Health Care Assurance Act of 2004

Health Care Assurance Act of 2004 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to: (1) develop a target actuarial value for standard health care coverage offered by any plan or group or individual health insurance coverage; (2) specify how premiums for health care coverage are to be set; and (3) require health plans and issuers to disclose rating practices.

Sets forth provisions governing the operation (including premium setting and enrollment) of qualified small employer purchasing groups, qualified association plans, church plans, multi-employer plans, plans maintained by rural electric cooperatives, and plans maintained by rural telephone cooperatives.

Requires small employers to offer, but not contribute to, standard health care coverage.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose taxes on the failure of specified health insurance plans to comply with this Act.

Sets forth provisions regarding "continuation coverage" (COBRA), including regarding deductibles, terminating coverage, length of coverage, and coverage of dependent children.

Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) revise the definition of an eligible ''low-income child'' to mean a child whose family income is at or below 233 percent (currently, 200 percent) of the poverty line; and (2) authorize States to extend SCHIP coverage to include health care assistance for low-income parents and pregnant women.

Increases the authorized appropriations for the Account for Medicare Integrity Program.

Requires the Secretary to provide for reporting systems, training, education, and a national database to reduce medical errors.

Establishes the Trust Fund for Medical Treatment Outcomes Research to be funded using taxes related to health insurance policies.

Sets forth provisions regarding information technology, including regarding how the use of such technology can be encouraged.

Requires the Secretary to educate the public about health care choices and to develop ways to improve advance directives and living wills.

Amends the title XVIII (Medicare) of the SSA to increase the reimbursement rate for physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists.

Requires the Secretary to establish programs to recruit high school or college students to careers in general medicine.