H.R. 6311, the Increasing Access to Lower Premium Plans Act of 2018, would change the definition of a qualified health plan (QHP) to allow enrollees to receive premium tax credits for certain nongroup insurance plans purchased outside of the marketplaces established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and for catastrophic plans. The bill also would allow any enrollee in the nongroup market to purchase a catastrophic plan.
On net, CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimate that enacting H.R. 6311 would increase the deficit by $10.9 billion over the 2019-2028 period relative to CBO’s baseline projections. Enacting H.R. 6311 would affect direct spending and revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 6311 would increase net direct spending by more than $2.5 billion and on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in each of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
JCT has determined that the tax provisions of H.R. 6311 contain no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).
CBO has determined that the non-tax provisions of H.R. 6311 would impose a private-sector mandate as defined in UMRA, but the cost of the mandate would fall below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($160 million in 2018, adjusted annually for inflation).
