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Bill· HRH.R. 630 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to permit county governments to provide to their residents through the State's Medicaid plan a level of medical assistance which is greater in amount, duration, or scope than that available under the plan to other State residents. Requires county governments to show that their plans for providing additional benefits do not result in excessive administrative costs or otherwise conflict with the result in excessive administrative costs or otherwise conflict with the administration of the State Medicaid plan.
Bill· HRH.R. 639 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Medicare Long-Term Care Act of 1979 - Repeals existing provisions for post-hospital home health services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Establishes, within the hospital insurance program of such title, a program of long-term care benefits to be provided for aged and disabled individuals including all recipients of supplemental security income benefits and to be financed without additional cost to such individuals, through the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, from funds appropriated by the Federal Government. States that the benefits provided to an individual by such program shall consist of: (1) home health services; (2) homemaker services; (3) nutrition services; (4) long-term institutional care services; (5) day care and foster home services; and (6) community mental health center outpatient services. Requires that, to the maximum extent possible, such benefits shall be provided by or through community long-term care centers, as defined in this Act; and, in any case where a State has an agency which performs the functions of planning and developing such centers and overseeing their operation the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare shall make grants to the State or State agency to reimburse it for expenses incurred in the performance of such functions. Directs the Secretary to pay 75 percent of the amount expended by a State for the operation of a State long-term care agency. Enumerates the functions of such an agency. Declares that a community long-term care center shall: (1) provide the items and services listed in this Act to each individual (A) who is eligible for benefits under this part, (B) who resides in the area served by such center and (C) who is certified as requiring such services; (2) evaluate and certify the long-term care needs of an individual for whom such care may be required in order to maintain such individual in an independent living arrangement which is reasonable given such individual's state of health and other circumstances (but not including such individual's economic circumstances); (3) maintain a continuous relationship with (and periodically evaluate not less than annually) each individual who is receiving any of the items and services listed in this Act; (4) provide full opportunity for such individual and his family to participate in the determinations and functions under this Act; (5) provide an organized system for making its existence and location known to all individuals in its service area who are eligible for benefits under this part, and for making known to such individuals the method or methods by which they may most efficiently obtain and use the services which it makes available; and (6) perform such other functions as the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare may by regulation prescribe in order to have such center most effectively carry out the purposes of this Act. Defines terms used in this Act, including the services to be provided by community long-term care centers. Directs the Secretary to develop and promulgate to community long-term care centers one or more methods of obtaining payment for the benefits covered under this Act. Requires the Secretary to prescribe regulations setting forth the standards of care for homemaker and nutritional services. Establishes the Federal Advisory Council on Long-Term Care. Sets forth the qualifications of the five members of such Council. States that it shall be the duty and function of the Council to provide advice and recommendations for the consideration of the Secretary on regulations under this Act and on matters of general policy with respect to this Act. States that no regulations of the Secretary under this Act shall become effective unless they have first been approved by the Council. States that the determination of whether an individual is entitled to benefits under this Act shall be made by the Secretary in accordance with regulations prescribed by him. Authorizes the appropriation to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund of such sums as the Secretary considers necessary for any fiscal year for the purposes of the program created by this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into contracts with institutions to meet the cost of training programs in the techniques and methods of providing long-term health care.
Bill· HRH.R. 635 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the requirement that prior hospitalization is necessary before extended care facility benefits are available under the Medicare program.
Bill· HRH.R. 627 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Drug Benefits for the Aged Act of 1979 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish a Drug Benefit Program for the Aged to pay for prescription drugs from participating pharmacies. Directs the Secretary to establish a Drug Benefits List of prescription and nonlegend qualified drugs, limited to specified pharmacological therapeutic categories which the Secretary deems appropriate for the treatment of conditions, illnesses, or injuries to the person or well-being of aged individuals. Specifies conditions under which participating pharmacies may substitute lower cost, therapeutic equivalents for prescribed drugs. Establishes a Drug Benefits Council to advise the Secretary on policy in general and the content and format of the drug benefits list in particular. Sets conditions for the participation of pharmacies in the program. Prescribes criminal penalties for fraud.
Bill· HRH.R. 562 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Repeals title XV (National Health Planning and Development) and title XVI (Health Resources Development) of the Public Health Service Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 533 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment for nutritional counseling under the supplementary medical insurance program.
Bill· HRH.R. 563 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from taking any action under the Wholesome Meat Act or any other law to prohibit the sale, distribution, or use of nitrites as a food preservative solely on the basis of any carcinogenic effect in humans that nitrites may be represented to have, unless validated evidence is made available to the Secretary which proves beyond a reasonable doubt that nitrites as a food preservative have a significant carcinogenic effect on humans. States that such prohibition shall not apply if the Secretary determines, and publishes in the Federal Register, that a food preservative is commercially available: (1) which may be used in the place of nitrites; (2) which is effective in the protection of public health from botulism and other forms of food poisoning; and (3) the use of which is economically feasible for meat processors and the consumer. Requires the Secretary to conduct or support, by grant or contract research and development activities for a food preservative alternative to nitrites.
Bill· HRH.R. 540 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals an income tax credit for specified medical expenses (including insurance) paid for themselves, their spouses, and dependents. Limits such credit to 50 percent of the amount by which such medical expenses exceed ten, but are less than 20, percent of the individuals adjusted gross income. Allows a full credit for amounts by which such medical expenses exceed 20 percent of adjusted gross income. Repeals the current income tax deduction for medical and dental expenses. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, to draft regulations to prevent fraudulent claims under this Act and to provide for timely payments of refunds to individuals claiming a credit under the provisions of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 514 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
National Voluntary Health Insurance Act of 1979 - Creates a National Voluntary Health Insurance Agency to operate a National Voluntary Health Insurance Plan with funds supplied by voluntary subscriptions and matching United States Treasury funds, to pay reasonable costs of all medically necessary and appropriate medical and hospital services for all enrollees. Stipulates that the Agency shall issue no rules or regulations, but shall be governed solely by this Act and its amendments. Authorizes appropriations of $50,000,000 for the first calendar year after this Act becomes effective for the Agency to carry out its duties. Eliminates hospital and medical service insurance benefits or payments provided by other Government agencies, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Civilian Health and Medical Plan of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Extends coverage to: (1) medical services, wherever furnished, including psychiatric medicine, surgery, obstetrics, radiological and electrical procedures, pathology tests, transfusions, medication and immunization, injections and anesthesia, and osteopathic services; (2) reconstructive oral surgery; (3) podiatric surgery; (4) laboratory services; and (5) inpatient or outpatient hospital service, supplies, medication, transfusions, and food provided by approved hospitals, including general or special category hospitals, outpatient clinics, emergency wards, convalescent hospitals, nursing homes, and acute alcohol or drug toxification treatment centers. Excludes from coverage: (1) cosmetic surgery not approved under this Act; (2) certain services which are not medically necessary; (3) services for the benefit of a second party other than enrollee; (4) certain employer responsibilities, such as a workmen's compensation insurer; (5) services which are already covered by another plan; (6) unapproved hospital or laboratory services; and (7) certain other medical advice and services. Sets the amount of premium payments at $25 per month for each adult and one-half of such amount for each child. Entitles subscribers with a total earned and unearned family income of less than $12,000 per year to have their premiums calculated at 2.5 percent of such income for each adult and one-half of such amount for each child. Provides for the payment of premiums by employers and for the reinstatement of coverage on account of unpaid premiums. Directs the Agency to establish a trust fund for the deposit of all premiums and at least an equal amount of money appropriated from the United States Treasury. Directs Congress to deposit in such fund the amount of $5,000,000,000 by the effective date of the Plan, but provides that the total amount of general funds appropriated to the fund shall not exceed the total amount of subscribers' premiums after the Plan's fifth year of operation. Reserves 35 percent of the total amount of subscribers' premiums for the payment of medical and laboratory service benefits; 62 percent of such premiums for hospital service benefits; and three percent for administrative costs. Entitles an enrollee in the Plan to reimbursement in the lesser amount of either the scheduled fee payable by the Plan to a participating provider or the actual fee paid by the enrollee to any qualified nonparticipating provider. Entitles every nonexcluded and licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathic or podiatric medicine, and doctor of dental surgery to be listed by the Plan as a participating provider by making appropriate application. Allows such providers to require an enrollee to pay a reasonable charge in addition to the fee payable by the Plan. Provides for the approval and participation in the Plan of laboratories and hospitals. Directs the Agency to: (1) set a fee for every professionally recognized diagnostic and therapeutic medical service procedure or treatment and laboratory pathological test and procedure that is proportionate to the customary and reasonable fee for such service in each general area of the United States; and (2) provide each approved hospital with a schedule or per diem rate and charges that will be paid by the Plan to such hospital for each specified and covered service which is ordered on behalf of an enrollee by an attending doctor. Requires such hospital charges to be based on each hospital's certified annual financial and operating cost statement. Specifies certain additional requirements with respect to hospital charges. Species information to be included in all claimed by participating providers. Sets forth requirements with respect to the auditing, payment, and assessment of claims, and utilization of plan benefits. Authorizes the Agency to temporarily or permanently exclude any enrollee or provider of services found to have made any false claim for payment for services. Requires the Congress, at the time this Act becomes operational, to amend the rates of Social Security taxes relative to the reduction in Social Security health insurance expenditures effected by this Act. Requires the arbitration of claims for damages resulting from alleged malpractice in the provision of any service that is a benefit of the plan. Stipulates that the resources of the Agency and Plan shall not be used in any way directly to regulate the quality or availability of, or to establish or operate, medical and hospital services. Details the estimated cost of the Plan for fiscal year 1980.
Bill· HRH.R. 488 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment for diagnostic tests and examinations given for the detection of breast cancer under the supplementary medical insurance program.
Bill· HRH.R. 464 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Families with Alcoholism Assistance Act of 1977 - Amends the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 to require research into the need for education, counseling, and treatment of the families of alcohol abusers and alcoholics.
Bill· HRH.R. 433 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prohibits any Federal employee or agency from inspecting medical or dental records of patients not receiving medical or dental assistance from the Federal Government. Specifies the way in which a patient may authorize disclosure of such information. Prescribes penalties and injunctive relief for violations of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 459 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit payment for eye care, eyeglasses, hearing aids and related examinations, dental care and dentures under the supplementary medical insurance program. Increases the Government contribution to the Federal Supplementary Insurance Trust Fund by twice the amount of premiums that are presently paid into the Fund each month, while decreasing the portion of the Fund comprised of premiums from one-half to one-third. Excludes from the coverage of the supplementary medical insurance program expenses relating to referrals of individuals by a doctor of optometry for the diagnosis or detection of eye diseases.
Bill· HRH.R. 434 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide that new drugs for human or animal use will be regulated under such Act solely to assure their safety, and not their effectiveness.
Bill· HRH.R. 404 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment under the supplementary medical insurance program for dental care including dentures, eye examinations including eyeglasses, and hearing aids including examination. Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to take steps to eliminate unnecessary or excessive medical appliance expenditures under the Medicare program. States that the Federal Trade Commission should continue and increase scrutiny of the medical appliance industries in the interest of consumer protection.
Bill· HRH.R. 382 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Good Samaritan Act - Declares: (1) that any physician, registered nurse, or aircraft employee who, in good faith and with a reasonable belief that immediate medical attention is necessary, renders emergency care to an injured or ill person aboard an aircraft within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States shall not be liable for any civil damages as a result of any act or omission by such individual in rendering such care, except for any act or omission amounting to gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct; and (2) that any such individual shall not be liable for any such act or omission in rendering continued emergency care to the injured or ill person during transportation from the aircraft to a medical facility for further treatment or care.
Bill· HRH.R. 378 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide that new drugs for human or animal use will be regulated under such Act solely to assure their safety, and not their effectiveness.
Bill· HRH.R. 338 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to disregard cost-of-living benefit increases in computing income for the purpose of determining eligibility for the Medicaid program for individuals receiving such benefit increases under: (1) title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act; (2) the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974; or (3) certain pension plans relating to veterans.
Bill· HRH.R. 334 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize payment for specified services performed by chiropractors, including x-rays and physical examinations, and related routine laboratory tests.
Bill· HRH.R. 335 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment for nutritional counseling as part of the home health services provided under the supplementary medical insurance program.
Bill· HRH.R. 300 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Federal Nonsmokers Protection Act of 1979 - Prohibits smoking in specified areas of Federal facilities and in interstate passenger carrier facilities. Requires the effective separation of smokers from non-smokers in certain areas of such facilities. Requires that nonsmoking employees in Federal facilities be given the opportunity to be assigned to physically distinct offices or workplaces from those who smoke, whenever possible. Makes the executive head or chief administrative officer of each instrumentality responsible for the enforcement of these prohibitions in any Federal facility in which such instrumentality maintains offices. Requires such officers to submit an annual report on the enforcement of these prohibitions to the Administrator of General Services. Establishes civil penalties for individuals who smoke in any area of an interstate passenger carrier facility where smoking is prohibited under this Act. Requires that "No Smoking" signs be posted in specified areas.
Bill· HRH.R. 281 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1979 - Makes it unlawful, under the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, for any person to manufacture, import, or package for sale or distribution within the United States any cigarettes the package of which: (1) fails to bear the required health warning statement; and (2) fails to bear a statement of the tar and nicotine content of each cigarette in such package, as determined by the Federal Trade Commission. States that it shall be unlawful for any person to disseminate or cause to be disseminated any cigarette advertisement which fails to contain the required statements and which is either disseminated by United States mails or in commerce or which is likely to induce, directly or indirectly, the purchase in, or have an effect upon, commerce of cigarettes. Requires cigarettes for export to contain the required statements in the language of the country to which such package is exported.
Bill· HRH.R. 280 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to require the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to include in his annual report to Congress on the health consequences of smoking, information concerning the effects on nonsmokers of involuntary inhalation of cigarette smoke.
Bill· HRH.R. 197 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require that States include standards for determining need for continued skilled nursing services or intermediate care services in their plan for medical assistance. Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to conduct investigative and oversight activities designed to determine whether there exists any basis to support a finding that the plan no longer complies with minimum requirements for such plan. States that an individual shall be deemed to be in need of skilled nursing facility services if such individual is determined to need care in such a facility on a daily basis.
Bill· HRH.R. 211 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends titles XI, part A (General Provisions) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to increase the dollar limitations on Medicaid payments to Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, and to eliminate the 50 percent limitation on the Federal medical assistance percentage applicable to the Medicaid programs of such territories and to raise such limitation to the same level as that in the States.
Bill· HRH.R. 165 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Senior Citizens Health Insurance Standards Act of 1979 - Directs each State to submit to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare a plan specifying certain minimum standards applicable for the sale of health insurance to the elderly. Amends Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary to conduct studies for the purpose of making recommendations to Congress concerning: (1) a uniform approach for regulating all private health insurance offered to the aged and disabled; and (2) the feasibility of health insurance coverage under title XVIII in addition to the coverage now provided under parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of such title.
Bill· HRH.R. 153 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
National Cancer Amendments of 1979 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through fiscal year 1984 for the activities of the National Cancer Institute. Stipulates that the funding differential authorized by this Act for fiscal years 1981 through 1984, as measured against existing authority, shall be applied exclusively to cause and prevention research.
Bill· HRH.R. 164 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment for orthopedic shoes if prescribed by a practitioner licensed to prescribe such items.
Bill· HRH.R. 152 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
National Cancer Amendments of 1979 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through fiscal year 1982 for the activities of the National Cancer Institute. Stipulates that the funding differential authorized by this Act for fiscal years 1979 through 1982, as measured against existing authority, shall be applied exclusively to cause and prevention research.
Bill· HRH.R. 163 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment under the supplementary medical insurance program for dental care including dentures, eye examinations including eyeglasses, and hearing aids including examination.
Bill· HRH.R. 143 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Increases the stipend for individuals participating in the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program. Amends the Public Health Service Act to make former members of such program who have completed all obligated service in one of the military departments eligible for special grants under such Act to engage in private practice in a health manpower shortage area.
Bill· HRH.R. 97 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide administrative and judicial review of claims which arise under the supplementary medical insurance program. Sets the minimum requirement for the amount in controversy for a hearing at $50 and for judicial review at $500.
Bill· HRH.R. 94 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from taking any action under the Wholesome Meat Act, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or any other law to prohibit the sale, distribution, or use of nitrites as a food preservative solely on the basis of any carcinogenic effect in humans that nitrites may be represented to have, unless validated evidence is made available to the Secretaries which proves beyond a reasonable doubt that nitrites as a food preservative have a significant carcinogenic effect on humans. States that such prohibition shall not apply if the Secretaries determine, and publish in the Federal Register, that a food preservative is commercially available: (1) which may be used in the place of nitrites; (2) which is effective in the protection of public health from botulism and other forms of food poisoning; and (3) the use of which is economically feasible for meat processors and the consumer. Requires the Secretaries to conduct or support, by grant or contract, research and development activities for a food preservative alternative to nitrites.
Bill· HRH.R. 45 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prescription Drug Freshness Act - Requires the prominent labeling of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and pharmaceuticals, whose effectiveness or potency become diminished after storage, as to the date beyond which the product shall not be used. Authorizes the Food and Drug Administration to establish the "beyond use" dates for all applicable products, and the manner in which they shall be labeled.
Bill· HRH.R. 58 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Medicare Long-Term Care Act of 1979 - Amends Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a voluntary program to provide long-term care benefits for aged and disabled individuals who elect to enroll under such program, financed from premium payments by enrollees together with contributions from funds appropriated by the Federal Government and contributions by States. Lists criteria for eligibility for long-term care service benefits. States that the benefits provided to an individual under this Act shall consist of (1) home health services, (2) homemaker services, (3) nutrition services, (4) long-term institutional care services, (5) day care and foster home services, and (6) community mental health center outpatient services. Enumerates the requirements for certification of a State long-term care agency by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Provides for the payment of premiums for benefits received under this Act by individuals who elect to participate in the long-term care program. Establishes on the books of the Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known as the Federal Long-Term Care Trust Fund. Creates a Board of Trustees of such Trust Fund, composed of the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, all ex officio. States that the Secretary of the Treasury shall be the Managing Trustee of the Board of Trustees and that the Commissioner of Social Security shall serve as the Secretary of the Board. Requires the Board to meet at least once each calendar year. Enumerates the duties of the Board. Declares that a community long-term care center shall: (1) provide the items and services listed in this Act to each individual who (a) is eligible for benefits under this part, (b) resides in the area served by such center, and (c) is certified as requiring such services; (2) evaluate and certify the long-term care needs of an individual for whom such care may be required in order to maintain such individual in an independent living arrangement which is reasonable given such individual's state of health and other circumstances (but not including such individual's economic circumstances); (3) maintain a continuous relationship with (and evaluate periodically, but not less than annually) each individual who is receiving any of the items and services listed in this Act; (4) provide full opportunity for such individual and his family to participate in the determinations and functions under this Act; (5) provide an organized system for making its existence and location known to all individuals in its service area who are eligible for benefits under this part, and for making known to such individuals the method or methods by which they may most efficiently obtain and use the services which it makes available; and (6) perform such other functions as the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare may by regulation prescribe in order to have such center most effectively carry out the purposes of this Act. Sets forth a formula by which payments to States for the reimbursement of community long-term care centers may be calculated. Directs the Secretary, after consultation with organizations representing the chief executives of the various States, and other interested parties, to develop and make available to community long-term care centers one or more methods of obtaining payment for the benefits covered under this Act on a prospective basis. States that once a community long-term care center elects a particular prospective method, it may not alter its election without the prior approval of the Secretary. Provides that whenever the Secretary finds that the number of community long-term care centers electing a particular prospective payment method promulgated in accordance with this Act is not sufficient to provide an adequate basis for either the operation or evaluation of that method, the Secretary shall withdraw that method and allow the community long-term care centers which have elected such method to select another method within 30 days of notice of such withdrawal. Permits a Governor of a State to certify to the Secretary a method of prospective payment other than those promulgated under this Act. States that the determination of whether an individual is entitled to benefits under this Act shall be made by the Secretary in accordance with regulations prescribed by him. Provides for increases in supplemental security income benefits.
Bill· HRH.R. 54 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Food and Drug Reform Act of 1978 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to eliminate the testing of new drugs and new animal drugs for effectiveness. Requires a label on such a drug stating that it has not been tested or reviewed for efficacy by the Federal Government. Reduces the reporting requirements on applications for new drugs and new animal drugs to require only a summary, not a full report, on each investigation, and to prohibit any required submission of such a report within four years of the date of submission of the application. Requires the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, prior to issuing, amending or repealing any regulation under such Act, to issue a comprehensive economic impact statement addressing specified questions. Requires semiannual reports to Congress on the status of each new drug and new animal drug application which has not been approved or disapproved 30 days before such submission. Establishes drug advisory committees which shall promptly review an application and submit recommendations to the Secretary within 90 days. Grants applicants the right to a mandatory review within 30 days after receiving an adverse recommendation. Requires the Secretary to publish the clinical and preclinical summaries of new drugs and new animal drugs whose applications are approved. Exempts small businesses from the requirement of preclinical test reports on drugs used solely in investigational research, if such research will be conducted by experts from a public or other nonprofit school of medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine. Requires Congressional review of the administration of such Act by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1982 and every six years thereafter. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department an office to provide compliance assistance to small manufacturers of new drugs and new animal drugs.
Bill· HRH.R. 48 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from taking any action under the Wholesome Meat Act or any other law to prohibit the sale, distribution, or use of nitrites as a food preservative solely on the basis of any carcinogenic effect in humans that nitrites may be represented to have, unless validated evidence is made available to the Secretary which proves beyond a reasonable doubt that nitrites as a food preservative have a significant carcinogenic effect on humans. States that such prohibition shall not apply if the Secretary determines, and publishes in the Federal Register, that a food preservative is commercially available: (1) which may be used in the place of nitrites; (2) which is effective in the protection of public health from botulism and other forms of food poisoning; and (3) the use of which is economically feasible for meat processors and the consumer. Requires the Secretary to conduct or support, by grant or contract research and development activities for a food preservative alternative to nitrites.
Bill· HRH.R. 46 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prescription Drug Patent Licensing Act - Requires that whenever, upon complaint by a qualified applicant for a license under a drug patent, the Federal Trade Commission determines that such license application was not granted and that the price quoted to druggists by the patentee is more than 500 percent of the total cost of production, the Commission shall order the patentee (under penalty of patent cancellation by the Commissioner of Patents) to grant an unrestricted license to any qualified applicant to make, use, and sell such drug. Permits the Commission to delay the issuance of such order for up to five years to provide a fair return on the patentee's invested capital.
Bill· HRH.R. 21 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Health Security Act - Title I: Health Security Benefits - Makes every resident of the United States, and every nonresident citizen when in the United States, eligible for covered services. Authorizes the Health Security Board to enter into reciprocal agreements for coverage of (1) nonresident aliens when in the United States, and (2) U.S. citizens residing abroad. Entitles every eligible person to have payment made by the Health Security Board for any covered service provided within the United States by a participating provider, if such service is necessary or appropriate for the maintenance of health or for the diagnosis or treatment of, or rehabilitation following, injury, disability, or disease. Extends coverage to: (1) professional physician services, wherever furnished, including primary and specialized services, and psychiatric services to outpatients under specified conditions; (2) dental services, including preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic services (exclusive of most orthodontic services), for children under age 15, with the covered age group increasing annually by two years until all persons under age 25 are covered; (3) institutional services, including inpatient and outpatient hospital services, skilled nursing home services, the services of home health service agencies, and other necessary services, including pathology and radiology services, with specified limitations; and (4) pharmaceutical benefits, including two categories of drug use: (A) prescribed medicines administered to inpatients or outpatients within participating hospitals, or to enrollees of comprehensive health service organizations; and (B) drugs necessary for the treatment of certain chronic illnesses or conditions requiring long or expensive drug therapy. Directs the Board to establish, disseminate, and review annually: (1) a list of drugs for use in participating institutions, organizations, and associations; (2) a list of diseases and drugs for use outside such organizational settings, which shall include drug therapy for chronic conditions; and (3) lists of therapeutic devices, appliances, and equipment (including eyeglasses, hearing aids, and prosthetic appliances), and the conditions under which such items are covered benefits. Requires drugs to be listed by their established names as defined in the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and also, to the extent the Board deems appropriate, by trade names. Extends coverage to other professional and supporting services, including: (1) the professional services of optometrists and podiatrists; (2) diagnostic and therapeutic services of independent pathology laboratories and radiology services; (3) mental health day care services under specified conditions; (4) alcoholism and drug abuse treatment in free-standing ambulatory centers; (5) family planning and rehabilitation services in certain free-standing centers; (6) emergency and nonemergency transportation services which are essential to overcome problems of access to covered services; and (7) other supporting services, such as psychological, physiotherapy, nutrition, social work, or health education services, which are furnished on behalf of certain approved organizations. Excludes from coverage: (1) health services furnished or paid for under Federal or State workmen's compensation laws; (2) primary or secondary school health services to the extent specified by regulation; (3) cosmetic surgery; (4) the furnishing of unapproved drugs and appliances; (5) certain medical or surgical procedures which the Board finds are experimental or too costly or scarce to provide on a nationwide basis; (6) certain services which are already furnished or available from another provider; and (7) services of a professional practitioner which are furnished in a non-participating hospital. Makes professional practitioners who are licensed on the effective date of enactment of this title eligible providers, but requires practitioners after such date to meet national standards established by the Board in addition to existing State standards. Specifies general eligibility requirements for participating providers, including the filing with the Board of an agreement (1) not to discriminate in providing services to eligible persons; (2) not to make unauthorized charges; and (3) to comply with reporting requirements. Sets forth specific eligibility requirements for various types of participating providers, including (1) general and psychiatric hospitals; (2) skilled nursing homes; (3) home health service agencies; (4) group practice organizations; (5) individual practice associations; and (6) other health service organizations and providers, including independent pathology laboratories and radiological services, ambulance services, and providers of drugs, devices, appliances, and equipment. Sets forth criteria for the utilization review of hospitals and skilled nursing homes. Requires such homes to have in effect an agreement with at least one participating hospital for the transfer of patients and medical and other information as appropriate. Limits the eligibility of providers operating newly constructed or enlarged facilities which are unnecessary for the furnishing of adequate services. Prohibits damages in malpractice judgments to be awarded for the cost of remedial services which the injured party is entitled to receive under this Act. Excludes institutions and employees of the Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, and institutions and employees of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare serving merchant seamen, Indians, or Alaskan Natives, from serving as participating providers, but allows reimbursement for services furnished by such institutions to eligible persons who are not part of their normal clientele. Permits a physician, dentist, optometrist, or podiatrist licensed in one State, and meeting the national standards, to furnish Health Security benefits in any other State. Grants similar authority to other professional and nonprofessional health personnel. Establishes the Health Security Trust Fund, to receive the net assets of existing (Medicare) funds taken over by the Health Security program, the yield of the Health Security taxes, and the Government's contribution from general revenues amounting to 100 percent of the yield from these taxes. Directs the Board to fix for each fiscal year the maximum amount which may be obligated for expenditure from the trust fund, subject to a ceiling determined by specified formulas. Establishes in the Trust Fund a health services account, a health resources development account, an administration account, and a residual general account. Provides for the allocation of the health services account among the regions of the country, based on the aggregate expenditures for covered services in each region during the most recent 12-month period, and: (1) adjusted to reflect changes in the consumer price index and the expected numbers of eligible beneficiaries and participating providers; and (2) modified by the Board to reduce inequalities in per capita expenditures, to the extent that the quality of services are unimpaired. Directs the Board to divide for each fiscal year the allocation to each region into available funds to pay: (1) institutional services, (2) physician services, (3) dental services, (4) the furnishing of drugs, (5) the furnishing of devices, appliances, and equipment, and (6) other professional and miscellaneous services. Directs the Board to allot such funds among the health service areas established in each region under this title. Provides that payments for covered services furnished to eligible persons by participating providers shall be made from the health services account in the Trust Fund. Sets forth specific payment requirements for the various types of participating providers. Entitles every independent professional practitioner to elect to be paid by the fee-for-service method. Entitles every independent practitioner in the general practice of medicine, and every dentist furnishing covered dental services, to elect to be paid by the capitation method upon the filing of an agreement with the Board. Authorizes the Board to pay independent practitioners full-time or part-time stipends instead of, or in addition to, these methods of compensation. Allows the Board to experiment with other methods of reimbursement which do not increase service costs or encourage the overutilization or underutilization of services. Provides that hospitals, skilled nursing homes, and home health service agencies shall be paid approved operating costs as set forth in an annual budget approved by the Board. Provides that health organizations shall be paid for covered services by the capitation method. Directs the Board to determine from time to time a maximum price for the cost of a drug to a provider. States that payments for a drug furnished by an independent pharmacy shall consist of its cost to the pharmacy, not to exceed the maximum price, plus a dispensing fee, which shall be established by the Board after consultation with representatives of the pharmaceutical profession. Provides for the reduction of payments to providers for unnecessary capital expenditures. Authorizes the Board to: (1) assist in the establishment, expansion, and operation of group practice organizations, other public or nonprofit health service agencies, and nonprofit organizations furnishing comprehensive dental services; and (2) provide for the recruitment, education, and training of needed health personnel, including practitioners who will agree to practice in urban or rural areas of acute shortage. Authorizes special improvement grants: (1) to any public or other nonprofit health agency or institution to establish improved coordination and linkages with other providers of services; and (2) to organizations providing comprehensive ambulatory care, to improve their utilization review, budget, statistical, or records and information retrieval systems, to acquire equipment needed for those purposes, or to acquire equipment useful for mass screening or for other diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Authorizes grants for the development and conduct of programs of personal care services. Authorizes appropriations for the purposes of the health services development fund. Creates an administrative structure within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare with exclusive responsibility for the administration of the Health Security Program. Establishes a five-member, full-time Health Security Board serving under the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Sets forth the responsibilities and duties of the Board and the Secretary with respect to this title and the provision of comprehensive health care. Provides that this title shall be administered by the Board through the regions of the Department and, within each region, through health service areas, which shall be the same as those areas established by the Secretary under the Public Health Service Act. Establishes a National Health Security Advisory Council, with the Chairman of the Board serving as the Council's Chairman and 20 additional members not in the employ of the Federal Government. Authorizes the Advisory Council to appoint professional or technical committees to assist in its functions. Directs the Advisory Council to advise the Board on matters of general policy in the administration of the program, the formulation of regulations and the allocation of funds for services. Directs the Board to appoint regional and local advisory councils for each region and each health service area. Provides for the participation of appropriate State agencies in the administration of the Health Security program. Specifies responsibilities of the Board, including: (1) informing the public and providers about the administration and operation of the Health Security program; (2) making a continuing study and evaluation of the program, including the adequacy, quality, and costs of services; (3) making detailed statistical and other studies on a national, regional, or local basis of any aspect of the title; (4) developing and testing records and information retrieval systems; (5) developing, in collaboration with the pharmaceutical profession, improved administrative practices for the reimbursement of independent pharmacies; and (6) developing and testing incentive systems for improving the quality of care, and methods of peer review of drug utilization and of other service performances. Directs the Board to make evaluations and issue guidelines with respect to health manpower education and training. Requires the Board, in accordance with regulations, to make determinations of: (1) entitlement to benefits; (2) who are participating providers; (3) whether services are covered; and (4) amounts to be paid to providers. Entitles a provider or other aggrieved person to an administrative appeal from such determinations, and authorizes judicial review of a final decision. Sets forth procedures for the suspension or termination of participating providers. Authorizes the Board to issue to any participating provider, other than an individual professional provider, a directive with respect to the discontinuous of services for the purpose of payment, or the initiation of covered services. Authorizes the Board, with the advice and assistance of the Commission on the Quality of Health Care, to issue and review regulations assuring the quality of care furnished under this Act. Directs the Board to establish reasonable continuing education requirements for physicians, dentists, optometrists, and podiatrists. Sets forth conditions under which major surgery and other specialized services designated in regulations are covered under this program. Authorizes the Board, on recommendation of the Commission on the Quality of Health Care, to contract with Professional Standards Review Organizations to monitor the quality of institutional and other services. Establishes the positions of a Deputy Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and an Under Secretary for Health and Science. Authorizes appropriations for the purposes of this title. Stipulates that no provision of this Act shall alter any contractual obligation of an employer to provide health services to his employees and their dependents. Title II: Health Security Taxes - Converts the existing Medicare hospital insurance payroll taxes into Health Security taxes, and raises the rates to one percent on employees and 3.5 percent on employers. Excludes from the gross income of employees, for income tax purposes, payment by their employers of part or all of the Health Security taxes on the employees. Converts the existing Medicare self-employment tax into a Health Security self-employment tax, raising the rate to 2.5 percent. Adds a new 2.5 percent tax on health security unearned income (unless such income is less than $400 a year), subject to the same maximum on taxable income as is applicable to the employee and self-employment taxes. Title III: Commission on the Quality of Health Care - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare a Commission on the Quality of Health Care, with the primary responsibilities of: (1) initiating and continuing development of methods of assessing the quality of health care furnished under this Act; and (2) submitting to the Secretary and the Health Security Board appropriate findings and recommendations. Directs the Commission to give special consideration to care furnished for those illnesses and conditions which have relatively high incidence in the population and which are relatively amenable to medical or other care. Title IV: Repeal or Amendment of Other Acts - Makes conforming and technical amendments to specified Acts. Repeals the Medicare program. Stipulates that after the effective date of benefits received under this Act no State shall be required to furnish any service covered under Health Security as a part of its State plan for participation under Medicaid. Title V: Studies Related to Health Security - Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to study the practicability of extending the coverage of health services for U.S. residents in other countries. Directs the Secretary to study the means of coordinating the Federal health benefit programs for merchant seamen and Indians and Alaskan Natives, veterans, and members of the Armed Forces with the Health Security benefit program.
Bill· HRH.R. 44 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prescription Drug Labeling Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require that in the labeling and advertising of drugs sold by prescription the established name of such drug must appear each time the drug's proprietary name is used. Allows a pharmacist to fill or refill a prescription for a drug identified by its proprietary name with a substitute drug of the same established name or the same qualitative composition, unless the prescription requires the proprietary name drug exclusively. Requires that such substitute drugs, whether identified in the prescription by proprietary or by established name, be sold at a cost to the patient which is less than the cost of the drug so identified.
Bill· HRH.R. 32 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for hearings on disputed Medicare claims by an impartial person other than the carrier designated by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to administer benefits under such title.
Bill· HRH.R. 43 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prescription Drug Price Information Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require retailers of prescription drugs to post the prices of certain commonly prescribed drugs for the general public. Directs each drug retailer to prominently post a list of the prices of the 100 prescription drug products that had the highest dollar volume of retail sales by such drug retailer within a period to be determined by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Requires the posting for each such drug to: (1) list the drug product under its established name (if any) and its proprietary name (if any); and (2) contain the lowest price at which such drug product is offered for sale by such retailer for a quantity which the Secretary determines is the quantity in which the drug product is most commonly dispensed. Prohibits the sale of any prescription drug product whose price is so posted: (1) at a unit price greater than the posted one, if the quantity sold is equal to or greater than the posted quantity; or (2) at a unit price greater than 110 percent of the posted one, if the quantity sold is less than the posted quantity.
Bill· HRH.R. 16 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
National Health Insurance Act - Title I: Benefits and Eligibility - Makes personal health services available to eligible individuals. Includes medical, dental, podiatric, home-nursing, hospital and auxiliary services within such personal health services. Directs the National Health Insurance Board to survey the resources and needs of each State and develop in each State a program to assure the maximum participation and use of health personnel and facilities in the provision of benefits. Authorizes the Board to limit health services which may be provided when personnel, facilities, or funds that are available are inadequate to insure the provision of all services to all eligible individuals. Allows every individual eligible for personal health services available under this Act to freely select the physician, dentist, podiatrist, nurse, medical group, hospital, or other person of his choice to render such services. Sets forth requirements for eligibility for benefits. Directs that the United States shall be subrogated to all rights of an individual who receives any personal health service as a benefit under this Act with respect to any injury, disease, or disability, for which such person is entitled to workmen's compensation. States that Federal grants to States under title XIX (Medicaid), and part A of title IV (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of the Social Security Act shall be available to the States for provision of personal health services for noninsured needy individuals. Title II: Participation of Physicians, Dentists, Nurses, Hospitals, and Others - States that any physician, dentist, or podiatrist legally authorized in a State to render any services including general medical, dental, or podiatric services shall be deemed qualified to render such services in that State as benefits under this Act. Authorizes the State to enter into agreements with any qualified organization for the provision of personal health services under this Act. Sets forth methods for payment of services furnished under this Act. Directs that rates for such payments shall be adapted to take account of relevant regional, State, or local conditions and practices. Authorizes the establishment of maximum limits upon the number of eligible individuals with respect to whom any person may undertake to render services in any local health-service area. Allows every physician, dentist, nurse, hospital, or other person entering into an agreement under this title to accept or reject as a patient any individual requesting his services. Title III: Local Administration - Imposes responsibility for administration of the benefits provided under this Act on the several local health-service areas. Specifies that the local administrative agency for each local health-service area may be either a local administrative committee or a local administrative officer. Directs the committee or officer to arrange for the furnishing of personal health-service benefits to eligible individuals in the area and publish lists of the names of all persons who have agreed to furnish personal health services; to disseminate pertinent information concerning the rights and privileges under the Act; and to receive and adjust complaints which may be made concerning the administration of benefits under the the Act of the area. Requires the establishment of a local area committee in each health-service area to formulate policies for the administration of benefits under the Act in that area. Directs that local committees representative of the persons furnishing personal health services in the area shall be established in each health service area to assist the local administrative committee and its executive officer. Title IV: State Administration - Expresses the intent of Congress that the benefits provided under the Act be administered whenever possible by the States. Sets forth requirements which must be met by any State which assumes responsibility for the administration of the personal health-service benefits provided under this Act. Title V: National Health Insurance Board; National Advisory Medical Policy Council; General Administrative Provisions - Establishes a National Health Insurance Board in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Specifies that the Board shall perform such functions as it finds necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act, and shall make all regulations and standards specifically authorized to be made in the Act. Establishes a National Advisory Medical Policy Council to study and make recommendations as to the most effective methods of providing health services, and as to legislation and matters of administrative policy concerning health and related subjects. Title VI: Eligibility Determinations, Complaints, Hearings, and Judicial Review - Requires the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make determinations as to the eligibility of individuals for benefits under this Act. Establishes procedures for the investigation and adjudication of complaints by eligible individuals and persons furnishing benefits. Title VII: Application of Act to Individuals Covered Under Medicare Program - Specifies that in the case of any individual who is entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare, the personal health services which may be made available as benefits under this Act shall be limited to those services for which such individual is ineligible under the Medicare program. Directs the Secretary, as soon as practicable after the enactment of this Act, to undertake and carry out a full and complete study of the interrelationship of the program of national health insurance under this Act and the program of health insurance for the aged under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Title VIII: Fiscal Provisions - Creates on the books of the Treasury of the United States a separate account to be known as the "Personal Health Services Account." Makes funds in the account available for all expenditures necessary or appropriate to carry out this Act. Appropriates funds for such account in amounts pursuant to the formula specified in the Act for fiscal year 1980 and each year thereafter. Authorizes the Board to make grants to public or nonprofit institutions or agencies engaging in undergraduate or postgraduate professional, technical or administration education or training in the field of personal health services. Makes available for such grants $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1980 and $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1981 and for each fiscal year thereafter an amount not to exceed one-half of one percent of the amount expended for benefits under this Act in the preceding calendar year. Title IX: Miscellaneous Provisions - Defines terms used in this Act. States that personal health services shall become available no sooner than October 1, 1979.
Bill· HRH.R. 12 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to repeal the blanket prohibition against regulations deeming safe any cancer-inducing food additives or color additives in food, drugs, or cosmetics. Abolishes the advisory committee of experts established to review regulations disapproving color additives as cancer-inducing.
Bill· HRH.R. 11 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Saccharin Study and Labeling Act to extend from 18 to 36 months the period during which the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare may not take specified actions to restrict the continued use of saccharin or of any food, drug, or cosmetic containing saccharin.
Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 19 (96th)open
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the week of September 16 through 22, 1979, as "National Lupus Week."
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 80 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Authorizes the President to call a White House Conference on Long-Term Care to develop recommendations for action in establishing a national policy with respect to the needs of disabled Americans, particularly the aged. Directs the Conference to consider methods to: (1) make long-term health care available to those who need it; (2) provide alternatives to nursing home placement; (3) improve the quality of care offered in long-term care facilities; (4) provide for appropriate training of personnel; and (5) finance the necessary benefits structure to make long-term care a right of all Americans. Requires that the Conference submit a final report to the President not later than 120 days following the date on which the Conference is called. Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish an Advisory Committee to the Conference composed of not more than 28 professionals and public members.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 71 (96th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the second week in April of each year as "National Medical Laboratory Week."