Voting Record on Legislation Involving Health Issues
(2010) S J Res 39 Disapproving Rule for "Grandfathered Health Plans"
Outcome: Motion Rejected (40/59)
Summary:
Kaufman's Vote
N
(2010) S Amdt 4595 Business Transaction Reporting Requirement Amendments
Outcome: Cloture Not Invoked (56/42)
Summary: -Prohibits "major integrated oil companies" (26 USC 167(h)(5)(B)) from deducting income attributable to domestic oil or gas production from income tax liability.
Kaufman's Vote
Y
(2010) S Amdt 4596 Repealing Business Transaction Reporting Requirements
Outcome: Cloture Not Invoked (46/52)
Summary: -Reduces appropriations to the Prevention and Public Health Fund for the purpose of expanding and sustaining national investment in prevention and public health programs and restraining the growth of private and public sector health care costs as follows (Sec. 4273):
-Existing law:
-$500 million for fiscal year 2009-2010;
-$750 million for fiscal year 2010-2011;
-$1 billion for fiscal year 2011-2012;
-$1.25 billion for fiscal year 2012-2013;
-$1.5 billion for fiscal year 2013-2014; and
-$2 billion for fiscal year 2014-2015 and each fiscal year thereafter; and
-New law: $2 billion for fiscal year 2017-2018 and each fiscal year thereafter.
-Reduces the required contribution threshold for the exemption from the individual health insurance mandate (26 USC 5000A(e)) from 8 percent to 5 percent of an individual's household income (Sec. 4272).
Kaufman's Vote
N
(2010) HR 1586 Aid To States for Medicaid, Teacher Employment, and Other Purposes
Outcome: Concurrence Vote Passed (61/39)
Summary: -Appropriates $10 billion for the Education Jobs Fund to be allocated to states for the retention, rehiring, or hiring of elementary and secondary education employees (Sec. 101).
-Establishes the following Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) increases for fiscal year 2010-2011 for states whose fiscal year 2010-2011 FMAPs would otherwise be less than their FMAPs for any single fiscal year from FY 2007-2008 to FY 2009-2010 (Sec. 201):
-An increase of 3.2 percent in the second quarter; and
-An increase of 1.2 percent in the third quarter.
-Extends the period during which a state can receive a further increase in its FMAP if it has as a specified level of increase in unemployment so that eligibility ends on January 1, 2011 rather than July 1, 2010 (Sec. 201).
-Repeals a provision in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that allows for "advanced payment of earned income credit" (Sec. 219).
-Rescinds funds that include, but are not limited to, the following amounts (Secs. 301-330):
-$2.2 billion from federal aid to the states for highways;
-$1.5 billion from the Department of Energy's Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program;
-$340 million from the Department of Defense's Army construction funds;
-$302 million from the Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program;
-$122 million from the Department of Agriculture's rural development funds.
Kaufman's Vote
Y
(2010) HR 4851 Unemployment Benefits Extension
Outcome: Bill Passed (59/38)
Summary: -Extends unemployment insurance provisions in the following Acts by approximately 2 months (Sec. 2):
-The "Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008;"
-The "Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act;" and
-The "Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008."
-Extends the expiration date of the eligibility period for COBRA benefits from March 31, 2010 to May 31, 2010 (Sec. 3).
-Increases the Medicare physician payment update by extending the date through which the update to the single conversion factor shall be 0 percent from March 31, 2010 to May 31, 2010 (Sec. 4).
-Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from publishing updated poverty guidelines for 2010 before May 31, 2010, and specifies that the 2009 guidelines shall be in effect until updated guidelines are published (Sec. 6).
-Appropriates $80 million to the Business Loans Program Account of the Small Business Administration for fee reductions and eliminations and loan guarantees (Sec. 10).
-Designates this Act (with the exception of Section 4) an emergency with regard to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (Sec. 12).
Kaufman's Vote
Y
(2010) HR 4872 Health Care Reconciliation Act
Outcome: Bill Passed (56/43)
Summary: -Amends the penalty for individuals who fail to maintain "minimum essential health care coverage" as follows (Sec. 1002):
-Amends the income exemption from under 100 percent of the federal poverty line to below the income filing threshold;
-Reduces the applicable dollar amount that is used to determine the penalty (multiplied by the number of people for whom the individual is liable or 300 percent of such amount for the taxable year) from $495 to $325 for 2015, and from $750 to $695 for 2016 and each subsequent year thereafter; and
-Increases the alternative penalty, assessed if it's greater than the penalty calculated by the applicable dollar amount, from 0.5 to 1 percent of income for 2014, 1 to 2 percent of income for 2015, and 2 to 2.5 for 2016 and each subsequent year thereafter.
-Amends the penalty for large employers (average of at least 50 full time employees, with exceptions for seasonal workers) that fail to offer minimum essential health care coverage to their employees as follows (Sec. 1003):
-Reduces the first 30 employees from the payment calculation; and
-Increases the applicable payment amount from $750 to $2,000.
-Repeals the $600 penalty for large employers that impose a waiting period for new employees to enroll in the company's health benefits plan (Sec. 1003).
-Appropriates $1 billion to the Health Insurance Reform Implementation Fund for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to cover administrative costs associated with implementing the Act (Sec. 1005).
-Repeals the $500 reduction in the coverage gap under Medicare Part D that separates the limit on initial coverage and the coverage for catastrophic care ("donut hole") in 2010, establishes a $250 rebate for individuals affected by the gap beginning in 2010, and phases out the gap by 2020 (Sec. 1101).
-Repeals amendments to Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage Plan) rates of payments, and amends benchmarks beginning in 2012 based on Medicare costs, to be phased-in over 3, 5, or 7 years depending on the amount reduced, as follows (Sec. 1102):
-95 percent of Medicare spending for areas ranked by the Secretary in the highest quartile;
-100 percent of Medicare spending for areas ranked by the Secretary in the second highest quartile;
-107.5 percent of Medicare spending for areas ranked by the Secretary in the third highest quartile; and
-115 percent of Medicare spending for areas ranked by the Secretary in the highest quartile.
-Repeals the provision that exempts the state of Nebraska from the federal compensation guidelines for the expansion of Medicaid eligibility and guaranteed that the state will be compensated for 100 percent of the costs beginning in 2014 and each subsequent year thereafter (Sec. 1201).
-Specifies that states will be compensated for the expansion of Medicaid eligibility as follows (Sec. 1201):
-100 percent for 2014, 2015, and 2016;
-95 percent for 2017;
-94 percent for 2018;
-93 percent for 2019; and
-90 percent for 2020 and each year thereafter.
-Requires Medicaid payment rates to physicians for primary care services be no less than 100 percent of the rates in 2013 and 2014 (Sec. 1202).
-Amends the effective date for the excise tax on "high cost employer-sponsored health care plans" from 2013 to 2018, and increases the cost threshold for imposing the tax as follows (Sec. 1401):
-For single coverage, the threshold is increased from $8,500 to $10,200, or from $9,850 to $11,850 for retirees and employees of high-risk professions; and
-For family coverage, the threshold is increased from $23,000 to $27,500, or from $26,000 to $30,950 for retirees and employees of high-risk professions.
-Repeals the non-deductible fee to be collected annually after 2010 totaling $2 billion on medical device manufacturers and importers making more than $5 million during a calendar year, and establishes a 2.3 percent excise tax on the first sale of medical devices beginning in 2013, with the following exemptions (Sec. 1405):
-Eyeglasses;
-Contact lenses;
-Hearing aids; and
-Any other medical device available to individuals for retail sale, as determined by the Secretary.
-Prohibits all existing health insurance plans ("grandfathered health plans") from imposing lifetime limits or rescinding coverage for reasons other than intentional misrepresentation of material fact, and requires such plans to provide coverage for non-dependent children up to 26 years of age who are ineligible to enroll in employer-sponsored coverage (Sec. 2301).
-Amends tax credits for the cost of health insurance premiums to be based on household income according to the following sliding scale (Sec. 1001):
-For household incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty line, the premium percentage is 2.0 percent;
-For household incomes between 133 percent and 150 percent of the federal poverty line, the initial premium percentage is 3 percent and the final premium percentage is 4 percent;
-For household incomes between 150 percent and 200 percent of the federal poverty line, the initial premium percentage is 4 percent and the final premium percentage is 6.3 percent;
-For household incomes between 200 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty line, the initial premium percentage is 6.3 percent and the final premium percentage is 8.05 percent;
-For household incomes between 250 percent and 300 percent of the federal poverty line, the initial premium percentage is 8.05 percent and the final premium percentage is 9.5 percent; and
-For household incomes between 300 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty line, the premium percentage is 9.5 percent.
-Appropriates $13.5 billion for the Federal Pell Grant program (Sec. 2101).
-Repeals the authority to issue loans through the Federal Family Education Loan program beginning July 1, 2010, and requires all loans be issued directly through a financial institution located or operating in the U.S. and designated by the Secretary of Education (Secs. 2201 & 2206).
