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501 records in US in 2009
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Restorative and Enhanced Vision Access for Medicare Patients (REVAMP) Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover vision restoration therapy devices and associated software used in the patient's home to treat impaired visual function as durable medical equipment (DME).
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit a Medicare beneficiary to elect to take, or decline to take, ownership of a Group 3 Support Surface item of complex durable medical equipment (DME) after the 13-month capped rental period ends.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2012 the current authorization of appropriations for the national public awareness campaign for gynecologic cancers (Johanna's law). Authorizes appropriations in subsequent fiscal years at levels necessary to carry out such campaign. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) collaborate with nonprofit gynecologic cancer organizations to determine the best practices for providing gynecologic cancer information and outreach services to varied populations; and (2) make grants to nonprofit private entities to carry out demonstration projects to test outreach and education strategies to increase the awareness and knowledge of women and health care providers regarding gynecologic cancers.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Medicaid Prostate Cancer Coverage Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for optional Medicaid coverage of certain prostate cancer patients.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Rural Health Access Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) increase the authorization of appropriations for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs for FY2010-FY2012; and (2) authorize appropriations for such Programs for FY2013-2014.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
MRSA Infection Prevention and Patient Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promulgate regulations relating to MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), including regulations that provide a list of best practices for preventing MRSA infections and such other antibiotic resistant pathogens as the Secretary determines appropriate. Requires each acute care hospital to screen each patient entering an intensive care unit or other high-risk hospital department. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a process and a timetable for extending the screening requirements to patients admitted to all hospitals by January 1, 2014; and (2) report to Congress on whether payment adjustments should be made under Medicare to assist certain hospitals in defraying the cost of screening for, and the subsequent treatment of, MRSA or other infections. Requires all hospitals to: (1) comply with specified MRSA best practices, including contact precautions and patient notification; and (2) report hospital-acquired MRSA and other infections that occur in the facility. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish systems for identifying infected transferred patients and for promptly informing any facility that has transferred an infected patient; and (2) publish the names of providers who fail to take steps to reduce the incidence of MRSA infections. Permits a hospital to apply to the Secretary for a one-year increase in the amount of the capital-related costs payment made to the hospital under the prospective payment system to provide for the rapid implementation of MRSA screening programs and initiatives. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to award a grant for a pilot program to develop a rapid, cost-effective method for testing for MRSA using a molecular testing method. .
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Accountable Care Promotion Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a pilot program to test different payment incentive models designed to reduce the growth of expenditures and improve health outcomes in the provision to beneficiaries of items and services by qualifying accountable care organizations (ACOs) of physicians. Specifies among payment incentive models a performance target model and a partial capitation model. Allows the Secretary to develop other models.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Prostate Cancer Research and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through FY2015 for: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states and local health departments to carry out preventive health measures related to prostate cancer; and (2) the Director of the National Cancer Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate prostate cancer research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Oncology Care Quality Improvement Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a pilot program of oncology care quality improvement (OCQI) under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to evaluate the impact of three provider-led approaches to improve the care quality and outcome for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer while addressing care cost drivers by creating greater efficiencies in the program. Specifies the three provider-led approaches as: (1) evidence-based guideline adherence; (2) patient education and care coordination services; and (3) end-of-life planning and counseling services. Directs the Secretary to appoint an advisory committee to collaborate with the Secretary on the creation and implementation of the OCQI program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Healthcare Improvements for Generating High Performance (HIGH Performance) Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) establish national priorities and goals for quality improvement in the delivery of health care services in the United States; (2) convene an interagency committee to coordinate the health care quality improvement activities of certain federal agencies; and (3) establish a Center for Health Extension (Center) within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of HHS to improve health care quality and evaluate progress in improving patient outcomes. Requires the Center to: (1) identify and develop clinical, managerial, and health care delivery best practices; (2) provide training and technical assistance to hospitals and health care facilities to implement such best practices; (3) establish Regional Health Care Centers to assist in training and education of health care providers in quality improvement; and (4) provide for public dissemination of information relating to activities and research conducted under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Health Care Professional Pipeline Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make a grant to a qualified youth serving organization to establish and expand emergency preparedness pipelines consisting of: (1) health science curricula in secondary schools, institutions of higher education, and continuing education programs that prepare students for careers as future health care professionals; and (2) school-based emergency preparedness chapters to recruit and prepare students for public health emergencies. Defines a "qualified youth serving organization" as a nonprofit organization that prepares youth exclusively for career entry and advancement opportunities in the health professions, offers a national recognition and competitive events program in which students can demonstrate their knowledge and skills in responding to public health emergencies, and operates at least 2,500 chapters in at least 40 states. Requires the Secretary to make a grant each year to such an organization to conduct a national leadership conference that includes representatives of health science programs, emergency preparedness chapters, and the Medical Reserve Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Women's Obstetrician and Gynecologist Medical Access Now Act of 2009 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan to allow a participant or beneficiary the option to seek obstetrical and gynecological physician services directly from a participating provider without a referral. States that this Act does not prevent a plan or issuer from establishing: (1) reasonable requirements for a participating provider to communicate with the participant's or beneficiary's primary care physician and surgeon regarding the participant's or beneficiary's condition and treatment; or (2) reasonable provisions governing utilization protocols and the use of obstetricians and gynecologists, or family practice physicians and surgeons, participating in the plan or issuer network. Applies such requirements to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Extension Act of 2009 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to extend for an additional five years the rural community hospital demonstration program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Consumers Health Care Act of 2009 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of Health Plan Management to establish and administer the Consumer Choice Health Plan to provide for health insurance coverage that is made available to all eligible individuals in the United States and its territories. Requires the Plan to comply with all regulations and requirements that are applicable with respect to other health insurance plans offered through the National Health Insurance Exchange. (The National Health Insurance Exchange has not been established.) Makes an individual or employer who is eligible to purchase coverage from a health insurance plan through the Exchange eligible to enroll in the Plan or purchase coverage for their employees from the Plan. Treats an individual's enrollment with the Plan as satisfying any requirement under federal law for such individual to demonstrate enrollment in health insurance or benefits coverage. Requires Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) providers to provide services to any individual enrolled in the Plan for three years following establishment of the Plan, after which the provider may opt-out. Sets forth provisions governing payment rates. Requires repayment of funds necessary for the establishment of the Plan. Requires the Plan to be financially self-sustaining. Authorizes the establishment of the America's Health Insurance Trust as a nonprofit corporation, to provide information on, and oversight of, health insurance plans provided through the Exchange. Establishes in the Treasury the America's Health Insurance Trust Fund. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a fee on accident and health insurance policies and self-insured health plans.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Expresses sympathy for the family, friends, and patients of Dr. George Tiller (who was shot to death on May 31, 2009). Condemns the use of violence: (1) to prevent women from receiving reproductive health care; and (2) as a means of resolving differences of opinion.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Kyle Barthel Veterans and Service Members Mental Health Screening Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that each member of the Armed Forces on active duty is required to participate in confidential, in-person screenings for mental health conditions by a licensed mental health professional to reduce the prevalence of suicide among service members, future veterans, and veterans. Prohibits the Secretary from using the results of such a screening to prohibit a member from returning to the United States, prohibit a member from being discharged from the Armed Forces, or involuntarily discharge a member. Directs the Secretary to require that each member on active duty is screened for a traumatic brain injury by a licensed professional who is qualified to conduct such screening. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a joint protocol to share existing and future reports concerning screenings conducted under this Act to help aid members and veterans who are transitioning from receiving health care and treatment through the Department of Defense to receiving such care and services through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Advance Planning and Compassionate Care Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish and operate directly, or by grant, contract, or interagency agreement, a 24-hour toll free telephone hotline to provide consumer information regarding advance care planning. Directs the Secretary to develop an online clearinghouse to provide comprehensive information regarding: (1) advance care planning; and (2) pediatric advance care planning. Directs the Secretary to develop an online advance care planning toolkit for availability on specified websites. Directs the Secretary, acting through the CDC Director, directly or through grants, contracts, or interagency agreements, to develop a national campaign to inform the public of the importance of advance care planning and of an individual's right to direct and participate in his or her health care decisions. Directs the Secretary to update the online version of the "Planning Ahead" section of the Medicare & You Handbook to include information about advanced care planning and advance directives. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to update the online version of the Social Security Handbook for beneficiaries to include such information, as well as all paper and online versions subsequently published. Amends the Legal Services Corporation Act to authorize financial and legal assistance for advanced care planning. Directs the Secretary to award grants to states for certain state health insurance assistance programs to provide advance care planning services to Medicare beneficiaries, their personal representatives, and their families. Authorizes Medicaid transformation grants for advance care planning and advanced care planning community training grants. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to establish new or expand existing programs for orders regarding life sustaining treatment in states or localities. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to establish a website for providers under the Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, the Indian Health Service, and other public health providers on each individual's right to make decisions concerning medical care, including the right to accept or refuse medical or surgical treatment, and the existence of advance directives. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of Health Resources and Services Administration, to develop a curriculum for continuing education that states may adopt for physicians and nurses on advanced care planning and end-of-life care. Amends titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) of the Social Security Act with respect to the portability of advance directives. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary, acting through the CDC Director, to award competitive grants to eligible entities to establish and operate state advance directive registries. Requires various specified studies and reports to Congress by the Comptroller General and by the Secretary. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to establish within the National Health Service Corps a National Geriatric and Palliative Care Services Corps. Exempts palliative medicine fellowship training from Medicare graduate medical education caps. Directs the Secretary to establish guidelines for the imposition by medical schools of a minimum amount of end-of-life training as a requirement for obtaining a Doctor of Medicine degree in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine. Authorizes coverage of advance care planning under Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP. Revises Medicare requirements for hospice payments and related matters. Makes hospice care a required Medicaid and CHIP benefit. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to designate an entity to develop requirements, standards, and procedures for accreditation of hospital-based palliative care programs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish, within the National Institutes of Health, a National Center on Palliative and End-of-Life Care. Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration program for the use of telemedicine services in advance care planning.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Communities Building Access Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities to carry out demonstration projects for the purpose of making health care coverage available, on a cost-sharing basis, to: (1) employees through employers that have not contributed to health care benefits for employees during the prior 12 months; and (2) self-employed individuals who have been without such coverage during the prior 12 months. Requires the Secretary to make matching grants to public or nonprofit private entities to carry out demonstration projects for the purpose of forming and maintaining networks composed of health care specialists who volunteer health services to eligible individuals. Directs the Secretary to make an award of a grant or contract for the establishment and operation of a clearinghouse for information on demonstration projects under this Act and similar projects that are community initiated. Allows the Secretary to carry out a program to encourage public and private entities that plan or operate such projects to submit information to the clearinghouse.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to report annually to Congress an evaluation, by Medicare administrative contractor area, of access to care, quality of care, increases or decreases in volume of services among such areas, and the potential effects of MEDPAC's most recent policy recommendations on access to care in such areas.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Health Care Workforce Incentive Act of 2009 - Establishes an independent National Health Workforce Advisory Board to advise Congress on issues affecting the health care workforce. Establishes a National Center for Workforce Data and Analysis in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Directs the HHS Secretary, through the Center, to establish a competitive State Health Workforce Shortage grants program to harmonize health workforce needs and medical education.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Medicare Efficiency Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize an incentive payment equal to 5% of the payment amount for certain physicians' services furnished by a participating physician in an efficient area.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Primary Care Training Enhancement Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reimburse hospitals for the costs of teaching health centers to train primary care residents, including reimbursement to cover indirect medical education costs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to make grants: (1) to teaching health centers to establish new or expand existing medical residency training programs; (2) to public or private nonprofit organizations to provide technical support to such centers; (3) for state primary care scholarship and loan repayment programs; and (4) for Primary Care Training Institutes. Permits participants in the National Health Service Corps to count teaching hours as time spent toward their service obligation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Measuring American Poverty Act of 2009 - Amends part A of title XI of the Social Security Act to direct the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau), in collaboration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), to calculate modern poverty thresholds and modern poverty rates for each calendar year. Directs the Census Bureau and the BLS to choose: (1) the most appropriate distribution of consumption expenditures on food, clothing, and shelter, which may, if appropriate, exclude families receiving subsidies for food, clothing, or shelter; and (2) the reference family for the modern poverty measure. Declares that the modern poverty threshold for a reference family shall be an amount equal to the average of 120% of the 33rd percentile of the distribution chosen, allowing for calculations to rely on a limited band converging on this percentile, during four or more of the most recent years for which data is available from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, a superior federal government source of data, or some combination of such sources. Prescribes requirements for determining modern poverty rates. Directs the Census Bureau, in collaboration with the BLS, to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to develop and publish methods of: (1) calculating a decent living standard threshold; and (2) measuring the extent to which the income of families in the United States is sufficient to meet it. Directs the Census Bureau, in collaboration with the BLS, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to contract with NAS to develop and publish a method of: (1) measuring the extent of medical care risk in the United States; and (2) calculating the number and percentage of individuals in the United States who lack adequate health insurance, leaving them at risk of being unable to afford needed treatment. Directs the Census Bureau to contract with NAS to develop a set of recommendations for methods to implement annual modern poverty measurement at the state and local level and a timeframe for the implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Complaint Free Wednesday. Encourages each person in the United States to remember that having a positive life begins with having a positive attitude. Recognizes and reaffirms the meaning of Thanksgiving by asking each person in the United States to use Complaint Free Wednesday to refrain from complaining and prepare for a day of gratitude.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
National MS and Parkinson's Disease Registries Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) , acting through the Director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, to: (1) develop a system to collect data on multiple sclerosis (MS) and a system to collect data on Parkinson's disease; (2) establish a national surveillance system for the collection and storage of data for each such disease, including population-based registries of U.S. cases of MS and Parkinson's disease; (3) provide analysis regarding expansion of national disease surveillance systems for other neurological diseases and disorders; and (4) establish the Advisory Committee on Neurological Disease Registries. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director, to provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on MS and Parkinson's disease. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) identify, build upon, expand, and coordinate existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure wherever possible; and (2) provide for research access to Parkinson's disease and MS data. Requires the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information collected are made available to agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Department of Defense (DOD).
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
Food Safety Rapid Response Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to strengthen and expand foodborne illness surveillance systems to: (1) inform and evaluate efforts to prevent foodborne illness; and (2) enhance the identification and investigation of, and response to, foodborne illness outbreaks. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) enhance foodborne illness surveillance systems to improve the collection, analysis, reporting, and usefulness of data on foodborne illnesses; and (2) improve capacity for foodborne illness surveillance in states. Requires the Secretary to establish five regional Food Safety Centers of Excellence to serve as regional resources for state and local public health professionals in investigating and responding to foodborne illnesses.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
Evidence-Based Home Visitation Act of 2009 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive planning and operating grants to local agencies to provide home visitation services to low-income pregnant women and low-income families with young children. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to give states the option of providing for simplified billing by approved home visitation agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and National Memory Screening Day, including the development of a national health policy on dementia screening and care. Encourages people with memory concerns to have annual memory screenings at National Memory Screening Day sites or by other qualified health care professionals. Congratulates organizations representing individuals with memory problems, caregivers, and health care professionals for their commitment to improve the quality of life of individuals confronting dementia by providing optimal care and services.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
Wastewater Treatment Works Security Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require each owner or operator of a treatment works that stores or uses a substance of concern in quantities deemed by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to pose a security risk to conduct a vulnerability assessment of its treatment works, which shall include a site security plan to identify specific security enhancements. Directs the Administrator to develop and publish guidelines for carrying out a vulnerability assessment and, in developing such guidelines, to: (1) develop standards for assigning individual treatment works to four risk-based classifications taking into consideration a works' size and proximity to large population centers and the potential impacts of intentional acts on public health or safety or the environment; (2) designate any chemical substance as a substance of concern; and (3) include a process for the revision, resubmission, and review of vulnerability assessments. Directs the Administrator to establish a threshold quantity for the release or theft of each such substance. Sets forth requirements and deadlines for assessment certification, submission, review, approval, and disclosure. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to a state, municipality, or intermunicipal or interstate agency to conduct a vulnerability assessment of a publicly owned treatment works, to implement specified security enhancements to reduce identified vulnerabilities, and to provide for security-related training of treatment works employees and training for emergency response providers. Authorizes the Administrator: (1) in coordination with the states, to provide technical guidance and assistance to small publicly owned treatment works on conducting a vulnerability assessment and implementation of security enhancements; and (2) to make grants to nonprofit organizations to assist in accomplishing purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
United States Coast Guard Servicemember Benefits Improvements Act - Establishes or modifies the housing-related authorities of the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating regarding: (1) reconstruction and maintenance of military family housing or unaccompanied housing; (2) conveyance or lease of real property; and (3) the Coast Guard Housing Fund. Repeals the $40 million cap on the total value in budget authority of all contracts and investments undertaken using Coast Guard housing authorities. Repeals the expiration date for such authorities, thus making them permanent. Eliminates specified new housing demonstration projects. Authorizes the Coast Guard Commandant to: (1) use appropriated funds to provide child development services; and (2) collect and expend, for such services, fees based on family income. Raises from 62 to 64 the mandatory retirement age for flag officers. Allows deferral of the mandatory retirement age of any regular commissioned officer serving in a flag officer grade position (currently 62): (1) by the Secretary until age 66; and (2) by the President until age 68. Authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to: (1) detail Chaplain Corps personnel to the Coast Guard; and (2) provide support services (including transportation, food, lodging, child care, supplies, fees, and training materials) to chaplain-led programs to assist members of the Coast Guard on active duty and their dependents, and members of the reserve component in an active status and their dependents, in building and maintaining a strong family structure. Authorizes the President to award a Coast Guard cross and silver star medals to persons serving in any capacity with the Coast Guard for extraordinary heroism or gallantry in action while engaged in action against a U.S. enemy, or in other specified actions. Removes provisions excluding the Coast Guard from provisions relating to Armed Forces Retirement homes. (Authorizes Coast Guard participation in the Armed Forces Retirement Home system.) Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security, subject to the availability of legal staff resources, to provide to members of Coast Guard reserve components legal assistance in connection with their personal civil legal affairs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require that, during a public health emergency, Coast Guard members and assets remain under the command and control of the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
Access to Frontline Health Care Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and carry out a Frontline Providers Loan Repayment Program to allow repayment of the student loans of individuals who agree to serve as a health care professionals for two years in a frontline care scarcity area.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to establish and implement programs for the identification, prevention, and treatment of problem and pathological gambling. Requires the Secretary to carry out a national campaign to increase knowledge and raise awareness of problem gambling. Requires the Secretary to: (1) administer and coordinate the voluntary donation of resources to assist in implementing new programs and augmenting existing national campaigns to provide national strategies for dissemination of information intended to address problem gambling; (2) encourage media outlets to provide information aimed at preventing problem gambling; and (3) target radio and television audiences of, but not limited to, sporting events and gambling. Requires the President to: (1) establish and implement a national program of research on problem gambling; (2) appoint an advisory commission to coordinate federal research; and (3) consider the National Gambling Impact Study Commission's recommendations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to states, local, and tribal governments, and nonprofit agencies to provide comprehensive services with respect to treatment and prevention of, and education about, problem gambling. Directs the President, acting through the Administrator, to develop a Treatment Improvement Protocol for problem gambling Expresses the sense of Congress that every state should contribute a percentage of its revenue from gambling towards prevention and treatment of, and services and education about, problem gambling.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
Recognizes the Day of the African Child. Salutes the health professionals and community health workers in Africa who are extending health care and hope to families across the continent. Reaffirms the importance of U.S. partnership with African leaders and communities in reducing child, newborn, and maternal deaths.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2009
Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage of advanced illness care management services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through grants or contracts, to conduct a national public education campaign on planning for care near the end of life, including advance directives. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a national, toll-free information telephone line and a clearinghouse regarding advance directive and end-of-life decisions. Directs the Secretary to establish the Senior Navigation Advisory Board. Requires physicians and nurse practitioners to inform individuals with specified diseases about advance directives and other end-of-life planning tools. Requires a service provider, Medicare Advantage organization, or prepaid or eligible organization to give effect to an advance directive executed outside the state in which such directive is presented (portability). Requires medical providers to honor written orders for medical care. Provides incentive payments to hospitals for accreditation and certification in hospice and palliative care. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pilot program under Medicare to test the use of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services discharge checklist. Directs the Secretary to establish or designate an Office on Medicare/Medicaid Integration. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a website providing information, online training, and instructional materials for entities, including faith-based organizations, on end-of-life issues. Authorizes grants to such entities to develop such training and materials. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to entities to develop and provide services for terminally ill individuals who are receiving hospice care in their own homes. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the storage of advance directives, and the Comptroller General to study and report on the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2009
Preserving Access to Targeted, Individualized, and Effective New Treatments and Services (PATIENTS) Act of 2009 or the PATIENTS Act of 2009 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from using data obtained from the conduct of comparative effectiveness research, including such research that is conducted or supported using funds appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to deny coverage of an item or service under a federal health care program. Requires the Secretary to ensure that comparative effectiveness research conducted or supported by the federal government accounts for factors contributing to differences in the treatment response and preferences of patients, including patient-reported outcomes, genomics and personalized medicine, the unique needs of health disparity populations, and indirect patient benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2009
Family Building Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to require a group health plan that provides coverage for obstetrical services to include coverage for non-experimental treatment of infertility that is deemed appropriate by a participant or beneficiary and the treating physician. Requires coverage for assisted reproductive technology only if certain conditions are met. Prohibits a group health plan from taking specified actions to avoid the requirements of this Act. Applies such requirements to health insurance coverage offered in the individual market and coverage offered through Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) plans.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2009
Medical Efficiency and Delivery Improvement of Care Act (MEDIC) of 2009 - Physician Workforce Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish a program to provide loans to eligible hospitals to establish residency training programs. Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act of 2009 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants or contracts toenable graduate medical schools to improve primary care education and training for medical students. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the HHS Secretary, acting through the HRSA Administrator, to award grants to enable critical shortage health facilities to provide scholarships to individuals who agree to serve as physicians at such facilities after completing a residency in a primary care field. Directs the Secretary to establish a program of contracts with eligible individuals who agree to serve as primary care physicians or primary care providers in a primary care field and in an area that is not a health professional shortage area but has a critical shortage of primary care physicians and primary care providers. Requires the Secretary to agree to pay, for each year of such service, up to $35,000 of the principal and interest of the individual's undergraduate or graduate educational loans. Authorizes a similar loan repayment program for physicians in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology and certified nurse midwives. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize deferment of medical student loans during residency and internships. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to award grants to eligible state and local government entities for development of informational materials that promote careers in primary care and encourage medical students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to become primary care physicians. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to transformation grants to support patient-centered medical homes under Medicaid and SSA title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP). Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to require the Secretary to: (1) increase budget neutrality limits under the physician fee schedule to account for anticipated savings resulting from payments for certain services and the coordination of beneficiary care; and (2) pay for designated primary care services and comprehensive care coordination services furnished to an individual. Authorizes Medicare coverage of patient-centered medical home services. Directs the Secretary to develop a methodology to increase payments for designated evaluation and management services provided by primary care physicians, primary care providers, and principal care providers. Creates an additional incentive payment program for primary care services furnished in health professional shortage areas. Extends permanently the Medicare incentive payment program for physician scarcity areas. Revises Medicare requirements for preventive services, eliminating the time restriction for an initial preventive physical examination as well as cost-sharing for preventive benefits. Requires additional payments for providing Medicare services to individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). Requires various studies and reports. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to assess the impact of changes in Medicare payment policies in improving access to and equity of payments to primary care physicians and primary care providers. Outlines requirements for distribution of additional residency positions and the counting of resident time in outpatient settings and for didactic and scholarly activities and other activities. Requires the Secretary to establish a process under which, in the case where a hospital with an approved medical residency program closes on or after the date of enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Secretary will increase the otherwise applicable resident limit for other hospitals. Directs the Secretary to revise the 9th Statement of Work under the Quality Improvement Program to require that, in order to be an eligible Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for the 9th Statement of Work contract cycle, a QIO shall provide assistance, including technical assistance, to physicians under the Medicare program that seek to acquire the elements necessary to be recognized as a patient-centered medical home practice under the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Physician Practice Connections--PCMH module. Medicare Payment Improvement Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary to determine a value index for each Medicare physician fee schedule area. Home and Community Balanced Incentives Act of 2009 - Amends SSA title XIX to establish an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for states to: (1) expand provision of non-institutionally-based long-term services and supports; and (2) maintain provision of home and community-based services (HCBS). Authorizes grants to make structural changes to the state Medicaid program. Revises the income eligibility level for HCBS services for elderly and disabled individuals. Revises the income eligibility limit for the state option to provide HCBS services under a waiver. Replaces the income limit of 150% of the poverty line with a limit of 300% of the supplemental security income (SSI) benefit rate. Authorizes additional state options with respect to HCBS services. Applies spousal impoverishment rules to recipients of HCBS. Project 2020: Building on the Promise of Home and Community-Based Services Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title XXII (Long-Term Services and Supports), requiring the Secretary to establish and carry out a single-entry point system program, a healthy living program, and an enhanced nursing home diversion program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2009
Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay travel expenses for veterans receiving treatment at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities at the rate of 41.5 cents per mile. (Under current law the rate is that provided to federal employees in connection with the performance of official duties.) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and operate at least one and up to five centers of excellence for rural health research, education, and clinical activities; (2) establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in highly rural areas; (3) carry out demonstration projects to examine alternatives for expanding care for veterans in rural areas; (4) establish a program to provide peer support, readjustment, and mental health services to veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (and related services to their family members); (5) assign an Indian Veterans Health Care Coordinator for each of the ten VA facilities that serve communities with the greatest per capita number of Indian veterans; (6) report to Congress jointly with the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the advisability of the joint establishment and operation by the VA's Veterans Health Administration and the Indian Health Service of health clinics to serve populations of Indian reservations, including Indian veterans; and (7) report annually to Congress on matters related to VA care for veterans residing in rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2009
Medicare Quality Cancer Care Demonstration Project Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a quality cancer care demonstration project for the purpose of establishing quality metrics and aligning payment incentives under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act in the areas of treating planning and end-of-life care for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer.
United States · United States Senate · 12 June 2009
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2009
Drug Overdose Reduction Act - Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) award grants or enter into cooperative agreements to enable eligible entities to reduce deaths occurring from drug overdoses; and (2) give priority to public health agencies or community-based organizations that have expertise in preventing deaths occurring from overdoses in high risk populations. Conditions receipt of a grant or agreement on an entity agreeing to use the grant or agreement for: (1) purchasing and distributing drug overdose reversal agents; (2) training first responders, law enforcement and corrections officials, and other individuals in a position to respond to an overdose on the effective response; (3) implementing programs to provide overdose prevention, recognition, treatment, or response to individuals in need; and (4) evaluating, expanding, or replicating such programs. Requires the Director to: (1) compile and publish data, annually, on fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses for the preceding year; (2) award grants to state, local, or tribal governments to improve drug overdose surveillance capabilities; and (3) develop and submit to Congress a plan to reduce the number of deaths occurring from overdoses. Requires the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to: (1) prioritize and conduct or support research on drug overdose and overdose prevention; and (2) support research on dosage forms of naloxone for the prehospital treatment of unintentional drug overdose.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2009
Medicare Payment Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to determine a value index for the physician work component for each Medicare physician fee schedule area.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2009
Strengthening Medicaid for America's Children Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require an increased federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for children in certain states that implement at least three of nine specified policies regarding medical assistance to children.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2009
Special Disability Workload Liability Resolution Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with each state to reach an agreement on the amount of a payment for the state related to the Medicare program liability under title XVIII of the Social Security Act as a result of the Special Disability Workload project. (The special workload was the result of discovering a substantial number of recipients of Supplemental Security Income [SSI] benefits whose disability insured status under the title II [OASDI] Disability Insurance program was not previously recognized.) Prohibits any such payment to a state unless it: (1) waives the right to file a civil action (or to be a party to any action) in federal or state court in which the relief sought includes a payment to the state from the United States related to such Medicare liability; and (2) releases the United States from any further claims for reimbursement of state expenditures as a result of the Special Disability Workload project.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2009
Medicare Quality Improvement Organization Modernization Act of 2009 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require utilization and quality control peer review organizations to offer quality improvement assistance to providers, practitioners, Medicare Advantage organizations under part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare), and prescription drug sponsors under part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of such title. Allows an organization to provide de-identified patient data to providers treating the same population of patients for the purpose of measuring and improving the safety, quality, and effectiveness of patient transitions from one service provider to another. Requires the organization to establish a Medicare quality accountability program. Adds a program administration component under part B (Peer Review) of SSA title XI. Directs the Secretary to ensure that Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) are provided maximum freedom in designing and applying intervention strategies for local quality improvement. Revises requirements for the quality improvement program, including use of evaluation and competition, quality improvement funding, and qualifications for QIOs. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to require state medical assistance plans to provide for an alternative quality improvement program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2009
Medicare Drug Savings Through Choice Act of 2009 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) offer a Medicare operated prescription drug plan with a service area that consists of the entire United States; (2) negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers to reduce the purchase cost of covered Medicare part D drugs; and (3) encourage the use of more affordable therapeutic equivalents. Requires the monthly beneficiary premium charged under such a plan to be uniform nationally. Requires adjustment of such premium amount in case of supplemental prescription drug coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2009
Project 2020: Building on the Promise of Home and Community-Based Services Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a single-entry point system of grants to states for their own single-entry point systems providing information and counseling about public and private long-term services and supports. Directs the Secretary to establish a healthy living program, with grants to state agencies for the federal share of the cost of carrying out evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion programs. Directs the Secretary to establish a diversion program of grants to states for the federal share of the cost of carrying out enhanced nursing home diversion programs enabling individuals ineligible for medical assistance under SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to avoid admission into nursing homes by helping them to obtain alternative home and community-based long-term services and supports.
United States · United States Senate · 11 June 2009
United States · United States House of Representatives · 11 June 2009
United States · United States Senate · 11 June 2009