Health Care Accountability Act
Latest action (22 Jun 2005): Introduced
What this bill does
The Health Care Accountability Act (S. 1286) would amend the Medicaid provisions of the Social Security Act to require states to report annual data on employers whose workers rely on Medicaid. Specifically, states would have to identify, for each employer in the state with 50 or more employees, the number of that employer's employees (and their spouses or dependents) who received Medicaid coverage in the previous year, the cost to the state of providing that coverage, and the ratio of Medicaid-covered employees to the employer's total workforce. This data would come only from Medicaid application information already collected by states.
The bill would primarily affect state Medicaid agencies, which would take on new reporting duties, and larger employers (50+ workers), whose Medicaid usage patterns would become part of public data collected by states and reported to the Department of Health and Human Services. Medicaid beneficiaries' underlying privacy protections under HIPAA and related federal law would remain in place. The requirement would apply starting with 2006 data, with states required to submit an initial mid-year report by July 1, 2006.
The bill was introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy, with Senator Jon Corzine as a cosponsor, and referred to the Senate Finance Committee on June 22, 2005. It did not receive a vote and did not advance further in the 109th Congress.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Health Care Accountability Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require the state Medicaid plan to provide for the annual reporting by the state, using data only from medical assistance applications by individuals, on each employer in the state with 50 or more employees who received Medicaid at any time during the previous year.
Common questions
- What does S. 1286 do?
- The Health Care Accountability Act (S. 1286) would amend the Medicaid provisions of the Social Security Act to require states to report annual data on employers whose workers rely on Medicaid. Specifically, states would have to identify, for each employer in the state with 50 or more employees, the number of that employer's employees (and their spouses or dependents) who received Medicaid coverage in the previous year, the cost to the state of providing that coverage, and the ratio of Medicaid-covered employees to the employer's total workforce. This data would come only from Medicaid application information already collected by states. The bill would primarily affect state Medicaid agencies, which would take on new reporting duties, and larger employers (50+ workers), whose Medicaid usage patterns would become part of public data collected by states and reported to the Department of Health and Human Services. Medicaid beneficiaries' underlying privacy protections under HIPAA and related federal law would remain in place. The requirement would apply starting with 2006 data, with states required to submit an initial mid-year report by July 1, 2006. The bill was introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy, with Senator Jon Corzine as a cosponsor, and referred to the Senate Finance Committee on June 22, 2005. It did not receive a vote and did not advance further in the 109th Congress.
- Has S. 1286 become law?
- Not yet. As of 22 Jun 2005, S. 1286 is introduced.
- Who sponsored S. 1286?
- S. 1286 was sponsored by Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy [D-MA, 1962-2009] (Democrat-MA), with 3 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 1286?
- Introduced (22 Jun 2005).
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