsored by Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-OH): The legislation expands options for certain Americans who have lost their jobs by allowing them to access the American Health Care Act’s tax credits. Additionally, it ensures that Americans in similar circumstances who work at churches or other houses of worship can access these tax credits.

The Verify First Act (H.R. 2581), sponsored by Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA): The legislation protects taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse and tightens verification requirements to ensure the subsidies under current law and tax credits under the American Health Care Act aren’t dispensed until the legal status of an eligible recipient is verified.