Healthcare

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4712) to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion, and providing for proceedings during the period from January 22, 2018, through January 26, 2018.

United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2018

Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4712) to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion, and providing for proceedings during the period from January 22, 2018, through January 26, 2018.

HELP Act

United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2018

Helping Ensure Low-income Patients have Access to Care and Treatment or the HELP Act This bill establishes a two-year moratorium on allowing new, non-rural hospitals and associated child sites to participate in the 340B drug pricing program; during the moratorium, the Department of Health and Human Services must issue regulations with specified program eligibility standards.

Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Equitable Rebuild Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018

Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Equitable Rebuild Act of 2018 This bill provides for additional disaster-recovery assistance and other assistance to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with respect to infrastructure, health care, agriculture, education, economic development, and environmental remediation, among other sectors. Specifically, regarding both territories, the bill: provides for the use of certain emergency assistance to rebuild electric grids; establishes grant programs to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy; subject to oversight requirements, increases funding for transportation infrastructure, telecommunications systems, housing, and community development; increases funding for Medicaid and Medicare; temporarily increases social-services block-grant allotments; increases funding for, and otherwise revises, rural and agricultural programs; increases funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs; provides for aid to the Head Start program, elementary and secondary education programs, and higher education programs;   increases funding for training and employment services; modifies provisions concerning unemployment assistance, taxation, and federal permitting; increases funding for economic and community development programs; increases funding for environmental remediation; requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to submit to Congress a disaster-relief plan; and otherwise modifies provisions related to emergency funding and disaster-recovery assistance. In addition, the bill: extends Medicaid waiver authority to all territories, provides for Medicaid disproportionate share hospital allotments to the territories, and otherwise revises the Medicaid and Medicare programs with respect to the territories; provides for health-insurance coverage for individuals residing in territories without health exchanges; extends participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Supplemental Security Income Program to all territories; modifies provisions concerning the earned-income tax credit and the child tax credit with respect to the territories; and  modifies provisions concerning the application of certain workers' protections in Puerto Rico.

Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018

Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury to: (1) cooperatively issue regulations to require group health plans and health insurance issuers to annually disclose the analyses performed to ensure compliance with mental health parity laws, and (2) conduct annual random audits of group health plans and health insurance issuers to determine compliance. HHS must establish a consumer parity unit: (1) to facilitate the collection of, monitoring of, and response to consumer complaints; and (2) to provide consumers information about the disclosure requirements and enforcement of the mental health parity laws.

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for clarification under the Medicare program about minimal self-adjustment for off-the-shelf orthotics.

United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018

This bill specifically includes off-the-shelf orthotics that require minimal self-adjustment by the patient as covered services under Medicare.

ACA OUTREACH Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018

Affordable Care Act Outreach for the Uninsured, Transformative Recruitment, and Enrollment Action for Compassionate Healthcare Act of 2018 or the ACA OUTREACH Act This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide funds through FY2021 for the Department of Health and Human Services to support (1) navigator programs, which conduct public education activities about qualified health plans and facilitate enrollment; and (2) outreach and promotional activities for health insurance exchanges.

Hospital Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018

Hospital Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2023 support to improve surge capacity and enhance community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies.

Helping Americans Seek Treatment Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018

Helping Americans Seek Treatment Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to conduct a national public awareness campaign regarding its substance abuse treatment referral routing programs. SAMHSA must incorporate into its programs and services information about pre-arrest referral programs, which allow an individual with a substance use disorder to seek assistance from a law enforcement agency without being subject to criminal penalties related to the individual's possession and use of controlled substances.

Veterans Deserve Better Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018

Veterans Deserve Better Act This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to require: (1) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay for hospital care or medical services furnished by a non-VA health care entity or provider under the Veterans Choice Program within 45 days of receipt of a paper claim or within 30 days of receipt of an electronic claim, and (2) the entity or provider to file a claim with the VA within 180 days of providing the service. The VA shall bar providers or entities that file fraudulent health claims from program participation. The VA shall: (1) ensure that contracts with third party administrators require that veterans' health care appointments be scheduled within five days, and (2) track all appointments and follow up on delayed appointments.

Access to Independent Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018

Access to Independent Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative costs for purposes of calculating the medical loss ratio of a health insurance plan. The bill defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under state law to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance.

Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018

Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury to: (1) cooperatively issue regulations to require group health plans and health insurance issuers to annually disclose the analyses performed to ensure compliance with mental health parity laws, and (2) conduct annual random audits of group health plans and health insurance issuers to determine compliance. HHS must establish a consumer parity unit: (1) to facilitate the collection of, monitoring of, and response to consumer complaints; and (2) to provide consumers information about the disclosure requirements and enforcement of the mental health parity laws.

Compact Impact Relief Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2018

Compact Impact Relief Act This bill provides additional aid to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawaii for providing health care, education, and other services to qualified migrants from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. The bill also makes such migrants eligible for assistance under the Social Services Block Grant and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs.

VET Protection Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2018

Veterans, Employees, and Taxpayers Protection Act of 2017 or the VET Protection Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to track the use of official time by VA employees without using estimates or time ranges. Official time is time granted to an employee under federal labor-management relations provisions to perform representational or consultative functions during which the employee would otherwise be in a duty status. The bill prohibits: (1) a VA employee from using official time to carry out political or lobbying activities; (2) specified health care employees, probationary employees, or employees above a certain salary level from using official time for any purpose; and (3) any VA employee from spending more than 25% of the time such employee would otherwise be in a duty status on official time. An exclusive bargaining agreement shall allow a VA employee to terminate a voluntary dues allotment at any time. A covered VA employee shall serve a two-year probationary period, after which the employee's supervisor shall determine within 90 days whether or not the appointment is permanent. A covered employee is any individual appointed to a permanent position within the competitive service or the Senior Executive Service and does not include specified health care practitioners.

Brett Giroir, of Texas, to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service, subject to the qualifications therefor as provided by law and regulations, and to be an Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, vice Howard K. Koh, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 8 January 2018

State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2018

State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize through FY2022 and revise the grant program for state offices of rural health, including to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make the grants, thus removing HHS's discretion to make them.