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All recent votes115th CongressHouse and Senate
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on June 2, 2017. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Broader Options for Americans Act
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the premium assistance tax credit to be used for unsubsidized COBRA continuation health coverage.
(Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 [COBRA], an individual may continue to receive coverage under an employer-sponsored health plan after an event that would otherwise end coverage, such as a termination of employment. This bill applies to COBRA continuation coverage if the premiums are solely the obligation of the taxpayer.)
"COBRA continuation coverage" includes continuation coverage provided under:
the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, or the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program;
It does not include coverage under a health flexible spending arrangement.
For the coverage to qualify for the tax credit, the plan administrator of the group health plan must certify that the COBRA continuation coverage meets the requirements for qualified health plans.
The bill is contingent on the enactment of the American Health Care Act of 2017 and applies (if at all) after December 31, 2019.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, describing H.R. 2579 as passed House amended on Jun 15, 2017. It is not the text of the measure; a later amendment may have changed what it does.
Jun 15, 2017Each bar: ✓ Yea from the bottom, ✕ Nay aboveFeb 15, 2018
House Jun 15, 2017 · the primary vote
Broader Options for Americans Act
Passed
267 Yea 144 Nay 19 not voting
Party-line vote 41 of 411 voting members broke with their own party: 41 Democrats.
DemocratsRepublicansFilled: YeaRing: NayGrey: not voting or present
430 members on this roll call, from the official House record. Party majorities need at least five voting members, so an independent never counts as breaking with a party.
Organizations that named H.R. 2579 in a lobbying disclosure. Only those that cited the bill by number appear, so this is a floor, not a full list.
79 disclosures name this measure. Retrieved from LDA.gov on 2026-10-05. Senate Office of Public Records cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from LDA.gov.