Records whose title is actually about this topic. Use a country filter if the list is still too broad.
Records
Bill· SS. 1455 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment Act or the TREAT Act Amends the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of patients that a qualifying practitioner dispensing narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment is initially allowed to treat from 30 to 100 patients per year. Allows a qualifying physician, after one year, to request approval to treat an unlimited number of patients under specified conditions, including that he or she: (1) agrees to fully participate in the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program of the state in which the practitioner is licensed, (2) practices in a qualified practice setting, and (3) has completed at least 24 hours of training regarding treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients for substance use disorders provided by specified organizations. Revises the definition of a "qualifying practitioner" to include: (1) a physician who holds a board certification from the American Board of Addiction Medicine; and (2) a nurse practitioner or physicians assistant who is licensed under state law to prescribe schedule III, IV, or V medications for pain, who has specified training or experience that demonstrates specialization in the ability to treat opiate-dependent patients, who practices under the supervision of, or prescribes opioid addiction therapy in collaboration with, a licensed physician who holds an active waiver to prescribe schedule III, IV, or V narcotic medications for opioid addiction therapy, and who practices in a qualified practice setting. Directs the Comptroller General to initiate an evaluation of the effectiveness of this Act, including an evaluation of: (1) changes in the availability and use of medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, (2) the quality of medication-assisted treatment programs, (3) diversion of opioid addiction treatment medication, and (4) changes in state or local policies and legislation relating to opioid addiction treatment.
Law· SS. 1461 (114th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to continue to instruct Medicare contractors not to enforce requirements for direct physician supervision of outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2015.
Bill· HRH.R. 2570 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Value Based Insurance Design for Better Care Act of 2015 or the VBID for Better Care Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a three-year demonstration program to test the use of value-based insurance design methodologies under the eligible Medicare Advantage plans offered by Medicare Advantage organizations under part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Defines "value-based insurance design methodology" as one for identifying specific prescription medications, and clinical services payable under Medicare, for which copayments, coinsurance, or both would improve the management of specific chronic clinical conditions because of the high value and effectiveness of such medications and services for such specific chronic clinical conditions, as approved by the Secretary. Authorizes HHS to expand the duration and scope of the demonstration program to an appropriate extent if specified requirements are met.
Bill· HRH.R. 2568 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Fair Medical Audits Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to modify requirements related to the identification and recovery of overpayments under Medicare. A contract between the the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and a recovery audit contractor must require the contractor to provide a health care provider with: (1) specified identifying, legal, and logistical information; (2) an identification of any errors or underpayments discovered in the audit; and (3) a description of how any requested overpayment amount was calculated. Standards for extrapolation when used to determine overpayment amounts are established. CMS must require a contractor to give a provider at least 90 days' notice of identified code over-utilization and to reimburse a provider for the cost of producing certain documentation. The retrospective audit period is limited to two (rather than four) years. Recovery audit contractors must have staff with knowledge and experience related to clinical licensure and medical records, claims, and codes. A contractor that has excessive overturned determinations shall be subject to administrative penalty and, under specified circumstances, liable for attorneys' fees. In the case of a provider seeking reconsideration of an overpayment determination, CMS may not recoup the overpayment until a decision has been rendered at the third level of appeal by an Administrative Law Judge. A recoupment based on a decision that is reversed on appeal must be returned to the provider within 30 days.
Bill· SS. 1466 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Ensuring Equal Access to Treatments Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create certain additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately, from those that do not utilize such a drug, procedures that utilize a drug (other than contrast agents, diagnostic radiopharmaceutical, or anesthesia drugs) that both has a cost above the drug packaging threshold and functions as a supply when used in a diagnostic test or procedure.
Bill· SS. 1465 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine Act or the FAST Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) expand access to certain stroke telehealth services to any originating site at which the eligible telehealth individual is located at the time the service is furnished, regardless of where the site is located; and (2) waive the facility fee for certain such originating sites.
Bill· SS. 1456 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Rural ACO Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish additional requirements for assigning Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to accountable care organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare shared savings program. The program enables ACOs to receive payments for savings stemming from care coordination and management. Specifically, the bill requires the basis for assignment to reflect beneficiaries' utilization of not only primary care services provided by ACO physicians, but also those provided by other ACO practitioners, and those furnished in federally qualified health centers or rural health clinics. Other ACO practitioners include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse-midwives, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, and registered dieticians or nutrition professionals.
Bill· HRH.R. 2515 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Anna Westin Act of 2015 This bill requires the Office on Women's Health of the Department of Health and Human Services to revise, promote, and make freely available the BodyWise Handbook and BodyWorks obesity prevention program. The handbook must include information about eating disorders relating to males as well as females. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must award grants: (1) to integrate training on eating disorders into existing curricula for health, mental health, and public health professionals; and (2) to states, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and educational institutions for seminars for school personnel on eating disorders and to make resources available to individuals affected by eating disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health must make public service announcements on eating disorders. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and Internal Revenue Code to prohibit health insurance coverage from permanently excluding a particular condition from mental health or substance use disorder benefits. Mental health and substance use disorder benefits include residential treatment. The Federal Trade Commission must submit to Congress a report that contains a strategy and recommendations to reduce the use in advertising of images that have been altered to change the physical characteristics of the individuals depicted.
Bill· HRH.R. 2558 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Examination of Exposures to Environmental Hazards During Military Service and Health Care for Atsugi Naval Air Facility Veterans and their Families Act of 2015 Directs the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and of Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly establish the Advisory Board on Environmental Exposures at Atsugi Naval Air Facility to provide expert advice to DOD and VA on matters relating to exposure of current and former members of the Armed Forces (members) and their dependents to environmental hazards at Atsugi Naval Air Facility, Japan, during the period beginning in 1983 in which the air, water, or soil at such facility was contaminated due to an incinerator. Requires the Board to: (1) consider and study cases of such exposure, (2) evaluate submitted exposure claims, and (3) recommend to such Secretaries that either a claim is insufficient to warrant further consideration or is sufficient to warrant health care or compensation. Authorizes the Board to convene a science panel to consider exposure claims and report results to the Board. Authorizes the DOD Secretary to provide to such members and dependents the health care benefits recommended by the Board. Requires the DOD Secretary to: (1) compile a list of individuals exposed to environmental hazards at the facility during the period in which the air, water, or soil was contaminated; and (2) submit a related report to Congress.
Bill· HRH.R. 2507 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Increasing Regulatory Fairness Act of 2015 This bill amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services, by regulation and in accordance with certain notice and public comment requirements, to determine and announce annually for 2017 and each subsequent year: (1) the annual MedicareAdvantage (MA) capitation rate for each MA payment area for the year concerned, (2) the risk and other factors to be used in adjusting such rates for monthly payments in such year, and (3) the MA region-specific non-drug monthly benchmark amount for each MA region and each MA regional plan for which a bid was submitted.
Bill· HRH.R. 2505 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Medicare Advantage Coverage Transparency Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report to specified congressional committees by May 1 of each year on enrollment data of the Medicare+Choice plan year ending before January 1 of such year. If HHS is unable to submit such a report by May 1 of any year it shall notify those committees of the inability by April 30, with an explanation and the date by which the report will be made, which shall be not later than June 1.
Bill· HRH.R. 2536 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment Act or the TREAT Act Amends the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of patients that a qualifying practitioner dispensing narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment is initially allowed to treat from 30 to 100 patients per year. Allows a qualifying physician, after one year, to request approval to treat an unlimited number of patients under specified conditions, including that he or she: (1) agrees to fully participate in the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program of the state in which the practitioner is licensed, (2) practices in a qualified practice setting, and (3) has completed at least 24 hours of training regarding treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients for substance use disorders provided by specified organizations. Revises the definition of a "qualifying practitioner" to include: (1) a physician who holds a board certification from the American Board of Addiction Medicine; and (2) a nurse practitioner or physicians assistant who is licensed under state law to prescribe schedule III, IV, or V medications for pain, who has specified training or experience that demonstrates specialization in the ability to treat opiate-dependent patients, who practices under the supervision of, or prescribes opioid addiction therapy in collaboration with, a licensed physician who holds an active waiver to prescribe schedule III, IV, or V narcotic medications for opioid addiction therapy, and who practices in a qualified practice setting. Directs the Comptroller General to initiate an evaluation of the effectiveness of this Act, including an evaluation of: (1) changes in the availability and use of medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, (2) the quality of medication-assisted treatment programs, (3) diversion of opioid addiction treatment medication, and (4) changes in state or local policies and legislation relating to opioid addiction treatment.
Bill· HRH.R. 2506 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Seniors' Health Care Plan Protection Act of 2015 States the intent of Congress to: (1) continue to study and request input on the effects of socioeconomic status and dual-eligible populations on the Medicare Advantage (MA) STARS rating system before reforming it, and, pending study and input results, (2) delay Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services authority to terminate MA plan contracts solely on the basis of performance under the STARS rating system. Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services, through the end of plan year 2018, from terminating a contract with respect to the offering of an MA plan by an MA organization solely because the plan has failed to achieve a minimum quality rating under the 5-star rating system.
Bill· HRH.R. 2516 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support Act of 2015 or VETS Act of 2015 Allows a health care professional who is authorized to provide health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs and who is a licensed, nationally registered, or certified professional to practice at any location in any state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth, territory, or possession, regardless of where the professional or patient is located, if the professional is using telemedicine to provide treatment. Allows such treatment regardless of whether such professional or patient is located in a facility owned by the federal government.
Bill· HRH.R. 2550 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Medical Imaging Modernization Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make a special rule reducing by 20% the payment under the physician fee schedule and the hospital outpatient prospective payment system for the technical component of imaging services that are x-rays taken using film. Imaging services that are x-rays taken using computed radiography technology shall have the technical component payment: (1) for services furnished from 2018 through 2022 reduced by 7%; and (2) for services furnished during 2023 or a subsequent year reduced by 10%. Reduced expenditures attributable to incentives to transition to digital radiography under the physician fee schedule are exempt from budget-neutrality calculation. The Department of Health and Human Services may not apply a multiple procedure payment reduction to the professional component of imaging services furnished before it publishes, as part of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule for a year, a empirical analysis of the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (commonly known as the "RBRVS") Data Manager information used to determine what, if any, efficiencies exist within the professional component of imaging services when two or more studies are performed on the same patient on the same day. These payment reductions under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system for the transition from traditional x-ray imaging to digital radiography shall apply without regard to budget neutrality.
Bill· HRH.R. 2519 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Audiology Patient Choice Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the coverage of audiology services to treat as physicians qualified audiologists authorized by the state and acting within the scope of their licenses to furnish such services. Enables Medicare beneficiaries to choose a qualified audiologist without regard to any requirement to be under the care of (or referred by) a physician or other health care practitioner, or that services be provided under the supervision of a physician or other health care practitioner.
Bill· HRH.R. 2513 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Promoting Access, Competition, and Equity Act of 2015 or the PACE Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to ease application criteria and procedures for physician-owned hospitals to expand their facilities. Under current law, expansion of physician-owned hospitals is subject to certain limitations, such as those regarding the extent and frequency of expansion and requiring community output. The bill suspends these limitations with respect to applications for expansion filed before October 1, 2019. Following the end of this suspension period, hospitals with consistently high quality ratings are included among those hospitals that may apply to expand their facilities. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may not alter the methodology for computing a hospital's quality rating before October 1, 2019. With respect to hospitals under development as of March 23, 2010, the bill extends to May 1, 2015, the date by which a hospital may qualify for an exception to the ownership or investment prohibition on physician self-referrals. The bill also: (1) exempts physician-owned hospitals from specified documentation and coding adjustments, and (2) extends reductions in certain inflationary increases associated with Medicare payments for inpatient hospital services.
Bill· HRH.R. 2502 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Comprehensive Care Payment Innovation Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for bundled payments for integrated care furnished by a qualified entity, during an episode of care for applicable conditions involving a hospitalization, to an individual entitled to, or enrolled for, benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled for benefits under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), but not enrolled under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice Program) or in a PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program.
Bill· HRH.R. 2565 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Prioritizing American Road and Jobs Act of 2015 This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to eliminate enhanced federal funding after 2016 for individuals who are newly eligible for Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Under current law, a state is entitled to an increased federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) to cover such individuals; this enhanced FMAP is equivalent to 100% through 2016, 95% in 2017, 94% in 2018, 93% in 2019, and 90% thereafter. The bill eliminates these enhanced funding levels so that, beginning in 2017, federal funding for expenses related to newly eligible individuals instead reverts to a state's regular FMAP (which, under current law, may range from 50% to 83%). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must estimate, for each calendar quarter beginning on or after January 1, 2017, the net quarterly reductions in federal expenditures resulting from this Act and adjust for a calendar quarter any initial estimate determined inaccurate. The adjusted estimate shall apply so as to adjust the amount appropriated to the Highway Trust Fund for the calendar quarter, subject to a specified limitation. The amount equivalent to the HHS estimate reduction in federal Medicaid expenditures for a calendar quarter, but no more than a total of $15 billion in any year, is appropriated and transferred to the Highway Trust Fund from any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated for that quarter.
Bill· HRH.R. 2549 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
This bill amends the HITECH Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to revise or clarify the privacy rule established under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to allow the use and disclosure of protected health information for research purposes without the individual's authorization, approval from an Institutional Review Board or Privacy Board, or representations from the researcher regarding limited use of the information. These disclosures may only be made to entities subject to HIPAA for health care operations or to business associates that are complying with the privacy rule for health care operations or data aggregation. There is no limitation on payments for these disclosures. Currently, payment is limited to the cost to prepare and transmit the information. An individual's protected health information may be disclosed without the authorization or agreement of the individual for research related to a product or activity that is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. A researcher is allowed remote access to protected health information if security and privacy safeguards are maintained and the researcher does not retain the information. An individual's authorization to use protected health information for future research is sufficient for a research purpose if the authorization reasonably describes the research and provides instruction to the individual on how to revoke the authorization.
Bill· HRH.R. 2548 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Pediatric Research Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the Pediatric Research Initiative to require collaboration with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and require establishment of a National Pediatric Research Network comprised of pediatric research consortia. The National Institutes of Health must award funding to entities supporting pediatric research consortia. Supported consortia must, upon request, provide assistance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for patient registries and other surveillance systems.
Bill· HRH.R. 2547 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Surrogate Endpoint Improvement and Utilization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow the sponsor of a drug that is eligible for accelerated approval to request that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agree to an accelerated approval development plan that includes a surrogate endpoint for the study of the drug and a magnitude of drug effect that is sufficient to claim the drug is effective. (Accelerated approval is an FDA process for approving a new drug for a serious medical condition at a point in the study of the drug that is reasonably likely to predict a clinical benefit instead of at a later point when a clinical benefit can be confirmed.) The FDA may require the sponsor to modify or terminate an agreed upon plan if additional information indicates that the plan is no longer sufficient to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the drug or the drug is no longer eligible for accelerated approval.
Bill· HRH.R. 2540 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Breast Cancer Patient Education Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services to provide for the planning and implementation of an education campaign to inform breast cancer patients anticipating surgery about the availability and coverage of breast reconstruction, prostheses, and other options, with a focus on informing patients who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups.
Bill· HRH.R. 2529 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Reducing food-based Inorganic Compounds Exposure Act of 2015 or the RICE Act This bill directs the Food and Drug Administration to promulgate a final regulation establishing the minimum quantity of inorganic arsenic contained in rice or a rice product that will cause sale of the rice or rice product to be prohibited. The regulation must: (1) apply the minimum quantity to rice and rice products regardless of the origin of the arsenic, (2) include the establishment of tolerances, and (3) establish a standard for inorganic arsenic that is based on the maximum achievable reduction in health risks and is protective of the long-term health of children.
Bill· SS. 1453 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Puerto Rico Medicare Part B Equity Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the exclusion of residents of Puerto Rico from deemed enrollment under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits) and thus apply it to them. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a special seven-month enrollment period for such residents. Requires recalculation of the late enrollment penalty to 15% of the usual penalty for residents of Puerto Rico who are current enrollees or who enroll during a specified transition period.
Bill· SS. 1452 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Veterans Emergency Health Care Safety Net Expansion Act of 2015 Eliminates the requirement limiting reimbursement for emergency treatment in a non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility to veterans who are active participants in the VA's health care system. Requires the veteran to be an enrollee in the VA's patient enrollment system. Treats the VA as a participating provider for purposes of allowing the VA to recover the costs it incurs in providing care to a veteran for a non-service connected disability that is covered under the veteran's health plan contract.
Bill· SS. 1446 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a pilot program, to be known as Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training (or SOAR to Health and Wellness Training), to provide training to health care providers and other related providers on human trafficking. The objectives of the pilot program shall be to provide training to enable such providers to: identify potential human trafficking victims; implement proper protocols and procedures for working with law enforcement to report and facilitate communication with victims in accordance with all applicable federal, state, local, and tribal requirements; implement proper protocols and procedures for referring victims to social or victims service agencies or organizations; provide such victims care that is coordinated, victim centered, culturally relevant, comprehensive, evidence based, gender responsive, age appropriate, and trauma informed; and consider the potential for integrating such training with existing training programs for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, child neglect, child maltreatment, and child sexual exploitation. Functions of the pilot program shall include the functions of the training program that was operating on the day before this Act's enactment and the following authorized initiatives: engaging stakeholders, including human trafficking victims and any federal, state, local, or tribal partners, to develop a flexible training module that achieves such pilot program objectives and that adapts to changing needs, settings,and providers; making grants available to support training in health care sites that represent diversity in geography, the demographics of the population served, the predominate types of human trafficking cases, and health care provider profiles; providing technical assistance for health education programs to implement a nationwide health care protocol, or to develop continuing education training materials, that assist in achieving such objectives; developing a strategy to incentivize the utilization of training materials developed under this Act and the implementation of a nationwide health care protocol; and developing a reliable methodology for collecting and reporting data on the number of human trafficking victims identified and served in health care settings or other related provider settings. The program shall terminate on October 1, 2021. The bill requires HHS, during each of FY2016-FY2020, to collect data on the number of facilities that were operating under the program, and the total number of health care and related providers trained through the program, during such periods.
Bill· SS. 1438 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Allowing Greater Access to Safe and Effective Contraception Act This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prioritize review of supplemental drug applications (applications to modify the approved use of a drug) for contraceptive drugs intended for routine use that would be available to individuals aged 18 and older without a prescription. The FDA must waive user fees for such supplemental drug applications. Any drug that is eligible for this priority review must be a prescription drug for individuals under age 18. This bill repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 to allow health savings accounts and health flexible spending accounts (HFSAs) to be used to pay for medicine without a prescription and to remove the limit on salary reduction contributions to a HFSA under a cafeteria plan, effective as if the provisions had never been enacted.
Bill· SS. 1435 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Organ Donation Awareness and Promotion Act of 2015 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the federal government should carry out programs to educate the public with respect to organ donation, and (2) organ and tissue donors should be honored. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the appropriation of specified amounts for FY2015-FY2019 for: (1) the Organ Donation Public Awareness Program; (2) studies and demonstration projects to increase organ donation and recovery rates; (3) grants to assist states in carrying out organ donor awareness, public education, and outreach activities and programs designed to increase the number of organ donors within the state; and (4) support for the development and dissemination of educational materials to inform health care and other appropriate professionals in issues surrounding organ, tissue, and eye donation.
Bill· SS. 1431 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants for consumer education about opioid abuse. (Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin or certain prescription painkillers.) This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to require medical practitioners to be trained in the treatment of opioid-dependent patients, pain management, and early detection of opioid addiction before they can be registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispense opioids. Opioid treatment programs that close on any day must make arrangements for each patient to receive treatment during the closure, as necessary. A report must be submitted to SAMHSA for each individual who dies while receiving treatment in an opioid treatment program. In states receiving funding for controlled substance monitoring programs, deaths where an opioid drug is detected in the body must be reported to SAMHSA. The National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must establish a National Opioid Death Registry to track opioid-related deaths. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must develop and apply prescription drug abuse prevention and treatment quality measures. This bill amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors to limit the access of certain beneficiaries to frequently abused drugs. PDP sponsors must have a utilization management tool to prevent drug abuse. Medicare Drug Integrity Contractors may accept prescription and medical records to determine whether a beneficiary is at risk for prescription drug abuse.
Bill· SS. 1427 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Quality Measure Alignment Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to a contract with a consensus-based entity regarding performance measurement, to require the entity to facilitate increased coordination and alignment between the public and private sector with respect to quality and efficiency measures.
Bill· SS. 1426 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
Bill· SS. 1424 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ban cosmetics that contain synthetic plastic microbeads beginning on January 1, 2018.
Bill· SS. 1421 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Orphan Product Extensions Now Accelerating Cures and Treatments Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to extend by six months the exclusivity period for a drug or biological product approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when the product is additionally approved to prevent, diagnose, or treat a new indication that is a rare disease or condition (also known as an “orphan disease”). Allows HHS to revoke an extension if the application submitted to the FDA for the new indication contained an untrue material statement. Requires the sponsor of a product receiving an extension to notify HHS one year prior to discontinuing production for commercial reasons. Requires HHS to notify the public of products that receive this extension and patents related to those products. Limits a product to one extension under this Act. Sets forth that extensions under this Act are in addition to other extensions. Applies only to products approved after enactment of this Act for a new indication that is a rare disease or condition.
Bill· SS. 1415 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Small Business Stability Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the definition of "applicable large employer," for purposes of the mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to provide employees with minimum essential health care coverage, to mean an employer who employed an average of at least 101 (currently, 50) full-time employees during the preceding calendar year. Excludes from such definition a small employer that is eligible to purchase a qualified health plan in the small group health insurance market, as defined in PPACA.
Bill· SS. 1410 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Treatment and Recovery Investment Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to award grants to state agencies responsible for administering funds received under the substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant program, to local governments that have a high rate of, or have had a rapid increase in, the use of, or death related to the use of, heroin or other opioids (including prescription opioids), and to Indian tribes or tribal organizations in order to permit such entities to expand evidence-based treatment activities and related recovery services. The Center shall award: (1) five-year grants to state substance abuse agencies, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and public nonprofit entities to enhance access to primary care and related services for pregnant and parenting women diagnosed with opioid dependence; and (2) grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements of up to five years duration to eligible state substance abuse agencies and other appropriate entities to increase the capacity of substance use disorder treatment and recovery services for adolescents. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shall award grants to state substance abuse agencies and non-profit organizations to develop, expand, and enhance recovery support services for individuals with substance use disorders. The amount authorized under the substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant program is increased: (1) to a specified amount for FY2016, and (2) by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for each subsequent year. The Comptroller General shall evaluate and report on the in-patient and outpatient treatment capacity, availability, and needs of the United States.
Bill· SS. 1409 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Supporting Positive Outcomes After Release Act Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require a state plan for medical assistance to prohibit the state from terminating (but allowing it to suspend) enrollment under a state plan for an individual who is eligible because an inmate of a public institution.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 187 (114th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Supports the designation of May 2015 as National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. Calls on the people of the United States, interested groups, and affected persons to: (1) promote awareness of bladder cancer and to foster understanding of the impact of the disease on patients and their families and caregivers, and (2) take an active role in the fight to end bladder cancer.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 184 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2015 Expresses the sense of the Senate that conversion therapy directed at minors is discredited and ineffective, has no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and is dangerous and harmful. Defines "conversion therapy" as any practice by a licensed, certified, or registered mental health provider, health care provider, or counselor seeking or purporting to impose change of an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Excludes from such definition counseling that does not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression if such counseling provides: (1) acceptance, support, and understanding of an individual; (2) facilitation for coping, social support, and identity exploration and development of an individual; (3) developmentally appropriate counseling for an individual undergoing gender transition; or (4) sexual orientation- and gender identity-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. Encourages states to protect minors from efforts that promote or promise to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, based on the premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender nonconforming is a mental illness or developmental disorder that can or should be cured.
Bill· HRH.R. 2514 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Helping Veterans Save for Health Care Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that a veteran receiving hospital care or medical services for a service-connected disabililty is not disqualified from participating in or contributing to a tax-preferred health savings account.
Bill· HRH.R. 2488 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Medicare Beneficiary Preservation of Choice Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand and modify enrollment and disenrollment options for Medicare Advantage (MA) eligible individuals. Specifically, the bill extends the annual period in which an individual enrolled in MA may elect to instead receive benefits under the original Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) program as well as elect to change qualified prescription drug coverage. Furthermore, any MA-eligible individual (whether or not enrolled in MA) may once per period change a previous election with respect to receiving benefits through MA or Medicare FFS, including changing from one MA plan to another. Unsolicited marketing during this period is prohibited.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 282 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Supports the designation, and the goals and ideals, of National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. Calls on the people of the United States, interested groups, and affected persons to: (1) promote awareness of bladder cancer and to foster understanding of the impact of the disease on patients and their families and caregivers, and (2) take an active role in the fight to end bladder cancer.
Bill· HRH.R. 2464 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2015 Requires the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), at the same time the IG submits a report to the VA, to submit a copy of such report to the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs, including: (1) an explanation of any changes to the report recommended by the VA Secretary, and (2) a list of each manager responsible for an issue in a report that recommends actions to address to a public health or safety issue in the VA. Requires the VA: (1) within seven days after such submission, to notify each such manager of such issue; (2) to direct such manager to resolve the issue, (3) to provide the manager with appropriate counseling and a mitigation plan for resolving the issue; and (4) to ensure that the manager's performance review includes an evaluation of actions taken regarding such issue. Prohibits the Secretary from paying a bonus or award to any such manager if such issue remains unresolved.
Bill· HRH.R. 2484 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Stop Birth Tourism Act of 2015 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize a consular officer or the Secretary of State to require that a nonimmigrant B-visa alien (temporary tourist or business visitor) provide a certification from a health care provider that the alien is not pregnant, or, if the alien is pregnant, regarding the status of the pregnancy. Such an alien who is pregnant and likely to give birth in the United States is inadmissible.
Bill· HRH.R. 2462 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act Amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to declare that nothing in that Act modifies, impairs, or supersedes the operation of antitrust laws with respect to the business of health insurance. Applies prohibitions against using unfair methods of competition to the business of health insurance without regard to whether the business is for profit.
Bill· HRH.R. 2476 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Seniors' Health Care Choice Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish: (1) a special enrollment period under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for an individual enrolled in COBRA (health insurance continuation benefits) continuation coverage who elected not to enroll under part B during the individual's initial enrollment period, and (2) a three-month open enrollment period starting with 2015 and recurring in the first three months of each subsequent year in which a Medicare Advantage (MA)-eligible individual under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice) may change his or her Medicare enrollment election.
Bill· HRH.R. 2461 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the establishment of physicians' fee schedules, to extend for 2016 and each subsequent year the classification of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry services as imaging services used in bone mass scans. The Department of Health and Human Services shall establish national minimum payment amounts for such services as identified by specified Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes and adjusted by the pertinent geographical adjustment factors.
Bill· HRH.R. 2480 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Cerebral Cavernous Malformations Clinical Awareness, Research, and Education Act of 2015 or the CCM-CARE Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to strengthen and coordinate its efforts concerning cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM). (CCM is a condition in which blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord become enlarged, which can lead to seizures, paralysis, hearing or vision loss, or bleeding in the brain.) The NIH may award grants and enter into cooperative agreements for CCM research. The NIH must: (1) award grants and contracts to plan and provide support for a network of CCM Clinical Research Centers; (2) identify and support additional centers to facilitate medical research to develop a cure for CCM and enhance medical care for CCM; and (3) convene a Cerebral Cavernous Malformations Research Consortium to develop programs for clinicians, scientists, and patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may award grants and enter into cooperative agreements for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on CCM. The Department of Health and Human Services must award grants and enter into cooperative agreements for epidemiological activities related to CCM and must provide for a national CCM surveillance program. The Food and Drug Administration must: (1) coordinate with clinical centers, investigators, and advocates to support investigational new drug applications in order to hasten clinical trials for CCM, and (2) support appropriate requests for designation of drugs for use in rare subpopulations of CCM patients as orphan drugs. (Orphan drugs are drugs developed to treat rare medical conditions and are eligible for certain incentives.)
Bill· HRH.R. 2479 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review each regulation and guidance that applies to the dissemination by means of the Internet of information about medical products and to propose revisions to such regulations and guidance that: facilitate meaningful use of the Internet by product sponsors for dissemination of truthful, non-misleading information about medical products; recognize that such sponsors may use the Internet to disseminate, in character-limited applications, truthful, introductory information about medical products and to provide additional information about the safety and effectiveness of the medical products using information that is hyperlinked to such introductory information; and treat such hyperlinked information as if it appeared in such introductory information, for regulatory purposes. HHS is required, after providing notice and an opportunity for public comment, to: (1) publish final regulations and guidance addressing such matters within 18 months after publication of proposed regulations and guidance; and (2) review and update such regulations and guidance periodically.
Bill· HRH.R. 2472 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Everson Walls and Ron Springs Gift for Life Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Health Resources and Services Administration to establish a National Organ and Tissue Donor Registry Resource Center. The Center must: (1) advance the development, expansion, and evaluation of state organ donor registries; (2) facilitate timely exchange of donor information between state registries; and (3) maintain a clearinghouse for information on registry best practices. The Department of Health and Human Services must award grants to states in order to develop, expand, or maintain state organ donor registries and establish benchmarks for improvement in organ donation. A state registry that receives a grant must be accessible to individual donors and the Center. A person taking an individual's organs is not civilly liable as long as the person verified the individual's consent with a state organ donor registry. The Government Accountability Office must study the feasibility of establishing a database to track the health effects of living organ donation.
PreviousPage 11 of 12Next