Healthcare

To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to clarify policy with respect to collecting reimbursement from third-party payers for medical assistance paid under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2013

Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to repeal the requirement that state plans for medical assistance pay for covered prenatal or preventive pediatric care services, or other covered services provided to an individual on whose behalf a state agency is enforcing child support, without regard to a third party's liability for payment for such services, and then seek reimbursement from the third party. Requires a state plan to require any contract with a managed care entity to specify whether the state is: (1) delegating to the entity all or some of its right of recovery for payment of an item or service, and (2) transferring to the entity all or some of the assignment to the state of any right of an individual or other entity to payment from a health insurer for an item or service. Requires any state that makes such a delegation or transfer to have in effect laws requiring such health insurers, as a condition of doing business, to: (1) provide the managed care entity certain information upon request; (2) accept the delegated right of recovery and the transferred assignment of rights; and (3) agree not to deny a claim submitted by a managed care entity, for which the state has delegated or transferred rights, in the same manner that the insurer may not deny a claim submitted by a state. Requires the state plan of any state that contracts with a health insurer to require that any contract of the health insurer with a pharmacy benefit manager to manage benefits under the insurer's health plan shall require that the pharmacy benefit manager regularly report to the state any relevant data it obtains to assist the state in determining whether the insurer is legally responsible for paying a claim for a health care item or service available under the plan. Requires such a contract also to require the insurer to cooperate with the state Medicaid plan for the proper coordination of benefits offered in order to effectuate the principle of the Medicaid program's being the payer of last resort. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and make available to the states a model uniform reporting field that states may use for reporting to the Secretary within CME Form 64 (or any successor form) information identifying third-party health insurers and other relevant information for ascertaining the legal responsibility of such third parties to pay for care and services under Medicaid. Requires the Secretary to apply the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for the state in determining the amount, if any, of any overpayment with respect to Medicaid services for newly eligible individuals. Prescribes an administrative penalty for non-compliance with the additional Medicaid requirements imposed by this Act.

To amend the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 to make permanent the exemption of grandfathered long-term care hospitals from the Medicare 25 percent threshold payment adjustment.

United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2013

Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 to make permanent the exemption of grandfathered long-term care hospitals from the 25% patient threshold payment adjustment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.

THE HEALTH CARE LAW: THE EFFECT OF THE BUSINESS AGGREGATION RULES ON SMALL EMPLOYERS

United States · United States House of Representatives · 4 December 2013

THE ROLL OUT OF HEALTHCARE.GOV: THE LIMITATIONS OF BIG GOVERNMENT

United States · United States House of Representatives · 4 December 2013

MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: WHAT BENEFICIARIES SHOULD EXPECT UNDER THE PRESIDENT'S HEALTHCARE PLAN

United States · United States House of Representatives · 4 December 2013

No Identity Theft in Health Care Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2013

No Identity Theft in Health Care Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose an additional five-year prison sentence for committing a felony offense of aggravated identity theft, if such offense was facilitated by being a U.S. officer or employee charged with implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2013

Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that sexual orientation change efforts directed at minors are discredited and ineffective, have no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and are dangerous and harmful. 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. Defines "sexual orientation change efforts" as any practice by a licensed 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 a person; (2) coping, social support, and identity exploration and development; (3) developmentally appropriate counseling for a person seeking to transition from one gender to another; or (4) sexual orientation- and gender identity-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices.

Protecting Health Care Providers from Increased Administrative Burdens Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2013

Protecting Health Care Providers from Increased Administrative Burdens Act - Prohibits a state or local government or other entity that receives a payment from the federal government related to the delivery of health care services to individuals, whether or not such individuals are or have been employed by the federal government, from being treated as a federal contractor or subcontractor by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs based on the work performed or actions taken by such individuals that resulted in the receipt of such payment.

Cure for AIDS Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2013

Cure for AIDS Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD), through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, to establish and support an accelerated research program dedicated to discovering a cure for HIV/AIDS. Instructs the Secretary to collaborate with the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other appropriate federal agencies. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that such research is highly targeted, (2) coordinate with at least one eligible nonprofit entity, and (3) ensure that the responsibilities of the non-profit entity include partnering with the Secretary in establishing research priorities.

Small Manufacturer Protection Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2013

Small Manufacturer Protection Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to grant the owner of a human generic drug facility a waiver from, or reduction of, one or more human generic drug fees if the Secretary finds that the assessment of the fee would present a significant barrier to market entry because of the owner's limited resources or other circumstances. Requires an owner seeking such fee waiver or reduction to submit a written request no later than 180 days after the fee is due. Prohibits the Secretary, in determining whether to grant such waiver or reduction, from considering anything other than the circumstances and assets of the owner and any affiliate of the owner. Makes these provisions applicable to fees authorized to be assessed and collected for FY2014-FY2017.

OBAMACARE IMPLEMENTATION: STICKER SHOCK OF INCREASED PREMIUMS FOR HEALTHCARE COVERAGE

United States · United States House of Representatives · 22 November 2013

Patient Centered Healthcare Savings Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 22 November 2013

Patient Centered Healthcare Savings Act of 2013 - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the health care requirements of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. Restores or revives provisions amended or repealed by such Act or such health care requirements. Sets conditions for lawsuits arising from health care liability claims regarding health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Establishes a statute of limitations and limits noneconomic and punitive damages. Directs that the laws of the state designated by a health insurance issuer (primary state) shall apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any other state (secondary state), but only if the coverage and issuer comply with conditions of this Act. Authorizes a qualified entity to: (1) use standardized extracts of Medicare claims data it receives for additional non-public analyses; or (2) provide or sell them to registered or authorized users and subscribers, including service providers and suppliers, for non-public use. Directs the Secretary to provide Medicare claims data to: (1) such qualified entities for non-public use, including to facilitate the development of new models of care; and (2) qualified clinical data registries for specified other purposes. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions related to health savings accounts (HSAs), including to expand eligibility for HSAs to Medicare Part A beneficiaries, veterans eligible for service-connected disability benefits, individuals eligible for Indian health service assistance, and individuals eligible to receive benefits under certain TRICARE plans. Amends the bankruptcy code to treat HSAs as tax-exempt individual retirement accounts (IRAs) for purposes of exempting them from creditor claims. Reauthorizes the use of Medicaid health opportunity accounts. Requires each state to mitigate the cost of high risk individuals in the state through a state reinsurance program or a state high risk pool. Removes the prohibition on preexisting condition exclusions in the individual health insurance market. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to pay awards to states for reducing the premiums in the small group market or the individual market or for reducing the percentage of uninsured, nonelderly residents in a state. Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for establishment and governance of association health plans, which are group health plans whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations and which meet certain ERISA certification requirements. Amends ERISA, the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require group health plans that provide dependent coverage of children to treat an individual as a dependent until at least 23 years (currently, 26 years) of age. Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to increase civil money penalties, criminal fines, and prison sentences for fraud and abuse under the Medicare program. Exempts certain provisions from the repeal of PPACA under this Act, including provisions relating to physician-owned hospitals and background checks of employees of long-term care facilities and providers. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to establish a plan to require liability insurance (including self-insurance), no fault insurance, and workers' compensation laws and plans to meet the determination and submission requirements for Medicare secondary payers.

To provide for access to health insurance coverage of life-sustaining treatments furnished by certain providers.

United States · United States Congress · 22 November 2013

Allows an individual residing in a state who had health insurance coverage in effect as of December 31 under which a provider furnished such individual benefits for a life-sustaining treatment with respect to a health condition, and for whom such coverage is not continued for the following plan year and is not offered in such state by such provider, to enroll in health insurance offered in any other state that provides for coverage of such treatment by such provider, as if such individual were a resident of such other state.

Standard of Care Protection Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Standard of Care Protection Act - Provides that the development, recognition, or implementation of any guideline or other standard under any provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the health care-related parts of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act shall not be construed to establish the standard or duty of care owed by a health care provider to a patient in any medical malpractice or medical product liability action or claim. Prohibits such health care provisions from being construed to preempt any state or common law governing medical malpractice or medical product liability actions or claims.

Teaching Health Center Reauthorization Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Teaching Health Center Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to appropriate funds for FY2016-FY2020 for the program of payments to teaching health centers that operate graduate medical education programs. Allows funds that were unexpended at the end of a fiscal year to be used in subsequent fiscal years. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) annually report a compilation of the data provided to the Secretary concerning residency training, and (2) establish a minimum per resident per year payment amount for all approved teaching health center graduate medical education positions under the program that is not less than the amount as of January 1, 2013, and ensure that not less than that amount is provided to all such programs for all approved positions. Authorizes appropriations for FY2013-FY2020 for grants to teaching centers for the establishment of new accredited or expanded primary care residency programs.

Quality Data, Quality Healthcare Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Quality Data, Quality Healthcare Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) 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 (HHS) 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.

Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the nutritional information that restaurants and retail food establishments must disclose. Requires the nutrient content disclosure statement on the menu or menu board to include: (1) the number of calories contained in the whole product; (2) the number of servings and number of calories per serving; or (3) the number of calories per the common unit division of the product, such as for a multi-serving item that is typically divided before presentation to the consumer. Permits such information to be provided by a remote-access menu, such as through the internet, for food establishments where the majority of orders are placed by customers who are off-premises at the time the order is placed. Defines “reasonable basis” for a restaurant or similar food establishment’s nutrient content disclosures to mean that the nutrient disclosure is within acceptable allowances for variation in nutrient content, which include variations in serving size or ingredients, and inadvertent human error in formulation of menu items. Sets forth the methods a restaurant or similar food establishment may use to determine nutritional content for disclosure, including ranges, averages, individual labeling of flavors or components, or labeling of one preset standard build (i.e., the finished version of a menu item most commonly ordered by consumers). Applies the nutritional disclosure requirements to retail food establishments that derive more than 50% of their total revenue from the sale of food.

A resolution designating December 3, 2013, as "National Phenylketonuria Awareness Day".

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Designates December 3, 2013, as National Phenylketonuria Awareness Day.

Protecting Seniors from Health Care Fraud Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Protecting Seniors from Health Care Fraud Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the HHS Office of Inspector General, and the Attorney General to report annually to Congress and the public on health care fraud schemes targeted to seniors and steps being taken to combat such schemes and to educate seniors about them. Directs the Secretary to: (1) disseminate such reports through mechanisms that reach the most Medicare beneficiaries, and (2) mail to each Medicare beneficiary a list of the top 10 most prevalent health care fraud schemes.

State Health Care Choice Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

State Health Care Choice Act - Authorizes a state to limit the application of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) with respect to health insurance coverage within that state by enacting a law that: (1) expresses the intent of the state to opt out of one or more of the provisions of PPACA, (2) contains a list of the provisions that will not apply to the state, and (3) either expresses the state's intent to continue to administer health coverage-related laws as in effect in the state on March 23, 2010, or provides for the implementation of related state laws enacted after such date. Sets forth provisions that may be made inapplicable within a state, including provisions related to health coverage, essential health benefits, health insurance exchanges, alternative health plans established by states, individual and employer health coverage requirements, interoperable protocols for enrollment in federal and state health and human service programs, and expansion of Medicaid coverage.

To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to permit insurers to offer catastrophic coverage plans to anyone, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to consider catastrophic health plans to be providing essential health benefits by removing certain enrollment eligibility restrictions (concerning age, certification of exemption from the Internal Revenue Code requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage, and offering of the plan only in the individual market).

Start Healthy Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Start Healthy Act of 2013 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide: (1) mandatory coverage of qualified (uninsured) newborns, and (2) 100% federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for temporary coverage of such newborns.

Minority Diabetes Initiative Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Minority Diabetes Initiative Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to provide treatment for diabetes in minority communities. Requires the Secretary to ensure that such grants cover a variety of diabetes-related health care services, including routine care for diabetic patients, public education on diabetes prevention and control, eye care, foot care, and treatment for kidney disease and other complications of diabetes.

To establish the Commission on Health Care Savings through Innovative Wireless Technologies.

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Establishes in the legislative branch the Commission on Health Care Savings through Innovative Wireless Technologies, which shall: examine the cost savings to the U.S. health care system that can be achieved by increasing the use of wireless health information technologies by patients, caregivers, and health care providers; examine existing scientific research studying the medical effectiveness of such technologies; examine existing payment models and incentive payment programs that provide federal financial reimbursement or funding for the use of such technologies; examine options for Congress and federal agencies to incentivize and promote innovation and technological advancements in the area of such technologies; examine barriers to marketplace entry that impede efforts to develop new, and improve existing, wireless health information technologies; identify appropriate situations and recommend methods for integrating such technologies into federal health care programs; develop a proposal for a comprehensive program to encourage such integration; develop cost estimate approaches that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) can use to more accurately assess the cost savings the government can achieve by increasing the use of such technologies by patients, caregivers, and health care providers; and submit an interim report within 9 months and a final report within 18 months after its final member is appointed.

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for a change in payment for certain hospitals under Medicare.

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), with respect to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, to revise the payment formula for certain "subsection (d) hospitals" under Medicare. (Generally, a subsection (d) hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS], when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Specifies as the kind of subsection (d) hospital to which this payment formula applies any hospital that: (1) first received a payment in 1986 which has an average inpatient length of stay of more than 20 days, and (2) has 80% or more of its annual Medicare inpatient discharges with a principal diagnosis that reflects a finding of neoplastic disease in the 12-month cost reporting period ending in FY1997. Requires payments for inpatient operating costs, in the case of such hospitals, for cost reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2014, to be based upon the established target amount per discharge, increased for each succeeding cost reporting period by the market basket percentage increase.

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to payments to long-term care hospitals, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in implementing special payment requirements for certain long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and LTCH satellites under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, for a 12-month cost reporting period beginning on or after October 1, 2013, to continue the same 25% rule patient threshold payment adjustment and exemptions as were established for the 12-month cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2012, in the same manner as provided for in a specified rule published on August 31, 2012, regarding hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPSs) for acute care hospitals and theLTCH prospective payment system and FY2013 rates. Prohibits the Secretary from applying such special payment requirements to certain grandfathered LTCHs which are subsection (d) hospitals. (Generally, a subsection (d) hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under the Medicare IPPS when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Excludes from the calculation of such special payment requirements any Medicare beneficiaries who: (1) were inpatients in a subsection (d) hospital within one day before their admission to a LTCH which has an average inpatient length of stay of more than 25 days, and (2) had a stay of more than seven days in an intensive care unit. Declares that, for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2014, payments made to such hospitals at amounts comparable or equivalent to amounts payable to a subsection (d) hospital for short stay patients and under the 25% rule shall be at amounts not less than what would be paid to a subsection (d) hospital had it performed the same services. Declares that, for discharges occurring on or after enactment of this Act, in calculating the length of stay requirement applicable to a LTCH or satellite facility, the Secretary shall exclude any patient for whom payment is based on an amount comparable or equivalent to that payable to a subsection (d) hospital had such a hospital provided the same service.

EXAMINING PUBLIC HEALTH LEGISLATION TO HELP LOCAL COMMUNITIES

United States · United States House of Representatives · 20 November 2013

A resolution declaring that achieving the primary goal of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease of the Department of Health and Human Services to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's disease by 2025 is an urgent national priority.

United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013

Expresses the Senate's commitment to strengthening the quality of care and expanding support for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and family caregivers. Declares that: (1) achieving the primary goal of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's by 2025 is an urgent national priority, and (2) bold action and dramatic increases in funding are necessary to meet that goal. Calls for: (1) doubling the funding for Alzheimer's research in FY2015; and (2) developing a plan for FY2016-FY2019 to meet the target of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services for the United States to spend $2 billion each year on Alzheimer's research.

Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013

Improving Trauma Care Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, with respect to trauma care programs, to include in the definition of "trauma" an injury resulting from extrinsic agents other than mechanical force, including those that are thermal, electrical, chemical, or radioactive.

Medicare Link Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013

Medicare Link Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Medicare Link Program through which individuals entitled to enroll in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice), but who are not enrolled in one, are eligible to enroll with a nongovernmental Medicare Link contractor which shall provide: (1) a specified variety of optional care management services as well as coverage of the same items and services covered under Medicare parts A and B, and (2) a reduction or rebate in the premium otherwise applicable under Medicare part B as well as in cost-sharing.

Fairness in Obamacare Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013

Fairness in Obamacare Act of 2013 - Declares that Congress and the executive branch are expressly and equally bound by any federal law which is intended to be broadly enforced upon the American people. Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to restrict the health plans that the federal government may make available to Members of Congress, the President, the Vice President, and appointed federal workers to only those health plans that are created under PPACA or offered through a health care exchange. (Currently, this restriction applies to Members of Congress and congressional staff.) Defines "appointed federal worker" as an individual who is: (1) employed in a position listed in the Executive Schedule; (2) a limited term, limited emergency, or noncareer appointee in the Senior Executive Service; or (3) employed in an executive branch position of a confidential or policy-determining character under the regulations concerning excepted schedules. Prohibits such restrictions from affecting the continued coverage of annuitants in certain plans under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program in effect as of the enactment of this Act.

Veterans Access to Care Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013

Veterans Access to Care Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) automatically as health professional shortage areas. Prohibits an individual from participating in both the VA's Health Professionals Education Assistance Program and the National Health Service Corps scholarship or loan repayment programs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in carrying out the National Health Service Corps Program, to consult with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs regarding health professional shortage areas that are VA medical facilities.

SECURITY OF HEALTHCARE.GOV

United States · United States House of Representatives · 19 November 2013

IS MY DATA ON HEALTHCARE.GOV SECURE?

United States · United States House of Representatives · 19 November 2013

Self-Insurance Protection Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013

Self-Insurance Protection Act - 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 plan sponsor of a group health plan that self-insures the health risks of its plan participants to reimburse the plan or sponsor for losses incurred in providing health or medical benefits to such plan participants in excess of a predetermined level set forth in the stop loss policy.

Expanded Consumer Choice Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013

Expanded Consumer Choice Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide a new "copper" level of coverage under qualified health plans, designed to provide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to 50% of the full actuarial value of the benefits provided under the plan. Requires cost-sharing under such a plan to exceed the amount applicable to a plan at the bronze level. Requires the Secretary of Health Human Services (HHS) to promulgate regulations providing for annual limits on deductibles and cost-sharing for copper-level plans to ensure that the limits are reasonable for every marketplace and to consider the feasibility of the relative plan design in each local insurance marketplace. Allows qualification of copper-level plans as multi-state plans.

Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013

Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act - Repeals the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and administer a program of risk corridors for calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016 under which a qualified health plan offered in the individual or small group market is required to participate in a payment adjustment system based on the ratio of the allowable costs of the plan to the plan's aggregate premiums.

Union Tax Fairness Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013

Union Tax Fairness Act of 2013 - Requires that the payments to an applicable reinsurance entity for any plan year beginning in the three-year period beginning January 1, 2014, required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be applied equally to all health insurance issuers and third party administrators (on behalf of group health plans). Prohibits such payments from being waived on behalf of any such issuer, administrator, or group health plan.

No Obamacare Kickbacks Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013

No Obamacare Kickbacks Act of 2013 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act, with respect to criminal penalties for acts involving federal health care programs, to include any plan or program established or funded under subtitles D (Available Coverage Choices for All Americans) or E (Affordable Coverage Choices for All Americans) of title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Comptroller General (GAO) to jointly study, and report to Congress on, the effect of applying the anti-kickback laws and other prohibitions involving federal health care programs to qualified health plans, federally-facilitated marketplaces, state health care exchanges, and any other plan or program established or funded under the provisions described above.

Protecting Student Athletes From Concussions Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013

Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to condition each state's receipt of ESEA funds, beginning in FY2015, on the state having in effect and enforcing a law or regulation that meets the minimum requirements for the prevention and treatment of concussions set forth in this Act. Requires each local educational agency in the state to develop and implement a standard plan for concussion safety and management for its public schools that includes: (1) the education of students, parents, and school personnel about concussions through specified activities; (2) specified supports for each student recovering from a concussion; and (3) specified best practices designed to ensure the uniformity of safety standards, treatment, and management. Requires each public school to post on school grounds and make publicly available on the school website specified information on concussions. Provides that if any public school personnel suspects that a student has sustained a concussion during a school-sponsored activity: (1) the student is to be immediately removed from participation in that activity and prohibited from participating in school-sponsored athletic activities until the student submits a written release from a health care professional; and (2) that individual is to report all available information regarding the student's injury to a concussion management team that will then confirm and report to the student's parents the date, time, and type of the injury suffered by the student and any actions taken to treat the student. Requires each concussion management team to include a health care professional, the student's parents, other relevant school personnel, and an individual assigned by the public school to oversee and manage the students' recovery. Requires the school's concussion management team to consult with and make recommendations to relevant school personnel and the student to ensure that the student is receiving the appropriate academic supports, including: (1) periods of cognitive rest over the course of the school day, (2) modified academic assignments, (3) gradual reintroduction to cognitive demands, and (4) other appropriate academic accommodations or adjustments.

Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013

Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act - Repeals the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and administer a program of risk corridors for calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016 under which a qualified health plan offered in the individual or small group market is required to participate in a payment adjustment system based on the ratio of the allowable costs of the plan to the plan's aggregate premiums.

Adoption Promotion Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013

Adoption Promotion Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that any pregnancy options counseling funded through training grants for personnel to carry out family planning service programs under such Act: (1) includes adoption counseling, and (2) is provided by individuals who are licensed social workers or counselors in the states in which they practice and who have knowledge and experience in adoption practice. Requires that any training provided to an individual with respect to family planning include training on the adoption process. Requires research in the biomedical, contraceptive development, behavioral, and program implementation fields related to family planning and population funded under such Act to include: (1) the collection of data on the number of pregnancy tests administered to individuals served by family planning service programs and the results of those tests; and (2) the evaluation of the quality, consistency, and outcomes of pregnancy options counseling.

Creating Access to Rehabilitation for Every Senior (CARES) Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013

Creating Access to Rehabilitation for Every Senior (CARES) Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to coverage of extended care services without regard to the three-day prior hospitalization requirement (non-post-hospital extended care services). Restricts such coverage to non-post-hospital extended care services in a qualified skilled nursing facility. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study the cost of impact of this Act.

Vivek Hallegere Murthy, of Massachusetts, to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service, subject to qualifications therefor as provided by law and regulations, and to be Surgeon General of the Public Health Service for a term of four years, vice Regina M. Benjamin, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 18 November 2013

Poison Center Network Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2013

Poison Center Network Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize through FY2019: (1) a poison control nationwide-toll free phone number; and (2) a national media campaign to educate the public and health care providers about poison prevention and the availability of poison control center resources in local communities and to conduct advertising campaigns about the nationwide toll-free number. Revises and reauthorizes through FY2019 a grant program for accredited (currently, certified) poison control centers. Allows grant funds to be used to research, improve, and enhance the communications and response capability and capacity of the poison control centers to facilitate increased access to such centers through the integration and modernization of communications and data systems.

Employee Health Care Protection Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2013

Employee Health Care Protection Act of 2013 - Permits a health insurance issuer that has in effect health insurance coverage in the group market on any date during 2013 to continue offering such coverage for sale during 2014 outside of a health care exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Treats such coverage as a grandfathered health plan for purposes of an individual meeting the requirement to maintain minimum essential health coverage.

Poison Center Network Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2013

Poison Center Network Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize through FY2019: (1) a poison control nationwide-toll free phone number; and (2) a national media campaign to educate the public and health care providers about poison prevention and the availability of poison control center resources in local communities and to conduct advertising campaigns about the nationwide toll-free number. Revises and reauthorizes through FY2019 a grant program for accredited (currently, certified) poison control centers. Allows grant funds to be used to research, improve, and enhance the communications and response capability and capacity of the poison control centers to facilitate increased access to such centers through the integration and modernization of communications and data systems.

National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Reauthorization Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2013

National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2005 to include as a purpose of such Act to foster the establishment of state-administered controlled substance monitoring systems in order to ensure that appropriate law enforcement, regulatory, and state professional licensing authorities have access to prescription history information for the purposes of investigating drug diversion and prescribing and dispensing practices of errant prescribers or pharmacists. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and update the controlled substance monitoring program, including to: (1) allow grants to be used to maintain and operate existing state controlled substance monitoring programs, (2) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to redistribute any funds that are returned among the remaining grantees, (3) require a state to provide the Secretary with aggregate data and other information to enable the Secretary to evaluate the success of the state's program and to submit a progress report to Congress, and (4) expand the program to include any commonwealth or territory of the United States. Authorizes the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) or a state Medicaid program or state health department receiving nonidentifiable information from a controlled substance monitoring database to make such information available to other entities for research purposes. Requires a state receiving a grant to: (1) facilitate prescriber use of the state's controlled substance monitoring system, and (2) educate prescribers on the benefits of the system both to them and society. Revises preferences for grants related to drug abuse to authorize the Secretary to give preference to eligible states or tribes that put forth a good faith effort to meet minimum requirements under the controlled substance monitoring program.

Veterans and Armed Forces Health Promotion Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2013

Veterans and Armed Forces Health Promotion Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to jointly develop and implement: (1) a plan to expand materially and substantially the scope of research and education on, and delivery of holistic care that includes, the integration of appropriate complementary and alternative medicine interventions in the delivery of health care to veterans and members of the Armed Forces at military medical treatment facilities; and (2) a three-year pilot program to establish not fewer than five jointly-operated medical treatment and research facilities. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out: (1) a 3-year pilot program, through the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to assess the feasibility and advisability of establishing not fewer than 10 complementary and alternative medicine centers within VA medical centers to promote the use and integration of complementary and alternative medicine services for mental health diagnoses and pain management; (2) a 3-year pilot program, through grants to nonprofit entities, to assess the feasibility and advisability of using wellness programs at VA facilities to complement the provision of mental health care to veterans and family members eligible for counseling; (3) a 3-year pilot program, through the National Center for Preventive Health, to assess the feasibility and advisability of promoting health in covered veterans at not less than 15 VA medical centers through support for fitness center membership or medical nutrition therapy; and (4) a 2-year pilot program under which the Secretary makes grants to nonprofit veterans services organizations (VSOs) to upgrade VSO community facilities into health and wellness centers in at least 10 different geographic locations.

21st Century Care for Military and Veterans Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2013

21st Century Care for Military and Veterans Act - Permits the use of a telecommunications system to provide an item or service to current and former members of the uniformed services and their dependents under the TRICARE plan of health care benefits administered by the Department of Defense (DOD) and to veterans receiving health care benefits under plans administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).