,,ii #aadth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #bejj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #d1 #bjaf,mr4 ,bennet introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to provide for the establishment of a health insurance premium reduction program to ensure that health insurance premiums remain low for ,american families4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,health ,care ,premium ,reduction ,act4 #b4 ,state health insurance premium reduction program ,part #e of subtitle ,d of title ,i of the ,patient ,protection and ,affordable ,care ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ahjfa et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #acdd4 ,state health insurance premium reduction program 7a7 ,grants ,the ,secretary shall establish a program for awarding a grant to a ,state to enable such ,state to support1 in connection with reducing health insurance premiums and providing affordable health benefits coverage that includes a risk-adjustment mechanism for the purpose of supporting the purchase of private health insurance by consumers in the ,state1 and for ensuring stable health insurance premiums through the activities carried out under subsection 7e74 7b7 ,requirement ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section a ,state shall-- 7#a7 submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary shall require2 7#b7 include in such application a description of the ,state private health insurance market1 including a list of county-specific premium increase percentages that are #aj percent or greater1 and an assurance that such ,state will comply with the requirements of section #aaja7;c77#b72 and 7#c7 include in such application an assurance that the ,state will expend all or a portion of the funds received under the grant on the risk-adjustment mechanism for the ,state4 7c7 ,priority review 7#a7 ,evaluation ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,assistant ,secretary for ,planning and ,evaluation1 shall conduct an evaluation of all regions in the ,united ,states to assess which regions 7that may be comprised of collections of geographic subdivisions such as ,core-,based ,statistical ,areas1 census tracts1 or ,,zip ,codes7 have the highest premiums for health insurance coverage4 7#b7 ,priority ,states identified under the evaluation under paragraph 7#a7 shall receive priority in obtaining grants under this section in order to stabilize premium trends4 7d7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,set-aside ,a ,state that receives a grant under this section shall use grant funds to carry out the following3 7,a7 ,activities to provide for a reduction in health insurance premium trends and actual premiums through programs such as ,state-specific cost-sharing programs to reduce deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses4 7,b7 ,activities to increase the number of individuals in the ,state that receive health insurance coverage4 7,c7 ,a ,state-run premium rate review program to determine unreasonable health insurance premium increases and assist the ,state in facilitating an effective program to reduce such rates in accordance with section #bgid of the ,public ,health ,service ,act4 7,d7 ,activities under section #accb to allow for greater ,state flexibility in addressing affordability1 quality1 and accessibility of health insurance in the ,states4 7#b7 ,bonus payments 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,assistant ,secretary for ,planning and ,evaluation1 shall conduct an evaluation of all regions in the ,united ,states to assess which regions 7that may be comprised of collections of geographic subdivisions such as ,core-,based ,statistical ,areas1 census tracts1 or ,,zip ,codes7 have the highest premiums for health insurance coverage4 ,such evaluation shall determine the following3 7i7 ,the number of individuals with access to health insurance coverage in each region4 7ii7 ,the average premiums and out-of-pocket expenses per person in each such region4 7iii7 ,the amount of uncompensated health care provided by hospitals1 clinics1 and safety-net providers in each such region4 7iv7 ,the extent to which a ,state has used tools to control and analyze health care costs through health care data collection4 7,b7 ,use ,amounts provided as a bonus payment under this paragraph may be used by the ,state for activities designed to reduce health insurance premiums1 or to keep such premiums from rising1 for consumers in the ,state1 in coordination with the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services4 ,such activities may include the provision of direct assistance to consumers in the form of tax credits to reduce premiums4 7e7 ,risk mitigation and risk corridors 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall distribute amounts available for the risk mitigation and risk corridor program under subsection 7d7 for calendar years #bjaf1 #bjag1 and #bjah4 7#b7 ,payments ,payments shall be made under this subsection in accordance with such section #acdb4 7#c7 ,use of funds ,a ,state shall use amounts received under this subsection for activities described in subsection 7d77#a74 7f7 ,funding 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out this section using amounts made available for the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services and remaining unobligated4 7#b7 ,no limitation on other assistance ,nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the ,secretary and the ,secretary of the ,treasury from utilizing additional funds to carry out this section or other programs to support the subsidized1 affordable purchase of private health insurance coverage1 notwithstanding the ,consolidated and ,further ,continuing ,appropriations ,act1 #bjae 7,public ,law #aac-bce74 4