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Bill· HRH.R. 1418 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 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· HRH.R. 1420 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
National Traumatic Brain Injury Research and Treatment Improvement Act of 2015 Requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) evaluate existing surveillance and data collection systems that track the incidence and circumstances of traumatic brain injury, including concussion; (2) establish a statistically sound, scientifically credible, and integrated National Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance System; and (3) ensure that the System is designed in a manner that facilitates further research on brain injury. Requires the CDC to make information and analysis in the System available to the public and ensure that privacy and security protections applicable to the System are at least as stringent as those under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 1416 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2015 This bill requires any new presidential sequestration order for FY2016-FY2017 to declare that no reduction shall be made with respect to payments for physician-administered drugs and biologicals under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to the extent that such payments are made based on their average sales price. The Government Accountability Office must examine the shift of cancer care from physician-run community cancer clinics to hospitals and its consequences to costs to the federal government and to Medicare beneficiaries for cancer care under the Medicare program.
Bill· SS. 775 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Self-Insurance Protection Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the definition of "health insurance coverage" a stop-loss policy obtained by a self-insured health plan or a sponsor of a self-insured group health plan to reimburse the plan or sponsor for losses incurred in providing health benefits to plan participants in excess of a level set forth in the stop-loss policy.
Bill· SS. 788 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Requires the termination of any employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs who is found to have: retaliated or threatened to retaliate against any employee or applicant for employment for disclosing what the employee or applicant reasonably believes to be a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety (provided the disclosure is not specifically prohibited by law); retaliated or threatened to retaliate against any employee or applicant for exercising, or assisting another individual in exercising, any appeal, complaint, or grievance right granted by any law, rule, or regulation; or implemented or enforced certain nondisclosure policies, forms, or agreements that conflict with whistleblower protections and employee rights.
Bill· SS. 785 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act or the FRAC Act This bill repeals the exemption for hydraulic fracturing operations relating to oil and natural gas production activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prescribe regulations that authorize a state to seek primary enforcement responsibility for hydraulic fracturing operations for oil and natural gas without seeking to assume primary enforcement responsibility for other types of underground injection control wells. The chemicals intended for use in underground injections must be disclosed before the hydraulic fracturing operations commence. The chemicals actually used must also be disclosed at the end of the operations. The disclosure must be made to the state or, if the EPA has primary enforcement responsibility, to the EPA. The state or the EPA must ensure the accuracy and completeness of the disclosed information and make it available to the public. When a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in such hydraulic fracturing is necessary for medical diagnosis, treatment, or emergency response, hydraulic fracturing operations must disclose the formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the EPA, a first responder, or a health care practitioner upon request, regardless of the existence of a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement. Hydraulic fracturing operations may require the execution of the statement and agreement as soon as practicable. First responders or health care practitioners may share any information disclosed with other persons if the information is medically necessary, but such personnel may not make the information publicly available.
Bill· SS. 776 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2015 This bill amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make a targeted beneficiary under the medication therapy management program of a part D eligible individual who has a single chronic disease of cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hyperlipidemia, or diabetes.
Bill· SS. 768 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Steve Gleason Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover as durable medical equipment any eye tracking and gaze interaction accessories for speech generating devices furnished to individuals with a demonstrated medical need for them. Payment for speech generating devices or accessories shall be made on a rental basis, or in a lump-sum amount for the purchase of the item, without a cap on the amount.
Bill· SS. 761 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Veterans Access to Care Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to automatically designate medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as health professional shortage areas. Individuals may not participate in both the VA's Health Professionals Education Assistance Program and the National Health Service Corps scholarship or loan repayment programs. The Department of Health and Human Services, in carrying out the National Health Service Corps Program, must consult with the VA regarding health professional shortage areas that are VA medical facilities.
Bill· SS. 763 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize trauma care programs through FY2020. Grants for pilot projects of innovative models of emergency care and trauma systems can be allocated up to half of the remaining funds for trauma care after allocations for improvement of emergency medical services in rural areas and administrative purposes. State plans for emergency medical services are required to include the national standards and requirements of the American Burn Association for verified burn centers. The Department of Health and Human Services must update the model plan for designation of trauma centers and for triage, transfer, and transportation policies, taking into account standards from the American Burn Association.
Bill· HRH.R. 1387 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Fairness for Farmers Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude nonimmigrant agricultural seasonal workers from the definition of "full-time employee" for purposes of the employer mandate to provide employees with minimum essential health care coverage.
Bill· HRH.R. 1400 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Medicaid Tax Fairness Act of 2015 This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, with respect to payments to states for medical assistance programs, to reduce from 6% to 5.5% on a graduated basis for 2016-2020 and each subsequent year the indirect guarantee thresholds applied for determining permissible broad-based state or local health care-related provider taxes where a requirement is in effect to hold taxpayers harmless for any portion of the costs of the tax. (Currently the state [or other unit of government] imposing a broad-based health care-related tax or tax on each health care class provides for a direct or indirect non-Medicaid payment to those providers or others paying the tax, which may include an offset or waiver that directly or indirectly guarantees to hold taxpayers harmless for all or any portion of the tax amount. Such taxes are permissible if they are applied at a rate that produces revenues less than or equal to 6% of the revenues received by the taxpayer.)
Bill· HRH.R. 1411 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Expanding Nutrition's Role in Curricula and Healthcare Act or the ENRICH Act This bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to establish a program of three-year competitive grants to accredited medical schools for the development or expansion of an integrated nutrition and physical activity curriculum. The curriculum must: (1) be designed to improve communication and provider preparedness in the prevention, management, and reversal of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer; and (2) address additional topics regarding individuals in at-risk populations, as practicable, including physical activity and training programs, food insecurity, and malnutrition.
Bill· HRH.R. 1369 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Veterans Access to Extended Care Act of 2015 This bill modifies the treatment of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) agreements with service providers to furnish veterans with nursing home care, adult day health care, or other extended care services. Any such agreement shall: not be treated as a federal contract for the acquisition of goods or services and shall be not subject to any provision of law governing federal contracts for the acquisition of goods or services, and include specified requirements (such as for medical licensing and VA review of staff and facilities) to ensure the safety and quality of care furnished to veterans pursuant to such agreement. The failure of a provider to comply with a provision of the agreement may result in VA termination of the agreement. Such agreements are exempted from the application of certain public contract labor laws.
Bill· HRH.R. 1383 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Medicare Adult Day Services Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) cover certified adult day services furnished in a certified adult day services center and meeting specified requirements, and (2) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase by 3% the payment amount otherwise effective for such services furnished in a rural area on or after January 1, 2016, and before January 1, 2018.
Bill· HRH.R. 1376 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Patient Choice Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to authorize provisional approval of fast track products determined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be adequately safe. Treats provisional approval in the same manner as approval of a drug, except that provisional approval is subject to requirements related to informed consent and continued pursuit of safety and efficacy data for purposes of gaining approval for the drug. Defines the term “adequately safe” to mean that: (1) for at least one population, the risk of death or morbidity of the drug is unlikely to be greater than the combined risks of death or morbidity of the disease and existing therapies; or (2) the drug has had a valid marketing authorization for at least four years in one of the countries specified and data adequate for the approval of that marketing authorization has been submitted to HHS. Prohibits HHS from imposing any requirements for safety studies or data in addition to, or different than, the requirements for studies to establish safety for purposes of Phase 1 (initial introduction of an investigational new drug into humans) or Phase 2 (controlled clinical studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug for a particular indication in patients with the disease or condition under study and to determine the common short-term side effects and risks associated with the drug). Applies the provisional approval only to the indication for which the drug was: (1) designated as a fast track product, and (2) demonstrated to be adequately safe. Prescribes requirements for termination of provisional approval, withdrawal of provisional approval, and application of market exclusivity to fast-track approval products.
Bill· HRH.R. 1372 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Home Visiting Extension Act This bill amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to extend through FY2015 the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 1373 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Providers Consolidation and Medicare Payments Examined through Evaluation Act of 2015 or the Providers COMPETE Act of 2015 This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, as part of any annual notice and comment rulemaking process to implement changes to payment systems under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (including those for inpatient and outpatient hospital services, physicians' services, and services furnished by other providers and suppliers), to seek public comment on and evaluate the extent to which, and how, such a change is projected to affect provider consolidation.
Bill· HRH.R. 1368 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
No Healthcare Subsidies for Foreign Diplomats Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax credit for the cost of health insurance premiums and health insurance cost-sharing reductions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to foreign diplomats. Requires the Secretary of State to notify all foreign missions in the United States, permanent missions to the United Nations, and the United Nations Secretariat that health insurance premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions are not available for their foreign personnel with nonimmigrant status under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Bill· SS. 746 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2015 Establishes the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020. Directs the Commission to identify, recommend, and promote initiatives, partnerships, and research that can be turned into strategies to prevent breast cancer and breast cancer metastasis while giving priority to those that are: (1) not prioritized in the public sector, and (2) unlikely to be achieved by the private sector due to technical and financial uncertainty. Requires the Commission to: (1) submit within six months to the President and to the relevant congressional committees a description of the Commission's strategic plan; (2) submit an annual report to the President, Congress, and the public; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and not duplicative of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies. Directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine to evaluate the Commission's progress. Terminates the Commission on June 1, 2020.
Bill· SS. 739 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Veterans Access to Extended Care Act of 2015 This bill modifies the treatment of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) agreements with service providers to furnish veterans with nursing home care, adult day health care, or other extended care services. Any such agreement shall: not be treated as a federal contract for the acquisition of goods or services and shall be not subject to any provision of law governing federal contracts for the acquisition of goods or services, and include specified requirements (such as for medical licensing and VA review of staff and facilities) to ensure the safety and quality of care furnished to veterans pursuant to such agreement. The failure of a provider to comply with a provision of the agreement may result in VA termination of the agreement. Such agreements are exempted from the application of certain public contract labor laws.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 150 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National Sarcoma Awareness Month.
Bill· HRH.R. 1361 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2015
Medicaid Home Owner Maximum Equity Improvement Act or the Medicaid HOME Improvement Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act with respect to the denial of an individual's eligibility for nursing facility services or other long-term care services if the individual's equity interest in his or her home exceeds $500,000. The state option to increase such threshold amount to $750,000 is eliminated.
Bill· HRH.R. 1353 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2015
Promoting Access for Treatments Ideal in Enhancing New Therapies Act of 2015 or the PATIENT Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to extend to five years the three-year marketing exclusivity period provided to certain new drugs that include an active ingredient that was already approved by the Food and Drug Administration. A drug is provided this extended exclusivity period if it is approved for a new indication or use, or the drug has been reformulated or redesigned to: promote greater patient adherence to an approved treatment regime, reduce the public health risks associated with the drug, reduce side effects or adverse events, provide benefits to the health-care system, or provide other comparable patient benefits.
Bill· HRH.R. 1362 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2015
Medicaid Requiring Expenditures for Public Objectives to be Reflective of Total Spending Act or the Medicaid REPORTS Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require each state to report each source of funds, each entity providing such funds, and the amount of funds from each source, used by the state to finance the non-federal share of expenditures under Medicaid. The Secretary must make the information reported publicly available through publication on the Internet site of the Centers for Medicaid & Medicaid Services.
Bill· HRH.R. 1356 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2015
Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) establish standards to ensure that all VA medical facilities have the structural characteristics necessary to adequately meet the gender-specific health care needs of veterans at such facilities, including privacy, safety, and dignity; (2) integrate such standards into its prioritization methodology with respect to requests for funding major medical facility projects and major medical facility leases; and (3) report on such standards, including regarding the facilities that fail to meet such standards and the costs of projects and leases required to meet them. Requires the VA to: (1) use health outcomes for women veterans furnished health care by the the VA in evaluating the performance of VA medical center directors, (2) publish on its website information on such performance and on health outcomes for women veterans for each VA medical facility, (3) ensure that every VA medical center has a full-time obstetrician or gynecologist, and (4) carry out a pilot program to increase the number of residency program positions and graduate medical education positions for obstetricians and gynecologists at VA medical facilities in not less than three Veterans Integrated Service Networks. Directs the VA to develop procedures to share information that includes military service and separation data, personal email addresses and telephone numbers, and mailing addresses of veterans with state veterans agencies in electronic format as a means of facilitating the furnishing of assistance and benefits to such veterans. Allows a veteran to elect to prevent their information from being shared. Directs the Government Accountability Office to carry out an examination of whether VA medical centers are able to meet the health care needs of women veterans.
Bill· SS. 737 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2015
Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require that the primary care services furnished in the two years after enactment of this Act by a physician with a primary specialty designation of family medicine, general internal medicine, or pediatric medicine be paid at a rate that is not less than 100% of the payment rate that applies under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), but only if the physician self-attests as being Board certified in those areas. Extends this 100% of Medicare payment floor, subject to certain conditions, to the following providers: (1) physicians with a primary specialty designation of obstetrics and gynecology, and self-attesting they are Board certified; (2) advanced practice clinicians; (3) rural health clinics, federally-qualified health centers, or other specified health clinics; and (4) nurse practitioners, physician assistants, or certified nurse-midwives. Excludes from coverage of primary care services any such services provided in an emergency department of a hospital. Prescribes additional requirements for any contract between a state and a Medicaid managed care organization. Directs the Government Accountability Office to examine the use of alternative payment models in state Medicaid programs and identify opportunities for disseminating successful payment models among them. Amends SSAct title XI to: (1) extend funding for development of adult health quality measures; and (2) direct the Administrator for the Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services and the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to develop such measures specific to adult individuals with disabilities and include them in the Medicaid Quality Measurement Program.
Bill· SS. 728 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2015
Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Reauthorization Act or the STOP Act Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the program to reduce underage drinking for FY2016-FY2019. Revises reporting requirements for state programs on underage drinking. Specifies additional requirements for the development of the national media campaign to prevent underage drinking. Directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to make grants to professional pediatric provider organizations to increase effective practices, including the screening of children and adolescents for alcohol use, to reduce the prevalence of alcohol use among individuals under the age of 21, including college students. Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to collect data and conduct or support new research on underage drinking that carries out and improves public health surveillance of alcohol use and alcohol-related conditions in states among individuals between age 18 and 20 by increasing the use of surveys, such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, to monitor binge and excessive drinking and related harms. Amends the Federal Alcohol Administration Act to prohibit the manufacture, sale, distribution, or possession of powdered alcohol.
Bill· SS. 717 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Community Provider Readiness Recognition Act of 2015 Directs the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to jointly develop a system by which a non-Department mental health care provider who provides health care to members of the Armed Forces or veterans shall receive a mental health provider readiness designation if such provider meets eligibility criteria relating to: (1) knowledge, comfort, and understanding with respect to the culture of members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and family members and caregivers of such members and veterans; and (2) knowledge regarding evidence-based treatments that have been approved by such Departments for the treatment of mental health issues among such members and veterans. Requires such Departments to: (1) jointly establish and update a registry, which shall be available to the public, of all non-Department mental health care providers that are currently so designated, and (2) update all lists maintained by such Departments of such non-Department providers by indicating the providers that are currently so designated.
Bill· SS. 704 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Community Based Independence for Seniors Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a Community-Based Institutional Special Needs Plan demonstration program to target home and community-based care to eligible low-income Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older.
Bill· SS. 714 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Frontline Mental Health Provider Training Act Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly commence a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of expanding use of physician assistants specializing in psychiatric medicine at DOD and VA medical facilities in order to meet the increasing demand for mental health care providers at such facilities through the completion of two 18-month psychiatry fellowship programs for physician assistants. Directs DOD to carry out the pilot program at not less than one military medical treatment facility under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army, one under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy, and one under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Air Force. Requires the VA to carry out the program at not less than three VA medical centers. Requires each Department to select at least 12 physician assistants to participate in each fellowship program. Sets forth qualifications for eligible physician assistants. Requires each fellowship program to: (1) meet the training model for acuity, mixture, and volume established for psychiatric residency programs; and (2) provide to the selected individuals training equivalent to that received during a psychiatric residency, education leading to a clinical doctorate of science in psychiatry, and education that addresses the particular needs of rural and other under served populations of members of the Armed Forces and veterans.
Bill· SS. 715 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Military and Veterans Mental Health Provider Assessment Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that all health care providers under their respective jurisdictions receive, at least once every three years, empirically supported training on the recognition and assessment of individuals at risk for suicide and the management of such risk. Requires such Departments to: (1) conduct annual evaluations of the implementation by mental health care providers under their jurisdictions of Department-recommended clinical practice guidelines and other evidence-based treatments and approaches, and (2) incorporate such evaluations into the employee evaluation process of such providers. Directs such Departments to jointly submit: (1) a report assessing their mental health work forces and the long-term mental health care needs of members of the Armed Forces and veterans for purposes of determining long-term needs of such Departments for mental health care providers; and (2) a plan to jointly develop procedures to compile and assess data relating to outcomes for mental health care provided by the Departments, variations in such outcomes among different Department medical facilities, and barriers to the implementation by Department mental health care providers of recommended clinical practice guidelines and other evidence-based treatments and approaches.
Bill· SS. 711 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Mental Health First Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants to initiate and sustain mental health first aid training programs. Requires such a program to include training on: (1) the skills, resources, and knowledge necessary to assist individuals in crisis to connect with appropriate local mental health care services; (2) mental health resources, including the location of community mental health centers; and (3) protocols for referral to mental health resources. Sets forth the categories of individuals to be trained under the program, including first responders, law enforcement personnel, teachers and school administrators, human resources professionals, nurses and other primary care personnel, students enrolled in school, parents of students, and veterans and veteran stakeholders. Requires such programs to train individuals to accomplish safe de-escalation of crisis situations, recognition of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and timely referral to mental health services in the early stages of developing mental disorders. Requires SAMHSA to ensure that grants are equitably distributed geographically, and to pay particular attention to the mental health training needs of rural areas.
Bill· SS. 707 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Opioid Overdose Reduction Act of 2015 This bill exempts individuals from liability for harm caused by the emergency administration of an opioid overdose drug under certain circumstances. (An opioid is a drug with effects similar to opium, such as heroin.) The individuals exempted from liability are: a health care professional who prescribes or provides an opioid overdose drug to an individual at risk of experiencing an opioid overdose or to another individual in a position to assist an at-risk individual, if the individual prescribed or provided the drug has been educated about opioid overdose prevention and treatment by the health care professional or as part of a government opioid overdose program; an individual who provides an opioid overdose drug for emergency administration to another individual authorized to receive it as part of an opioid overdose program; and an individual who administers an opioid overdose drug to another individual who appears to have suffered an opioid overdose if the administering individual obtained the drug from a health care professional or as part of an opioid overdose program and was educated by the professional or program in the proper administration of the drug. These exemptions are inapplicable if the harm was caused by gross negligence or reckless misconduct. States can preempt these exemptions by providing additional protections from liability for individuals that administer opioid overdose drugs, or by enacting legislation making this Act not applicable to state civil action involving only citizens from that state.
Bill· HRH.R. 1344 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to expand programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing newborns and infants to include young children. The programs are revised and reauthorized for FY2017-FY2022.
Bill· HRH.R. 1343 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) with respect to the hospital readmissions reduction program under the inpatient (hospital) prospective payment system (IPPS). The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in determining a hospital's excess readmission ratio for purposes of making payments for discharges occurring during FY2016-FY2017, is required to make a risk adjustment to the ratio that takes into account both: (1) a hospital's proportion of inpatients who are full-benefit dual eligible individuals (eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid under SSAct title XIX), and (2) the socioeconomic status of patients served by the hospital. The Secretary must base the risk adjustment under the readmission program for subsequent fiscal years on specified reports required by the Improving Medicare Post Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 as well as a report the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission shall submit on the appropriateness of using a threshold of 30 days for readmissions under the program. The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must then incorporate report recommendations in carrying out risk adjustments for discharges occurring in such fiscal years in order to ensure that the most vulnerable populations are not unfairly penalized by the program. The Secretary shall consider the use of V or other International Classification of Diseases-related codes for potential exclusion of noncompliant patient cases when promulgating related regulations for FY2017. The Secretary must: (1) assess whether to exclude from the calculation of excess readmissions any patients whose clinical conditions or diagnoses may require frequent hospitalizations; then (2) exclude, starting in FY2018, any relevant clinical conditions identified in the assessment recommendations when determining a hospital's publicly reported readmission rate and excess readmissions ratio. The Secretary is directed to make a payment adjustment to subsection (d) hospitals necessary to ensure that the implementation of this Act does not result in any increase in aggregate expenditures under the IPPS. (Generally, a subsection (d) hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payment under the IPPS when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)
Bill· HRH.R. 1348 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Health Insurance Freedom Act of 2015 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to allow health insurance that meets state and federal benefit requirements as of October 1, 2013, to be sold on health insurance exchanges. Such insurance fulfills an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage but is not eligible for premium assistance and is not treated as a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum plan. Currently, health insurance must provide the essential health benefits to be sold on health insurance exchanges and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.
Bill· HRH.R. 1345 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Health IT Modernization for Underserved Communities Act of 2015 Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to extend to physician assistants eligibility for Medicaid electronic health record incentive payments, regardless of whether or not such physician assistants practice at a rural health center that is led by a physician assistant or in a federally qualified health center.
Bill· SS. 683 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act of 2015 or the CARERS Act of 2015 Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to provide that control and enforcement provisions of such Act relating to marijuana shall not apply to any person acting in compliance with state law relating to the production, possession, distribution, dispensation, administration, laboratory testing, or delivery of medical marijuana. Transfers marijuana from schedule I to schedule II of the CSA. Excludes "cannabidiol" from the definition of "marijuana" and defines it separately as the substance cannabidiol, as derived from marijuana or the synthetic formulation, that contains not greater than 0.3% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on a dry weight basis. Deems marijuana that is grown or processed for purposes of making cannabidiol, in accordance with state law, to meet such concentration limitation unless the Attorney General determines that the state law is not reasonably calculated to comply with such definition. Prohibits a federal banking regulator from: (1) terminating or limiting the deposit insurance of a depository institution solely because it provides or has provided financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) prohibiting, penalizing, or otherwise discouraging a depository institution from providing financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits a federal banking regulator from recommending, motivating, providing incentives, or encouraging a depository institution not to offer financial services to an individual, or to downgrade or cancel financial services offered to an individual, solely because: (1) the individual is a manufacturer of marijuana, (2) the individual is or later becomes an owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business, or (3) the depository institution was not aware that the individual is the owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits a federal banking regulator from taking any adverse or corrective supervisory action on a loan to an owner or operator of: (1) a marijuana-related legitimate business soley because the owner or operator is such a business, or (2) real estate or equipment that is leased to a marijuana-related legitimate business solely because it is leased to such a business Provides depository institutions that provide financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business protection under federal law from federal criminal prosecution or investigation, criminal penalties, and forfeiture of legal interest in collateral solely for providing financial services to such a business. Directs: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services to terminate the Public Health Service interdisciplinary review process described in the guidance entitled "Guidance on Procedures for the Provision of marijuana for Medical Research" (issued on May 21, 1999), and (2) the Drug Enforcement Administration to issue at least three licenses under CSA registration requirements to manufacture marijuana and marijuana-derivatives for research approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to authorize VA health care providers to provide veterans with recommendations and opinions regarding participation in state marijuana programs.
Bill· SS. 689 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act Provides that for purposes of medical professional liability insurance or civil and criminal malpractice liability determinations, a physician or athletic trainer (covered sports medicine professional) who is authorized to practice medicine in a state (primary state) and who provides medical services to an athlete or athletic team in a state where such professional is not authorized to practice (secondary state) shall be deemed to have provided such medical services in the primary state, provided that prior to providing the covered medical services such professional has disclosed the nature and extent of such services to the entity that provides such professional with medical professional liability insurance in the primary state.
Bill· SS. 688 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) with respect to the hospital readmissions reduction program under the inpatient (hospital) prospective payment system (IPPS). The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in determining a hospital's excess readmission ratio for purposes of making payments for discharges occurring during FY2016-FY2017, is required to make a risk adjustment to the ratio that takes into account both: (1) a hospital's proportion of inpatients who are full-benefit dual eligible individuals (eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid under SSAct title XIX), and (2) the socioeconomic status of patients served by the hospital. The Secretary must base the risk adjustment under the readmission program for subsequent fiscal years on specified reports required by the Improving Medicare Post Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 as well as a report the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission shall submit on the appropriateness of using a threshold of 30 days for readmissions under the program. The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must then incorporate report recommendations in carrying out risk adjustments for discharges occurring in such fiscal years in order to ensure that the most vulnerable populations are not unfairly penalized by the program. The Secretary shall consider the use of V or other International Classification of Diseases-related codes for potential exclusion of noncompliant patient cases when promulgating related regulations for FY2017. The Secretary must: (1) assess whether to exclude from the calculation of excess readmissions any patients whose clinical conditions or diagnoses may require frequent hospitalizations; then (2) exclude, starting in FY2018, any relevant clinical conditions identified in the assessment recommendations when determining a hospital's publicly reported readmission rate and excess readmissions ratio. The Secretary is directed to make a payment adjustment to subsection (d) hospitals necessary to ensure that the implementation of this Act does not result in any increase in aggregate expenditures under the IPPS. (Generally, a subsection (d) hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payment under the IPPS when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)
Bill· SS. 676 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2015
Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Prevention Act of 2015 Requires the Department of the Treasury to: (1) establish a plan to reduce the administrative time required to process and resolve cases of tax-related identity theft in connection with tax returns and refunds to no more than 90 days, on average; (2) ensure that taxpayers who have been adversely affected by identity theft have a single point of contact at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); (3) issue a personal identification number to any individual requesting protection from identity theft-related fraud after such individual's true identity has been established and verified; (4) implement a program to prevent the processing of a tax return by an identity thief; (5) issue regulations that restrict the delivery or deposit of multiple tax refunds to the same individual in the same tax year; (6) notify a taxpayer if there has been an unauthorized use of such taxpayer's identity or if a person has been criminally charged for such unauthorized use; and (7) submit a report on options for creating a tax system that reduces burdens on taxpayers and decreases tax fraud through information matching. Imposes restrictions on the use of prepaid debit cards for tax refunds. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Health Information Technology Committee to develop, incorporate, and report on a plan to provide for a reliable nationwide health information technology infrastructure that does not use a social security account number for data matching, coordination of benefits, billing, and research purposes. Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish and implement procedures to eliminate the unnecessary collection, use, and display of social security account numbers of Medicare beneficiaries; (2) ensure that newly-issued Medicare identification cards meet certain security standards; and (3) establish a pilot program to evaluate the applicability of smart card technology to Medicare beneficiaries or providers and whether such cards would be effective in preventing Medicare fraud. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the display, sale, or purchase of social security numbers without the consent of the account holder. Imposes criminal penalties for obtaining a social security number for purposes of locating or identifying an individual with the intent to physically injure, harm, or use the identity of an individual for any illegal purpose. Allows civil remedies to enjoin and recover losses from violations of this Act and sets forth civil penalties for such violations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a criminal penalty for willful misappropriation of another person's taxpayer identity; (2) increase the civil and criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information by paid tax return preparers; (3) allow the use of an identifying number, instead of a social security number, for an employee on a W-2 form; and (4) impose a penalty on tax return preparers who fail to verify the identity of a taxpayer who is filing a tax return or claiming a refund. Authorizes the IRS Commissioner to transfer appropriated funds to be used solely to prevent and resolve potential cases of tax fraud. Directs the Commissioner to: (1) establish in the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS the position of Local Law Enforcement Liaison to coordinate the investigation of tax fraud with state and local law enforcement agencies, and (2) establish a program to verify the identity of any individual opening an e-Services account. Grants Treasury: (1) enhanced authority to regulate and sanction paid tax return preparers, and (2) access to information in the National Directory of New Hires for purposes of administering the tax code.
Bill· SS. 679 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2015
Quality Data, Quality Healthcare Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the use of certain data by qualified public or private entities to evaluate the performance of service providers and suppliers under Medicare insurance programs. Authorizes a qualified entity to: (1) use Medicare data, and information derived from service provider and supplier performance evaluations, for additional non-public analyses; or (2) provide or sell such data and analyses to specified health care-related entities for non-public use (including for purposes of assisting service providers and suppliers to develop and participate in quality and patient care improvement activities, particularly development of new models of care). Conditions such authorization upon a data use agreement between a qualified entity and a specified health care-related entity under which the latter: (1) may not re-sell such data or analyses, and (2) shall comply with the qualified entity's privacy and security policies in using such data or analyses. Prescribes a civil money penalty for unauthorized use of data and analyses. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide Medicare claims data to qualified clinical data registries for purposes of linking it with clinical outcomes data and performing and disseminating risk-adjusted, scientifically valid research to support quality improvement. Prohibits a qualified clinical data registry from reporting publicly any claims data thus made available that individually identifies a service provider or supplier without prior consent.
Bill· HRH.R. 1342 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2015
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner, (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law, (3) a certified nurse-midwife, or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.
Bill· HRH.R. 1341 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2015
Fair Access to Health Care Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the health care insurance premium assistance tax credit, to adjust by a specified percentage the poverty line cap used to determine the eligibility of low-income taxpayers whose principal residence is located in a high cost area for such credit. The bill defines "specified percentage" as the product of 400% (the current poverty line cap) and the Supplemental Poverty Measure for high cost areas as determined by the Bureau of the Census.
Law· HRH.R. 1321 (114th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 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.
Law· SS. 665 (114th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of 2015 Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a national Blue Alert communications network within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue Blue Alerts through the initiation, facilitation, and promotion of Blue Alert plans for the dissemination of information received as a Blue Alert, in coordination with states, local governments, and law enforcement agencies; and (2) assign an existing DOJ officer to act as the national coordinator of the network. Defines "Blue Alert" as information sent through the network relating to: (1) the serious injury or death of a law enforcement officer in the line of duty, (2) an officer who is missing in connection with the officer's official duties, or (3) an imminent and credible threat that an individual intends to cause the serious injury or death of a law enforcement officer. Sets forth the duties of the national coordinator, including: providing assistance to states and local governments that are using Blue Alert plans; establishing voluntary guidelines for states and local governments to use in developing such plans; developing protocols for efforts to apprehend suspects; working with states to ensure appropriate regional coordination of various elements of the network; establishing an advisory group to assist states, local governments, law enforcement agencies, and other entities in initiating, facilitating, and promoting Blue Alert plans; acting as the nationwide point of contact for the development of the network and the regional coordination of Blue Alerts through the network; and determining what procedures and practices are in use for notifying law enforcement and the public of a Blue Alert and which procedures and practices are effective and do not require the expenditure of additional resources to implement. Requires the guidelines to: (1) provide that appropriate information relating to a Blue Alert is disseminated to officials of law enforcement, public health, and other agencies; (2) provide mechanisms that ensure that Blue Alerts comply with all applicable federal, state, and local privacy laws and regulations; and (3) include standards that specifically provide for the protection of the civil liberties of law enforcement officers and their families. Directs the coordinator to report annually on the coordinator's activities and the effectiveness and status of the Blue Alert plans that are in effect or being developed.
Bill· HRH.R. 1294 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Meeting the Inpatient Health Care Needs of Far South Texas Veterans Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA): (1) to ensure that the South Texas Veterans Affairs Health Care Center in Harlingen, Texas, includes a full-service VA inpatient health care facility; and (2) if needed, to modify the existing facility to meet this requirement.
Bill· HRH.R. 1275 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) publish and implement a national strategic action plan to assist health professionals in preparing for and responding to the impact of climate change on public health in the United States and other nations, particularly developing nations; (2) revise the plan periodically to reflect new information; (3) establish a permanent science advisory board; and (4) contract with the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine to assess the need for health professionals to prepare for and respond to the impact of climate change on public health.
Bill· HRH.R. 1271 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Concussion Awareness and Education Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) establish and oversee a national system to accurately determine the incidence of sports-related concussions among youth, and (2) begin implementation of such system within one year of this Act's enactment. Requires the data collected to include: the incidence of sports related concussions in individuals 5 through 21 years of age; demographic information of the injured individuals; pre-existing conditions of the injured individuals; the concussion history of the injured individuals; the use of protective equipment and impact monitoring devices; the qualifications of personnel diagnosing the concussions; and the cause, nature, and extent of the concussive injury. Requires the National Institutes of Health to conduct or support: research designed to inform the creation of guidelines for the management of short- and long-term sequelae of concussion in youth; research on the effects of concussions and repetitive head impacts on quality of life and the activities of daily living; research to identify predictors, and modifiers of outcomes, of concussions in youth; and research on age- and sex-related biomechanical determinants of injury risk for concussion in youth. Requires CDC to develop and disseminate to the public information regarding concussions. Establishes a Concussion Research Commission, which shall study the programs and activities conducted pursuant to this Act and formulate systemic recommendations to increase knowledge about, and change the culture surrounding, concussions.
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