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Bill· SS. 1010 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Colon Cancer Screen for Life Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to the use of and reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening tests covered under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA). Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) increase Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic tests; (2) cover an outpatient office visit or consultation for the purpose of beneficiary education before a colorectal cancer screening test consisting of a colonoscopy, or in conjunction with the beneficiary's decision to obtain such a screening, regardless of whether the screening is medically indicated with respect to the beneficiary; and (3) waive the deductible for such tests.
Bill· SS. 1015 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Health Care Choice Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that the laws of the primary state (as designated by the health insurance issuer) apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer both in the primary state and in any secondary state if the coverage and issuer comply with this Act. Exempts health insurance issuers from any laws of the secondary state that would: (1) regulate the operation of the health insurance issuer in the secondary state, except for certain activities, including paying taxes and registering with the state insurance commissioner; (2) require any individual health insurance coverage issued by the issuer to be countersigned by an agent or broker residing in the secondary state; or (3) discriminate against the issuer issuing insurance in both the primary state and any secondary state. Prohibits a health insurance issuer that provides individual health insurance coverage in a primary or secondary state from: (1) upon renewal, taking certain actions based on health-status related factors, including increasing premiums assessed; and (2) offering coverage in a secondary state that is not currently offered for sale in the primary state. Allows states to require brokers to obtain a license from that state, but not to impose any requirements that discriminate against nonresident brokers. Requires health insurance issuers offering coverage in both primary and secondary States state to submit to the insurance commissioner of each state: (1) a copy of a plan of operation, a feasibility study, or similar statement; (2) written notice of any change in designation of its primary state; and (3) quarterly financial statements. Sets forth requirements (regarding determination of capital and an independent review process) that must be met by primary states in order for an issuer to provde insurance in a secondary state. Gives sole jurisdiction to primary states to enforce the covered laws in primary and secondary states.
Bill· SS. 1012 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Patients' Bill of Rights Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to set forth requirements for health plans or issuers of health insurance coverage, including requirements for: (1) utilization review activities; (2) procedures for claims benefits processing, prior authorization determinations, appeals, and internal reviews; and (3) access for an independent, external review. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Health Care Consumer Assistance Fund to award grants to States for consumer assistance activities designed to provide information, assistance, and referrals to consumers of health insurance products. Sets forth requirements for managed care programs and their access to care, including requiring such programs to: (1) offer coverage that allows for non-network coverage through another plan or issuer; (2) provide access to out-of-network emergency care without prior authorization; and (3) provide timely access to specialists. Requires certain annual disclosures from health plans or issuers, including disclosures of covered benefits, cost-sharing requirements, and participating providers. Prohibits a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting a health care professional's ability to advise a patient on the health of an individual or on medical care or treatment for the individual's condition or disease; and (2) operating any physician incentive plan. Establishes a cause of action against a plan or issuer that fails to exercise ordinary care in making a decision that results in a personal injury or death to a participant or beneficiary. Provides a tax credit to small businesses for expenses paid by the business for health insurance coverage of employees.
Bill· SS. 1019 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Welcome Home G.I. Bill Act of 2005 - Increases and extends the duration of basic educational assistance for individuals who serve at least six consecutive months (with exceptions from the six consecutive months requirement due to medical, hardship, or involuntary separation ) on active duty outside the United States as part of a combat or contingency operation (including a humanitarian or peacekeeping operation) beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending five years after enactment of this Act. Permits assistance use for student loan repayment. Provides for refund of educational contributions made under the Montgomery G.I. Bill program. Increases and extends the duration of educational assistance for reserve component members called or ordered to active service in response to a war or national emergency who perform active duty service for 180 consecutive days before the five-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act. Permits assistance use for student loan repayment. Provides $5,000 for a residential purchase downpayment for a veteran who: (1) performs active duty service outside the United States as part of a combat or contingency operation (including a humanitarian or peacekeeping operation) for at least six consecutive months (or a lesser time period for an individual with a service-connected disability) after September 11, 2001; and (2) has not previously obtained a veterans' guaranteed or insured housing loan. Makes such benefit available for five years from the date eligible service is completed. Amends the the Internal Revenue Code to exclude such housing benefit from gross income. Provides transitional health care benefits during the five-year period after separation from active duty for an individual who is not covered under an employer-provided or a spouse's employer-provided group health plan who: (1) serves in the active military, naval, or air service; (2) after September 11, 2001, is deployed outside the United States as part of a combat or contingency operation (including a humanitarian or peacekeeping operation) for at least six consecutive months (or a lesser time period for an individual with a service-connected disability); and (3) is discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. Revises predeployment and postdeployment medical exam provisions.
Bill· HRH.R. 2355 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Health Care Choice Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that the laws of the primary state (as designated by the health insurance issuer) apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer both in the primary state and in any secondary state if the coverage and issuer comply with this Act. Exempts health insurance issuers from any laws of the secondary state that would: (1) regulate the operation of the health insurance issuer in the secondary state, except for certain activities, including paying taxes and registering with the state insurance commissioner; (2) require any individual health insurance coverage issued by the issuer to be countersigned by an agent or broker residing in the secondary state; or (3) discriminate against the issuer issuing insurance in both the primary state and any secondary state. Prohibits a health insurance issuer that provides individual health insurance coverage in a primary or secondary state from: (1) upon renewal, taking certain actions based on health-status related factors, including increasing premiums assessed; and (2) offering coverage in a secondary state that is not currently offered for sale in the primary state. Allows states to require brokers to obtain a license from that state, but not to impose any requirements that discriminate against nonresident brokers. Requires health insurance issuers offering coverage in both primary and secondary States state to submit to the insurance commissioner of each state: (1) a copy of a plan of operation, a feasibility study, or similar statement; (2) written notice of any change in designation of its primary state; and (3) quarterly financial statements. Sets forth requirements (regarding determination of capital and an independent review process) that must be met by primary states in order for an issuer to provde insurance in a secondary state. Gives sole jurisdiction to primary states to enforce the covered laws in primary and secondary states.
Bill· HRH.R. 2324 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend coverage of orthopedic shoes under Medicare part B (Supplemenetary Medical Insurance) to individuals without diabetes who medically require them.
Bill· HRH.R. 2328 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Children's Access to Vision Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states for providing: (1) comprehensive eye examinations for children, with priority given to children under nine years old; (2) subsequent vision treatment or services to correct vision problems; and (3) educational materials to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria to collect data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services; and (2) coordinate the grant program with appropriate federal and state child services programs. Requires states to annually submit to the Secretary a program evaluation.
Bill· HRH.R. 2350 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Rural Community Hospital Assistance Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) provide for establishment of a rural community hospital (RCH) program; (2) remove certain barriers to establishment of distinct part units by RCH and Medicare critical access hospital (CAH) facilities; and (3) revise the CAH program.
Bill· HRH.R. 2345 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Tim Fagan's Law or the Counterfeit Drug Enforcement Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish a criminal fine and/or imprisonment for a person who: (1) knowingly causes a prescription drug to be adulterated, misbranded, or misrepresented as an approved prescription drug and sells or trades the drug; or (2) purchases or trades for such drug knowing or having reason to know that the drug was knowingly adulterated, misbranded, or misrepresented. Requires a manufacturer of a drug to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services within 48 hours after first receiving or becoming aware of information that reasonably suggests that such a violation may have occurred. Deems a drug to be misbranded if it is not manufactured in accordance with the use of technologies that the Secretary determines are technically feasible and will assist in preventing such violations. Requires the Secretary to establish alternative requirements to the extent that such requirements provide greater certainty on the chain of custody and are technically feasible. Increases funding for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections, examinations, and investigations. Requires the Secretary to educate the public and health care professionals on counterfeit drugs. Directs the Secretary: (1) upon a finding of reasonable probability that a drug intended for human use would cause serious health consequences or death, to issue an order requiring the appropriate person (including the manufacturers, importers, distributors, or retailers of the drug) to cease distribution of the drug and to notify and instruct health professionals to cease administering or prescribing the drug; and (2) amend the order to include a recall if necessary.
Bill· HRH.R. 2335 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Meth-Endangered Children Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out demonstration projects to provide comprehensive services for children who have been removed from environments in which methamphetamine is unlawfully manufactured, distributed, or dispensed.
Bill· HRH.R. 2343 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Medicare Disability Eligibility Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI)) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for elimination of the 23-month waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for benefits under Medicare (SSA title XVIII).
Bill· HRH.R. 2356 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Preserving Patient Access to Physicians Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to payment for physicians' services to: (1) eliminate the sustainable growth rate payment update system; and (2) establish in its place an update to the single conversion factor for 2006 of at least 2.7 percent, and a formula for an update to the single conversion factor for years beginning with 2007. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in calculating the formula for the single conversion factor, to establish an input price index and estimate annually a productivity adjustment factor.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 275 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Congratulates the Southwest Washington Independent Forward Thrust (SWIFT) on its 30th anniversary. Honors SWIFT's work, including its providing grant funds for public art, playgrounds, peer mediation programs to prevent school violence, community kitchens to feed the homeless, and dental and health care clinics for uninsured families. Recognizes SWIFT members for their continuing efforts to improve the lives of persons and families in southwestern Washington State.
Bill· SS. 1001 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Medicare Hospice Demonstration Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish Hospice Demonstration Projects to increase the utility of Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA)) hospice services for seriously ill Medicare beneficiaries. Includes a supportive and comfort care benefit within such program. Requires the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects in from three to six sites. Sets forth the criteria for selecting such sites, including geographic diversity and accessibility. Requires special rules for adjusting payment to any Medicare Advantage (SSA title XVIII part C) organization offering a Medicare Advantage plan to reflect an enrolled member's participation in such a project. Directs the Secretary to establish a Hospice Education Grant program under which the Secretary awards education grants to entities participating in the demonstration projects for the purpose of providing information about benefits under this Act.
Bill· SS. 1000 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Palliative Care Training Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to provide Hospice and Palliative Care Academic Career Awards to individuals that: (1) are board certified or board eligible in internal medicine, family practice, or pediatrics and their subspecialties; (2) have completed an approved fellowship program or demonstrated specialized experience in palliative medicine; and (3) have a junior faculty appointment at an accredited school of medicine within an approved internship or residency program. Provides that the amount of such an Award shall be $75,000 for FY2006 (to be adjusted for subsequent fiscal years to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index) and the term shall not exceed five years. Requires an individual who receives an Award to provide training in hospice care and palliative medicine, which shall constitute at least 75 percent of the obligations of such individual under the terms of the Award.
Bill· SS. 1002 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Hospital Fair Competition Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to hospital payments. Provides for the use of estimated costs rather than average charges in establishing weighting factors for diagnosis-related groups under the inpatient hospital prospective payment system. Revises requirements for exceptions to the prohibition against certain physician self-referrals to specialty hospitals in which a physician has invested. Exempts from the limitation on such referrals, and any liability for criminal penalties, specified arrangements between hospitals and physicians.
Bill· SS. 996 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Veterans Road to Health Care Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay the travel expenses of a veteran whose travel is in connection with treatment or care for a non-service-connected disability at a non-Department of Veterans Affairs facility if the treatment or care: (1) is provided upon the recommendation of Department medical personnel; and (2) is not available at the Department facility at which the recommendation is made. Requires the Secretary, in calculating travel expenses under the Veterans Beneficiary Travel Program, to utilize the current Federal mileage reimbursement rates for the use on official business of privately owned vehicles.
Bill· SS. 1007 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Medicaid Formula Fairness Act of 2005 - Prohibits the Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a State for FY2006 from being less than the greater of: (1) the FMAP determined for the State for FY2005, decreased by 0.5 percentage points; or (2) the FMAP that would have been determined for the State for FY2006 if the per capita incomes for 2001 and 2002 that were used to determine the FMAP for the State for FY2005 were used. Provides that the FMAP applicable to a State for FY2006 after the application of the above limitation on reduction shall apply only for purposes of titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP)) of the Social Security Act and payments under such titles that are based on a certain enhanced FMAP, and shall not apply with respect to payments under title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)) of the Social Security Act. Repeals this Act effective as of October 1, 2006, and provides that it shall not apply to any fiscal year after FY2006.
Bill· SS. 999 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Conquering Pain Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to develop an Internet website on evidence-based practice guidelines for pain treatment. Requires the administrators of Federal health programs to inform individuals that they should expect effective pain and system relief under such programs. Directs the Secretary to provide funds for special education projects to improve pain and symptom management. Amends Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require that Medicare+Choice programs' coverage of pain and symptom management and performance evaluation of such management be disseminated to Medicare beneficiaries. Requires the Surgeon General to report on the state of pain and symptom management in the United States. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Public Health Service, to award grants to establish National Family Support Networks in Pain and Symptom Management. Requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPac) to report on financial, policy, and reimbursement barriers to providing pain and symptom management and palliative care. Requires the General Accounting Office (GAO) to survey health insurance providers to determine whether reimbursement policies inhibit access to pain and symptom management. Directs the Secretary: (1) to establish the Advisory Committee on Pain and Symptom Management; (2) acting through the Institute of Medicine, to report on the effects of controlled substance regulation and other barriers to patient access to effective care; (3) acting through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to convene a national conference to discuss the translation of pain research into the delivery of health services; and (4) acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to provide for demonstration projects on pain and symptom management training.
Bill· HRH.R. 2291 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Medical Malpractice Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business tax credit for taxable years beginning in 2005 or 2006 for expenditures for medical professional malpractice insurance. Allows a credit for: (1) 30 percent of the malpractice insurance expenditures of a physician who practices in any surgical specialty or subspecialty, emergency medicine, obstetrics, or anesthesiology or who does intervention work that is reflected in medical malpractice insurance expenditures; and (2) 20 percent of such expenditures of a physician who practices in general medicine, allergy, dermatology, pathology, or other specialty and of any hospital, clinic, or long-term care provider. Limits the amount of expenditures that may be taken into account to twice the average of costs of medical malpractice insurance for similarly situated health care providers. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants to certain nonprofit hospitals, clinics, and long-term care providers to assist such entities in defraying their medical malpractice insurance expenditures. Limits the amount of such grants to 15 percent of the medical malpractice insurance expenditures incurred by such entities in any year.
Bill· HRH.R. 2308 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Clinical Research Act of 2005 - Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to award clinical investigator advancement grants to eligible academic health centers to: (1) establish career development programs for new and mid-level clinician-investigators who are fully committed to academic clinical research careers; (2) support the translation of basic science to patient care by implementing and conducting all aspects of their clinical research mission; and (3) support activities leading to innovative ways to achieve such purposes in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Requires that health centers receive a proportionate share of the total grant money awarded based on the amount invested by the grantee in clinical research compared to the total clinical research investment of all grantees. Requires the Director to award clinical research infrastructure grants to eligible academic health centers to: (1) foster the use of information technology to facilitate the transformation of basic research findings on disease mechanisms into the development of new methodologies for diagnosis, therapy, and prevention; (2) address the obstacles impeding the expeditious application of new science, including a lack of up-to-date information technology systems and an underrepresentation of some populations in clinical research; and (3) share clinical research infrastructure across academic health centers to enable and facilitate cross-center clinical research collaborations. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make up to five grants to eligible academic health centers to form partnerships with health care providers for carrying out clinical human subject research to demonstrate how academic research centers may collaborate with the practicing health care community.
Bill· HRH.R. 2258 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Prohibits the Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a State for FY2006 from being less than the greater of: (1) the FMAP determined for the State for FY2005, decreased by 0.5 percentage points; or (2) the FMAP that would have been determined for the State for FY2006 if the per capita incomes for 2001 and 2002 that were used to determine the FMAP for the State for FY2005 were used. Provides that the FMAP applicable to a State for FY2006 after the application of the above limitation on reduction shall apply only for purposes of titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP)) of the Social Security Act and payments under such titles that are based on a described enhanced FMAP, and shall not apply with respect to payments under title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)) of the Social Security Act. Repeals this Act effective as of October 1, 2006 and provides that it shall not apply to any fiscal year after FY2006.
Bill· HRH.R. 2290 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Family Budget Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to eliminate the May 15 deadline for consideration of annual appropriations measures. Requires annual joint (currently, concurrent) budget resolutions signed by the President. Provides for an amendment to change the statutory limit on the public debt. Requires consideration of budget-related legislation before the budget resolution becomes law. Provides expedited procedures for presidential vetoes of joint budget resolutions. Provides for establishment of a reserve fund for emergencies. Requires: (1) biennial (currently, annual) budget resolutions; (2) biennial appropriations Acts; and (3) biennial government strategic and performance plans. Provides spending caps on the growth of entitlements and mandatory budget outlays. Excludes from such limitation until FY2008 direct spending programs and direct spending under part D (relating to the Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Health Insurance for the Aged and Disabled) under the Social Security Act (SSA) or spending under part C of such title (relating to the Medicare+Choice Program) that is attributable to such part D. Exempts benefits payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of SSA, Tier 1 railroad retirement benefits, and benefits payable under part A of title XVIII (relating to Hospital Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) of SSA and part C of such title (relating to the Medicare+Choice program) from required reductions under the Balanced Budget and Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), along with specified government accounts and activities. Provides other exceptions, limitations, and special rules with respect to sequestration exemptions. Directs the Chairman of the House and Senate Committees on the Budget each to maintain a Budget Protection Mandatory Account and a Budget Protection Discretionary Account. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require: (1) an analysis of long-term unfunded obligations in the President's budget submission; and (2) long-term unfunded obligation analyses by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Makes it out of order to consider legislation, if upon enactment, it would increase the long-term unfunded obligation of the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) as defined in the CBA. Freezes at current levels spending authority for each unearned entitlement and high-cost discretionary spending program unless such spending authority is reauthorized after the enactment of this Act. Establishes the Commission to Eliminate Waste, Fraud, and Abuse. Provides for accrual funding of the: (1) Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (2) Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System; and (3) Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System. Establishes in the Treasury: (1) the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Retirement Fund; (2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Retirement Fund; and (3) the Coast Guard Military Retirement Fund. Changes the name of the Department of Defense Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund to Uniformed Services Health Care Fund (thus, providing health care programs for all uniformed service retirees, under certain conditions). (Currently, such programs are for Department of Defense Medicare-eligible beneficiaries.) Decreases the limit on the public debt from $6.4 trillion to $4.393 trillion. Repeals rule XXVII of the House of Representatives (the Gephardt Rule, relating to mandatory adjustment of the statutory limit on the public debt to conform to a budget resolution). Prohibits consideration of extraneous appropriations in omnibus appropriations measures.
Bill· HRH.R. 2257 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Medicare Osteoporosis Measurement Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of bone mass measurements for all individuals at clinical risk for osteoporosis.
Bill· HRH.R. 2259 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Patients' Bill of Rights Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to set forth requirements for health plans or issuers of health insurance coverage, including requirements for: (1) utilization review activities; (2) procedures for claims benefits processing, prior authorization determinations, appeals, and internal reviews; and (3) access for an independent, external review. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Health Care Consumer Assistance Fund to award grants to States for consumer assistance activities designed to provide information, assistance, and referrals to consumers of health insurance products. Sets forth requirements for managed care programs and their access to care, including requiring such programs to: (1) offer coverage that allows for non-network coverage through another plan or issuer; (2) provide access to out-of-network emergency care without prior authorization; and (3) provide timely access to specialists. Requires certain annual disclosures from health plans or issuers, including disclosures of covered benefits, cost-sharing requirements, and participating providers. Prohibits a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting a health care professional's ability to advise a patient on the health of an individual or on medical care or treatment for the individual's condition or disease; and (2) operating any physician incentive plan. Establishes a cause of action against a plan or issuer that fails to exercise ordinary care in making a decision that results in a personal injury or death to a participant or beneficiary. Provides a tax credit to small businesses for expenses paid by the business for health insurance coverage of employees.
Bill· HRH.R. 2299 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Generic Drugs Access Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to include in an approval of an abbreviated application for a new drug a finding about whether the approved drug is the therapeutic equivalent of the previously approved or listed drug involved. Sets forth criteria for a drug to be established as therapeutically equivalent. Prohibits a state or its political subdivision from establishing or continuing any requirement that does not conform to the therapeutic equivalence requirement of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 2234 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
21st Century Health Information Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to regional health information organizations to develop and implement regional health information technology plans. Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to establish and maintain a national technical assistance center to provide assistance to physicians to facilitate adoption of health information technologies and participation in such regional plans. Requires the Secretary to establish a program of accrediting health information networks. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the progress of regional health information organizations in realizing the purposes of this Act. Prohibits federal funds available under this Act from being used for the purchase of a health information technology product unless such product has been certified as incorporating interoperability data standards and compliance criteria. Allows the Secretary to make loans to any accredited regional health information organization to finance investments in network infrastructure and technology acquisition, training, and workflow engineering for physicians. Amends the Social Security Act to exclude the provision of equipment or services for the development of such a regional plan from illegal remuneration provisions and limitations on physician compensation arrangements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a methodology for making adjustments in Medicare payments to providers participating in an accredited network; and (2) make matching Medicaid payments to states for the development and implementation of a regional plan under certain circumstances.
Bill· HRH.R. 2231 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers to conduct multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Requires each such center to: (1) be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence; (2) establish ongoing collaborations with community organizations; (3) be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions; (4) be supported under this Act for a period of not more than five years with additional periods allowed after review and recommendation; and (5) use innovative approaches to study unexplored areas of the environment and breast cancer. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to make recommendations for and to review grants awarded under this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 2238 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Children's Vision Improvement and Learning Readiness Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states for providing: (1) comprehensive eye examinations for children, with priority given to children under nine years old; (2) subsequent vision treatment or services to correct vision problems; and (3) educational materials to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria to collect data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services; and (2) coordinate the grant program with appropriate federal and state child services programs. Requires states to annually submit to the Secretary a program evaluation.
Bill· HRH.R. 2218 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Medical Laboratory Services Access Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to fee schedules for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and the Medicare laboratory specimen collection fee. Sets such fee at $5.78 for 2006, and the same adjusted for inflation in subsequent years, to cover the appropriate cost of collecting the sample on which a clinical diagnostic laboratory test was performed and for which payment is made.
Bill· HRH.R. 2240 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Urban and Rural Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make matching grants and loans to state and local government agencies and community development public authorities for the development of indoor centers for disease prevention and health promotion that are: (1) used principally as indoor recreational facilities; (2) owned or controlled by the entity receiving the grant; (3) available for use by residents of the jurisdiction free of charge or at a fee necessary to provide for the operation and maintenance of the facility; and (4) subject to legally binding and enforceable commitments as to the availability of the facility for 25 years.
Bill· HRH.R. 2236 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Consumer Food Safety Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) administer a national program to protect human health by ensuring that the food industry has effective programs to assure the safety of food; (2) prescribe regulations regarding harmful substances in food, registration of facilities, sanitary food processing, proper labeling, processing controls, and inspections of registered facilities; (3) establish tolerances to limit the quantity of contaminants in food; (4) establish a system to ensure the safety of imported food; (5) include food in an active surveillance system; (6) establish guidelines for a sampling system of food products; (7) rank food categories based on their health hazard and identify approaches to minimize such hazards; and (8) design and implement a food safety education program. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require notification of the Secretary of any adulterated or misbranded food. Sets forth provisions regarding ceasing distribution of food, recalls, and civil penalties for violations of this Act. Prohibits any person from being discriminated against because that person participated in any way in carrying out the purpose of specified federal food laws or refused to violate any law, rule, or regulation. Allows the Secretary to impose traceability requirements on a type or class of food product as necessary to assure the protection of the public health. Allows civil actions against the Secretary for failing to perform any non-discretionary act or duty to ensure the safety of food products.
Bill· SS. 978 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2005
Healthcare Tax Relief for the Uninsured Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax deduction for high deductible health plan premiums; (2) small employers (100 or fewer employees) a refundable tax credit for contributions to a health savings account of an employee who is covered by a high deductible health plan; and (3) a refundable tax credit for certain health insurance costs of uninsured taxpayers and their spouses and dependents. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program for making advance payments of tax credit amounts for uninsured individuals to health insurance providers.
Bill· HRH.R. 2206 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2005
Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to improve public health preparedness through increasing the number of veterinarians in the workforce. Defines "eligible entities" as accredited public or nonprofit schools of veterinary medicine, departments of comparative medicine, departments of veterinary science, schools of public health, or schools of medicine that offer training for veterinarians in a public health practice area. Requires the Secretary to give preference to applicants that demonstrate a comprehensive approach by involving more than one eligible entity. Allows grantees to use funds to: (1) pay the costs associated with construction, the acquisition of equipment, and other capital costs relating to the expansion of existing schools or departments; and (2) pay the capital costs associated with the expansion of academic programs that offer postgraduate training for veterinarians or concurrent training for veterinary students in specific areas of specialization
Bill· HRH.R. 2184 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Nursing School Capacity Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to request that the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) conduct a study to: (1) identify constraints encountered by schools of nursing in admitting and graduating the number of registered nurses necessary to ensure patient safety and meet the need for quality assurance in the provision of health care; and (2) develop recommendations to alleviate the constraints on a short-term and long-term basis. Directs the Secretary to provide that the study consider the perspectives of: (1) nurses and physicians in inpatient, outpatient, and residential facilities; (2) faculty and administrators of nursing schools; (3) providers of health plans or health insurance; and (4) consumers.
Bill· HRH.R. 2133 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Health Security for All Americans Act - Amends the Social Security Act to provide participating States with funding to provide health insurance coverage through State-administered plans targeted at low-income residents. Requires States to implement systems to ensure universal health insurance coverage for their residents by 2010, including by requiring employers to contribute to health insurance premiums for their employees. Requires health plans to: (1) create entities to serve as employers for their home care providers; (2) ensure that enrollees will continue to receive health services if the plan's services are terminated; and (3) supply the State with information on their health care workers. Incorporates the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act, as passed by the Senate on June 29, 2001, and the Patient Safety and Health Care Whistleblower Protection Act of 2001, as introduced on June 27, 2001. Establishes the Health Care Quality, Patient Safety, and Workforce Standards Institute (and a related advisory committee) within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) with a mission to demonstrate how patient safety issues and workplace conditions are linked to quality patient care, reduce medical errors, and improve patient safety and care. Requires that individuals entitled to Medicare benefits be provided full mental health and substance abuse treatment parity. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct research to identify model programs for the provision of long-term and home health care services. Expresses the sense of Congress that funds to implement this Act should be offset by: (1) general revenues available as a result of an on-budget surplus for a fiscal year; (2) direct saving in health care expenditures; and (3) reductions in unnecessary Federal tax benefits available to individuals and large corporations in the maximum tax brackets.
Bill· HRH.R. 2131 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century Act - Revises, expands, or provides new rights and benefits for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their dependents and survivors, including, among others: (1) an FY 2006 increase in funding for veterans' medical care; (2) a prohibition until the end of FY2006 on medication copayments and on the imposition of a health care system enrollment fee; (3) an extension until 2010 of Vietnam veterans' eligibility for readjustment counseling services; (4) the collection of data from pre- and post-deployment health assessments, and preventive maintenance post-deployment intervention; (5) the prevention, early detection, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for returning troops; (6) a Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs Council on Post-Deployment Mental Health; (7) survivors' and dependents' eligibility for family and bereavement counseling; (8) certain educational initiatives; (9) a National Steering Committee on PTSD Education and a PTSD public awareness program; (10) certain benefits and outreach services for disabled veterans; (11) an increase in survivors' dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC); (12) certain pay increases and bonuses for active-duty members; (13) an expansion of benefits under under both the active-duty and reserve Montgomery GI Bill programs; (14) employment assistance for homeless veterans; (15) expanded reserve member eligibility under the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program); (16) certain recruitment and retention incentives for Selected Reserve members; and (17) certain pay matters with respect to Federal employees performing active-duty reserve service. Repeals the: (1) DIC offset from Survivor Benefit Plan surviving spouse annuities; (2) pay reduction and high school graduation requirement for participation in the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program; (3) delimiting date for entitlement to basic educational assistance under such program; (4) time limitation on the exclusion of combat zone compensation by reason of hospitalization; (5) tax cut (implemented in 2001) for high-income taxpayers; (6) scheduled termination of the phaseout of personal exemptions; and (6) scheduled phaseout of the overall limitation on itemized deductions.
Bill· HRH.R. 2197 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Health Care for Working Families Act of 2005 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to require each large employer to: (1) offer to each of its employees the opportunity to enroll in a qualifying health benefit plan that provides coverage for the employee and the employee's family; (2) contribute to the cost of such a plan; and (3) withhold the employee's share of the plan premium from the employee's wages. Defines a qualifying health benefit plan as one that: (1) provides benefits for health care items and services actuarially equivalent to or greater in value than those offered as of January 1, 2006, under the Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BCBS) Standard Plan provided under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP); and (2) meets health insurance coverage requirements under the Public Health Service Act. Sets the minimum required contribution by an employer at the same portion of the total premium as the federal government pays for the BCBS Standard Plan under FEHBP. Requires any employee covered under a federal health insurance program to accept an employer's offer of health insurance coverage and agree to payroll withholdings. Requires the relevant federal administrator of such a program to provide for the payment of the employee's share of the premium upon the employee's request. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require a health insurance issuer that offers employee health insurance coverage to an employer to ensure that it complies with requirements of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 2125 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Continued Benefits for Injured Military Spouses Act - Entitles to military health care and commissary and exchange benefits the former spouse of a member of the armed forces who performed at least 20 years of service creditable for retired pay if such spouse: (1) has not remarried; (2) had been married to such member for at least 20 years on the date of divorce or annulment, of which at least 10 years were during the period when the member was performing such service; and (3) sought a divorce or annulment due in whole or part to domestic violence involving that person or a child of that person that is substantiated by counseling or medical records, or to other circumstances that constitute unbearable conditions.
Bill· HRH.R. 2203 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Patients' Health Care Reform Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment and governance of : (1) HealthMarts, which are nonprofit organizations that offer health benefits coverage to employers, employees, and individuals through contracts with health insurance issuers; and (2) individual membership associations (IMAs), which are organizations that offer health benefits coverage to members through health insurance issuer contracts. Requires the Secretary of Heath and Human Services to pay 50 percent of a state's costs to provide health benefits coverage under a high-risk pool, a reinsurance pool, or other risk-adjustment mechanisms used to subsidize the purchase of private health insurance. Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for establishment and governance of association health plans, which are group health plans whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations and which meet certain ERISA certification requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide individuals with a tax credit for payments for qualified health insurance and allows the Secretary to make advance payments of the credit to providers. Excludes from gross income any compensating coverage payment made by an employer to an employee who elects not to participate in the employer's subsidized health plan. Requires health insurance issuers offering coverage in connection with a group health plan to provide certain information to the administrator of the plan, including information regarding: (1) plan benefits and exclusions; (2) a participant's financial responsibilities; and (3) legal recourse options for participants and beneficiaries.
Bill· HRH.R. 2200 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Prescription Drug Price Fairness Act - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) grant the Secretary of Health and Human Services authority similar to that of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to negotiate the lowest possible prices for outpatient prescription drugs; (2) include prices charged for covered outpatient drugs to certain Federal agencies in the determination of best price for such drugs under the Medicaid program; and (3) allow States, in entering into rebate agreements with manufacturers, to form pools to negotiate price concessions from the manufacturers for covered outpatient drugs.
Bill· HRH.R. 2199 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Steve Grissom Relief Fund Act of 2005 - Establishes the Steve Grissom Relief Fund in the Treasury. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make a single payment from the Fund to any individual infected with HIV or diagnosed with AIDS who: (1) was treated with HIV-contaminated blood, blood components, human tissue, or organs; (2) is the lawful spouse of an individual so treated; (3) is a former spouse of such an individual and can assert reasonable certainty of transmission of HIV from such individual; and (4) acquired HIV through perinatal transmission from such an individual or individual's spouse. Sets forth documentation, petition, determination, and payment procedures. States that such payments do not create or admit any claim, but do constitute full satisfaction of all claims by or on behalf of such an individual. Provides that such payments do not constitute income for tax, benefits, or other purposes. Prohibits the assignment or transfer of rights under this Act. Limits petitions to one per victim. Terminates the program after five years. Excludes payments from consideration as: (1) compensation or reimbursement in determining repayment for insurance or worker's compensation benefits; or (2) income or resources in determining eligibility for social security income benefits.
Bill· HRH.R. 2124 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Clinical Research Act of 2005 - Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to award clinical investigator advancement grants to eligible academic health centers to: (1) establish career development programs for new and mid-level clinician-investigators who are fully committed to academic clinical research careers; (2) support the translation of basic science to patient care by implementing and conducting all aspects of their clinical research mission; and (3) support activities leading to innovative ways to achieve such purposes in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Requires that health centers receive a proportionate share of the total grant money awarded based on the amount invested by the grantee in clinical research compared to the total clinical research investment of all grantees. Requires the Director to award clinical research infrastructure grants to eligible academic health centers to: (1) foster the use of information technology to facilitate the transformation of basic research findings on disease mechanisms into the development of new methodologies for diagnosis, therapy, and prevention; (2) address the obstacles impeding the expeditious application of new science, including a lack of up-to-date information technology systems and an underrepresentation of some populations in clinical research; and (3) share clinical research infrastructure across academic health centers to enable and facilitate cross-center clinical research collaborations. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make up to five grants to eligible academic health centers to form partnerships with health care providers for carrying out clinical human subject research to demonstrate how academic research centers may collaborate with the practicing health care community.
Bill· HRH.R. 2195 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Act to Ban OxyContin - Deems the application to distribute controlled-release oxycodone hydrochloride, which is marketed as OxyContin, in interstate commerce that was approved under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to have been withdrawn.
Bill· HRH.R. 2177 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Healthcare Enhancement for Local Public Safety Retirees Act of 2005 or the HELPS Retirees Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow retired public safety officers to elect an annual exclusion from gross income up to $5,000 for distributions from governmental retirement plans for the payment of accident or health insurance or long-term care insurance.
Bill· HRH.R. 2090 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Food and Drug Administration Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require that all fees collected for the review of applications for human drugs, devices, and animal drugs be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury. Makes available amounts necessary for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review such applications. Prohibits the Secretary from entering into agreements with persons from whom such fees are collected and terminates any existing agreements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish the Center for Postmarket Drug Safety and Effectiveness within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate approved drugs; and (2) transfer to the Center all responsibilities for such regulation from the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Allows the Secretary to require manufacturers of approved drugs to conduct studies of an identified significant safety issue with the drug. Deems a drug to be misbranded if it does not meet the Secretary's requirements, including requirements for labeling and conducting postmarket studies. Requires the Secretary to follow the interpretation that the FDA used in 1999 that the FFDCA and Public Health Service Act establish minimal standards but do not preclude additional state requirements. Requires the Secretary to cease intervening in product liability civil actions to argue another interpretation. Sets forth procedures for advisory committee meetings to ensure that the committee is fairly balanced. Prohibits any exemptions from being granted to advisory committee members from rules prohibiting members from having a personal financial interest in the outcome. Requires doctors to inform patients and obtain consent to prescribe an approved drug for a purpose that has not been approved by the FDA.
Bill· HRH.R. 2071 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
FamilyCare Act of 2005 - Renames the State Children's Health Insurance program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act (SSA) as the FamilyCare program. Provides for: (1) FamilyCare coverage of parents and pregnant women under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) as well as under new SSA title XXI; (2) optional FamilyCare coverage of parents of targeted low-income children; (3) automatic eligibility for FamilyCare coverage of children born to a parent on FamilyCare assistance; (4) optional coverage of legal immigrants and of children through age 20 under Medicaid and FamilyCare; (5) authorization of a State to use simplified procedures under Medicaid for families under Family care; (6) revision of the transitional medical assistance program; (7) limitations on specified conflicts of interests under Medicaid and FamilyCare; (8) a limitation on cost-sharing to 2.5 percent for families with income below 150 percent of the poverty level; and (9) increased Federal reimbursement for language services under Medicaid and FamilyCare. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on funding under SSA title XXI. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award demonstration grants to up to seven States (or other qualified entities) to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to enroll homeless individuals and families and provide them services under specified programs for the homeless (including Medicaid and FamilyCare).
Bill· HRH.R. 2098 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Asthma Act - Authorizes additional appropriations to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Directs the Program's coordinating committee to report concerning the scope of, and federal programs concerned with, asthma problems in the United States. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collaborate with states to expand specified asthma-related activities. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to make grants to nonprofit private entities to carry out related outreach activities. Gives grant priorities to communities disproportionately affected by asthma or underserved by health programs and in which a significant number of low-income individuals reside. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to make matching grants to states to carry out activities to assist children with respect to asthma. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to local educational agencies in communities with significant numbers of low-income or underserved individuals for elementary and secondary school asthma-related activities. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) hospitals and managed care plans should undertake certain efforts to increase asthma-related education and training; and (2) federal, state, and local activities should promote Public Health Service asthma diagnosis and management guidelines.
Bill· HRH.R. 2072 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Medicare Early Access Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to add a new part E (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals 55 to 65 Years of Age). Provides access to Medicare benefits for individuals 55 to 64 years of age who do not have coverage under a Federal health insurance program or under a group plan. Requires enrollees to pay a premium to receive Medicare coverage. Requires the Secretary to base the premium on the Secretary's estimate of the average, national annual per capita amount of the cost of providing services to the population. Allows early retirees with access to retiree coverage to enroll under this part while keeping their Federal or State COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation coverage. Allows an employer that offers employment-based retiree health coverage to an individual who enrolls under this part to modify such coverage to provide for: (1) employer payment of items and services for which payment may not be made under Medicare; and (2) employer payment of 25 percent of the monthly premium applicable to the individual after enrollment. Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund to hold the premiums collected under this Act and to support the new program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow program enrollees to receive a 75 percent advance, refundable credit to offset Medicare early access premium costs (thus requiring program enrollees in the Medicare early access program to be responsible for 25 percent of the monthly premiums).
Bill· HRH.R. 2073 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Small Business Health Insurance Promotion Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain small employers (not more than 50 employees) a business tax credit equal to 50 percent of amounts paid by such employers for the health care coverage of their employees under a qualified health pooling arrangement. Limits the period during which the tax credit may be taken to four years from the date the employer begins participating in a qualified health pooling arrangement. Defines "qualified health pooling arrangement" as a national or state arrangement that provides health benefits coverage substantially similar to that of the four largest health benefit plans offered to Federal employees. Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Labor to provide for the offering and oversight of qualified State and national health pooling arrangements and to conduct a study, through the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, of the operation of such arrangements.
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