HELP Copays Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 864 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 864 To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to apply financial assistance towards the cost-sharing requirements of health insurance plans, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 5, 2025 Mr. Marshall (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Markey, Ms. Murkowski, and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to apply financial assistance towards the cost-sharing requirements of health insurance plans, and for other purposes. 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 ``Help Ensure Lower Patient Copays Act'' or the ``HELP Copays Act''. SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TOWARD COST-SHARING REQUIREMENTS. (a) Application Toward Cost-Sharing Requirements.--Section 2715(g)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-15(g)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``In developing the standards for defining the terms `deductible', `coinsurance', `copayment', and `out-of-pocket limit' (as described in paragraph (2)), such standards shall provide that such terms include amounts paid by, or on behalf of, an individual enrolled in a group health plan or group or individual health insurance coverage, including financial assistance offered by non-profit organizations and prescription drug manufacturers, and that such amounts shall be counted toward such deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or limit, respectively.''. (b) Conforming Amendments.-- (1) PP