Rick W. Allen

This bill would let many employer-sponsored health plans choose which basic health benefits to cover. They would no longer be required to offer all of the Affordable Care Act's Essential Health Benefits. This change would give employers more flexibility in designing their health plans. For millions of workers, it means their employer's plan might offer different benefits, though plans would have to tell them what's covered and what's not.

Summary pending...

This bill would create a new program to give money to logging and hauling businesses, as well as landowners who sell timber, when their markets face big problems. It would help them cover operational costs and find new opportunities. The program would be funded by money collected from taxes on Canadian softwood lumber imports.

Summary pending...

This bill would require group health plans and health insurance companies to set up a clear process for patients and their doctors to ask for exceptions to 'step therapy' drug rules. This means if a patient needs a specific medication, but their plan usually makes them try other drugs first, they could get a faster decision. This would allow them to use the requested drug and help prevent delays in getting the right treatment.

This bill would make it clearer how to set a price for certain private company stock in employee retirement plans. It would let plan managers rely on prices set by outside experts. These experts would need to follow specific IRS rules, and this would start right away if the bill becomes law.

The "Don't Mess With My Home Appliances Act" would make it harder for the Department of Energy to create new energy and water efficiency standards for household appliances. It would require new standards to be technologically possible and economically fair for consumers, ensuring they don't lead to higher net costs. This bill would also ban new energy standards for distribution transformers.

This bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to release clear instructions and rules at the same time it announces new air quality standards. If the EPA doesn't provide these instructions, the new standards would not apply to permits for new construction projects. It also sets specific rules for how a 2024 fine particle pollution standard would apply to certain building permits.

Summary pending...

This bill would let nurse practitioners and physician assistants order medical services, supplies, and equipment for energy workers with job-related illnesses. This means these workers could get care orders from more types of healthcare providers, expanding who can provide the benefits they need.

This bill would set new rules for how the people managing your retirement savings make investment decisions, requiring them to focus mainly on financial returns. It would also make sure they pick service providers without discrimination and provide clear warnings for certain self-directed investments. These changes aim to protect and inform people saving for retirement.

Summary pending...