# Worker Health Coverage Protection Act

This bill is designed to protect workers' health insurance coverage by preventing employers from cutting back on the health benefits they offer to their employees. Essentially, it sets rules to make sure that if a company currently provides health insurance to workers, they can't suddenly reduce the quality or scope of that coverage in ways that would leave employees worse off.

The main concern this addresses is a practice sometimes called "plan design degradation," where employers might keep offering health insurance but make it less valuable by raising deductibles significantly, cutting out certain types of coverage, or reducing the percentage of premiums they pay. Under this bill, employers would face restrictions on how much they can weaken their health plans from year to year. This means workers who rely on employer-sponsored insurance would have more stability and predictability in their coverage—they wouldn't wake up to find their insurance suddenly covers less or costs them much more out of pocket.

The bill affects primarily workers who get health insurance through their employers, which is roughly half of all Americans under age 65. It also indirectly affects employers, who would need to maintain certain baseline standards for their health plans rather than being able to strip down benefits whenever they want. For workers, this means better job security when it comes to health benefits and less risk of suddenly facing higher costs or reduced coverage. For employers, it means they have less flexibility to cut corners on employee health benefits as a cost-saving measure, though they can still adjust plans within reasonable limits.

Worker Health Coverage Protection Act

Durbin, Richard J.

Worker Health Coverage Protection Act This bill provides health insurance premium assistance to individuals who become unemployed or are furloughed during the period beginning on March 1, 2020, and ending on September 30, 2021. Specifically, the bill treats premiums as paid for individuals who (1) are terminated from employment and elect to continue insurance coverage through the COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) program during such period, or (2) receive more than a 30% reduction in work hours during such period but remain eligible for coverage under a group health plan. The bill also specifies requirements for individuals changing, or enrolling in, health plans under the program. Additionally, the bill requires employers to provide eligible individuals specified written notice about this health insurance premium assistance, including, among other information, available health plan enrollment options and the date that such assistance expires. The Department of the Treasury must reimburse employers, group health plans, and insurance issuers through a payroll tax credit or refund for unpaid premiums that were treated as paid under the program. Premium assistance is not considered income for federal income tax purposes or for determining eligibility for federal or state benefits or assistance.