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Bill· SS. 307 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to state Medicare rural hospital flexibility programs, in particular the criteria for designation of critical access hospitals. Revises requirements for the counting of beds for purposes of determining whether a hospital may be designated as a critical access hospital. Allows a facility to provide a maximum of 20 (currently 25) acute care inpatient beds, as determined on an annual, average basis. Declares that only occupied beds shall be counted. Exempts from the critical access hospital inpatient bed limitation beds provided to certain veterans.
Bill· SS. 310 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Affordable Care for Women Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the 340B drug pricing program to allow participation as a covered entity by a public or nonprofit entity that primarily provides family planning services.
Bill· HRH.R. 629 (111th)open
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Energy and Commerce Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to: (1) develop a broadband inventory map of the United States; and (2) award Wireless Deployment Grants and Broadband Deployment Grants. Amends the Energy Independence Act to require the Secretary of Energy to establish a smart grid information clearinghouse. Provides for matching grants for qualifying Smart Grid investments. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to authorize the Secretary of Energy to make guarantees for certain commercial technology projects that are renewable energy systems that generate electricity or electric power transmission systems, including upgrading and reconductoring projects. Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act to revise the definition of "low income" for purposes of weatherization assistance. Health Insurance Assistance for the Unemployed Act of 2009 - Provides for payment of a portion of an individual's premiums for any COBRA coverage (health insurance continuation benefits). Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act to allow COBRA coverage to continue past required termination dates for an employee who has attained age 55 or has completed ten or more years of service. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow states to provide coverage to individuals who are receiving unemployment compensation benefits or who have exhausted such benefits. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or the HITECH Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Sets forth provisions governing the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that allows for the electronic use and exchange of information. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for incentive payments to physicians and inpatient hospitals that meaningfully use certified electronic health record technology. Sets forth provisions governing the privacy and security of health information, including requiring notifications for any breach of protected health information. Provides for a federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) increase and an additional increase for a state with high unemployment. Delays any action on certain regulations related to Medicaid. Allows states to cover family planning services for certain individuals. Sets forth provisions regarding the treatment of Indians under Medicaid.
Bill· HRH.R. 653 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
National Childhood Brain Tumor Prevention Network Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Cancer Institute, to establish, administer, and coordinate a National Childhood Brain Tumor Prevention Network to: (1) provide grants for research on the causes of and risk factors associated with childhood brain tumors; (2) assemble a panel of experts to provide ongoing guidance and recommendations on research funded by the Network, including on a common study design and standard protocols; and (3) designate a central laboratory to collect, analyze, and aggregate data with respect to research funded by the Network and to make such data and analysis available to researchers.
Bill· HRH.R. 643 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Care for Life Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an Office of Pregnancy Support Services to encourage and assist pregnant women to carry their children to live birth by providing services that will alleviate the financial, social, emotional, and other difficulties that may otherwise lead to an abortion. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop the Pregnancy Care Information Service database; (2) conduct an annual nationwide best practices conference; and (3) provide for the establishment and operation of a toll-free number to provide referrals to pregnancy support services. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to entities to provide such services. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement a public outreach campaign to provide information on such services to: (1) vulnerable women; and (2) facilities receiving funds for family planning services. Authorizes the Secretary to awards grants to institutions of higher education for the exclusive purpose of providing pregnancy support services. Prohibits health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market from imposing any preexisting condition exclusion or any waiting period or otherwise discriminating in coverage or premiums related to pregnancy against a woman who has had at least 12 months of creditable coverage before seeking coverage. Makes this provision retroactive to January 1, 2009. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants or enter into contracts for the establishment and operation of pregnant and parenting student services offices or agencies. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions regarding the adoption tax credit, including to: (1) increase the credit for the adoption of a special needs child; and (2) make the credit refundable.
Bill· HRH.R. 649 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Ultrasound Informed Consent Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require abortion providers, before a woman gives informed consent to any part of an abortion, to perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman, explain the results, display the ultrasound images so the woman may view them, and provide a medical description of the ultrasound images, including the dimensions of the embryo or fetus and the presence of external members and internal organs, if present and viewable. Provides for: (1) civil penalties for willful failure to comply; and (2) a medical emergency exception. Prohibits construing this Act to require a woman to view the images or penalizing the physician or the woman if she refuses to look at the images.
Bill· HRH.R. 646 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2009 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and federal civil service law relating to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to cover qualified acupuncturist services.
Bill· HRH.R. 652 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Skilled Trades Second Responders Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to establish a national program for the training, certification, registration, tracking, and integration of skilled construction workers to assist first responders in responding to disasters, including natural and manmade disasters and terrorist attacks. Requires the Director to coordinate and consult with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), other relevant agencies, and private organizations, including construction industry contractors, joint labor-management training funds, and building trade unions, that are experienced in providing rescue and recovery assistance to first responders and in the cleanup, demolition, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of disaster sites after recovery operations.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 25 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month.
Bill· SS. 295 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Medicare Quality and Payment Reform Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) review annually high volume readmission rates and resource use; (2) establish benchmarks for measuring them; and (3) make payment adjustments for subsection (d) hospitals that fail to meet such benchmarks. (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.) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a pilot program to provide episodic payments to hospitals and other organizing entities for items and services associated with hospitalization episodes of Medicare beneficiaries with respect to one or more conditions that have a high volume, high readmission rate, or high rate of post-acute care under the Medicare program.
Bill· HRH.R. 614 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Service from providing any federal family planning assistance to an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of such assistance, the entity will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion. Excludes an abortion where: (1) the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or an act of incest against a minor; or (2) a physician certifies that the woman suffered from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy. Excludes hospitals from such requirement so long as the hospital does not provide funds to any non-hospital entity that performs an abortion. Requires the Secretary to annually provide Congress: (1) information on grantees who performed abortions under the exceptions; and (2) a list of entities to which grant funds are made available.
Bill· HRH.R. 619 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to repeal the exclusion from medical assistance under the Medicaid program of items and services for patients in an institution for mental diseases.
Bill· HRH.R. 616 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, with respect to Medicare quality standards for suppliers of items and services which shall be applied by recognized independent accreditation organizations. Applies to pharmacies and pharmacists the eligible professional exemption from such accreditation requirements, unless such standards are designed specifically for application to pharmacies and pharmacists. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to exempt pharmacies and pharmacists from such standards if licensing, accreditation, or other mandatory quality requirements apply to them with respect to the furnishing of items and services.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 24 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Calls on: (1) the President to develop a national AIDS strategy; (2) the federal government to partner with African-American communities to develop strategies to reduce and reverse the impact of the epidemic; (3) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to increase education and outreach regarding HIV prevention, testing, and treatment; and (4) the people of the United States to educate themselves about HIV infection and the ways in which they can protect themselves.
Bill· SS. 275 (111th)open
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to reauthorize the program (referred to in this Act as CHIP) through FY2013 at increased levels. Revises requirements for: (1) CHIP allotments; (2) optional coverage of low-income pregnant women; (3) outreach and enrollment activities; (4) verification of U.S. citizenship or nationality for CHIP and Medicaid (SSA title XIX); (5) state option for providing premium assistance, including coordination with private coverage; (6) child health quality improvement activities; (7) access to dental and mental health benefits; (8) child health assistance furnished through school-based health centers; and (9) program integrity and data collection, including the payment error rate measurement (PERM). Establishes in the Treasury the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund. Requires phase-out of CHIP coverage for nonpregnant childless adults. Limits the matching rate for states that propose to cover children with effective family income that exceeds 300% of the poverty line. Establishes the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) to review Medicaid and CHIP policies affecting children's access to covered items and services. Denies federal funding for illegal aliens. Prohibits initiation of new health opportunity account demonstration programs. Establishes a task force to conduct a nationwide campaign of education and outreach for small business concerns regarding the availability of coverage for children through private insurance options, the Medicaid program, and CHIP. Expresses the sense of the Senate affirming its intent to enact legislation this year that improves access to affordable and meaningful health insurance coverage for employees of small businesses and individuals. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the excise tax on tobacco products but allow a specified credit against tobacco floor stocks taxes. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and make recommendations to Congress about the magnitude of tobacco smuggling in the United States. Amends the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 to increase the amount of any required installment of corporate estimated tax which is otherwise due in July, August, or September 2013.
Bill· SS. 277 (111th)open
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
Serve America Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to create two new service-learning programs: (1) a Youth Engagement Zones to Strengthen Communities program, providing competitive grants to partnerships between local educational agencies that serve high-need, low-income communities and certain community-based or state entities to engage students and out-of-school youth in service-learning addressing specific challenges faced by their communities; and (2) a Campus of Service program, which annually grants up to 30 institutions of higher education (IHEs) with exemplary service-learning programs the funds to assist their students' pursuit of public service careers, and the right to nominate additional individuals for ServeAmerica Fellowships. Directs the Corporation for National and Community Service (Corporation) to contract for a 10-year, longitudinal service-learning impact study. Establishes the Commission on Cross-Sector Solutions to America's Problems to study ways in which the federal government and businesses can more effectively collaborate with nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to address pressing national and local challenges. Creates a Community Solutions Funds Pilot program awarding competitive matching grants to grantmaking institutions or partnerships between such institutions and state or local governmental entities which will use the grants to provide competitive matching subgrants to community organizations for use in replicating or expanding proven solutions to specifically identified community challenges. Establishes an Innovation Fellowships Pilot program awarding competitive grants to individuals who are veterans, or have completed at least one period of national service, to establish innovative nonprofit organizations that address national and local challenges. Creates a ServeAmerica Corps program providing formula grants to states and awarding competitive grants to states and nonprofit organizations to fund national service in low-income communities by: (1) Clean Energy Service Corps that improve certain clean energy indicators, including energy efficiency and conservation measures; (2) Education Corps that improve certain education indicators, including student engagement, achievement, and graduation; (3) Healthy Futures Corps that improve certain health indicators, including health care access; (4) Opportunity Corps that improve certain opportunity indicators, including financial literacy and access to housing, and employment-related services; and (5) Encore programs designed to take advantage of the skills of participants age 50 and older. Creates additional incentives for national service participation by individuals age 50 and older. Makes ServeAmerica Corps participants eligible for national service educational awards. Directs a partnership composed of the Corporation, the Director of the Bureau of the Census, and the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to: (1) create a Civic Health Index enabling states and communities to assess their civic health; and (2) conduct research on, and assessments of, domestic and international volunteering. Establishes the ServeAmerica and Encore Fellowships program providing ServeAmerica Fellowships to IHE-nominated individuals and Encore Fellowships to individuals age 50 or older who agree to be placed with nonprofit organizations to carry out projects in specified areas of national need. Makes ServeAmerica fellows eligible for national service educational awards. Creates a Volunteer Generation Fund program awarding competitive matching grants to states and nonprofit organizations to increase the availability and capacity of volunteers to address state priorities with regard to areas of national need or work with nonprofit civic entities, including faith-based organizations, to address such needs. Establishes a National Service Reserve Corps of individuals who have completed a term of national service to respond to national disasters and other emergencies. Directs the Corporation, within 180 days of this Act's enactment, to conduct a nationwide Call to Service Campaign. Requires the Office of Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement a VfPServe program providing skilled professionals with fixed-amount stipends to offset their costs of volunteering abroad to address specified VfP objectives aimed at ameliorating living conditions in developing countries.
Bill· SS. 281 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
Health Care and Training for Older Workers Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to extend COBRA continuation coverage for certain older workers. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to revise: (1) statewide employment and training activities, adding developing strategies for serving hard-to-serve populations and coordinating programs among one-stop partners; (2) local employment and training activities, with respect to intensive services and training services, and adding customer support for members of hard-to-serve populations, including individuals with disabilities; and (3) performance measures, data, and reporting.
Bill· SS. 278 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
Incentive to Serve Tax Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for 25% of wages paid to employees while such employees are performing certain services (e.g., services advancing the improvement of education, health care access, energy conservation, economic opportunities for economically disadvantaged individuals, and disaster preparedness and response) for charitable organizations and community agencies. Limits the amount of wages eligible for such credit to $100,000 per employee.
Bill· HRH.R. 605 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
Pregnant Women Support Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to increase public awareness of resources available to pregnant women to carry their pregnancy to term and new parents. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary to make grants for the purchase of ultrasound equipment for examinations of pregnant women. Prohibits a health insurance issuer offering individual coverage from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion or a waiting period or otherwise discriminating against a woman on the basis that she is pregnant. Provides for continuation coverage for newborns. Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to allow states to extend health care coverage to an unborn child. Requires health facilities that perform abortions to obtain informed consent from a pregnant woman seeking an abortion. Provides for the collection and dissemination of information on Down syndrome and other prenatally diagnosed conditions. Directs the Secretary to provide for: (1) higher education pregnant and parenting student services offices; and (2) programs to work with pregnant or parenting teens to complete high school. Authorizes grants for services to pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. Requires states to require a pregnancy determination for homicide victims. Requires the Secretary to provide for comprehensive and supportive services for pregnant women, mothers, and children. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase and make refundable the tax credit for adoption expenses. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC program). Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to increase the eligibility threshold for food stamps. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990. Authorizes grants to provide to eligible mothers education on the health needs of their infants through visits to their homes by registered nurses. Authorizes grants for collecting and reporting abortion surveillance data.
Bill· HRH.R. 598 (111th)open
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow through 2010 a refundable tax credit for the lesser of 6.2% of earned income or $500 ($1,000 for married couples filing jointly); (2) allow through 2010 increases in the earned income tax credit, the refundable portion of the child tax credit, and the Hope Scholarship tax credit; (3) allow a waiver of the the first-time home buyer tax credit repayment requirement for residences purchased after December 31, 2008, and before July 1, 2009; (4) extend through 2009 bonus depreciation and the increased expensing allowance for depreciable business assets; (5) extend from two to five years the carryback period for net operating losses; and (6) allow a work opportunity tax credit for certain unemployed veterans and disconnected youth hired in 2009 or 2010. Limits the applicability of Treasury Notice 2008-83 (suspending restrictions on the offset of net operating losses and unrealized built-in losses against the taxable income of certain corporate entities that acquire or merge with other entities) to periods prior to January 16, 2009. Suspends in 2009 or 2010 certain limitations on the tax deduction allowed to financial institutions for interest expense related to investments in tax-exempt bonds. Exempts interest earned on tax-exempt private activity bonds from the alternative minimum tax. Allows a new tax credit for investment in bonds for the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of public school facilities or for the acquisition of land for building a public school facility. Increases in 2009 and 2010 the issuance limitation for qualified zone academy bonds. Allows state or local governments to elect to receive direct federal payments equal to tax credit amounts for investment in tax-exempt bonds issued in 2009 and 2010. Allows a new tax credit for investment in recovery zone economic development and recovery zone facility bonds issued in 2009 and 2010. Repeals the 3% withholding requirement on payments by federal, state, or local governmental entities to individuals who provide property or services to such entities. Extends the tax credit for the production of electricity from wind facilities (through 2012) and from other renewable facilities (through 2013). Allows an election to claim an investment tax credit for renewable facilities placed in service in 2009 or 2010. Repeals limitations on the investment tax credit for energy property financed by subsidized energy financing or industrial development bonds. Increases the limitation amount on the issuance of new clean renewable energy bonds and qualified energy conservation bonds. Modifies and extends through 2010 the tax credit for improvements to energy-efficient residences. Increases through 2010 the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures. Increases through 2010 the tax credit for qualified energy research expenses. Requires the application of certain federal labor standards to projects financed with clean renewable energy and conservation bonds, zone academy bonds, school construction bonds, and recovery zone economic development bonds. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make grants in 2009 to states for low-income housing projects in lieu of low-income housing credit allocations. Directs the Secretary of Energy to make grants in 2009 or 2010 in lieu of tax credits to investors in specified energy property (e.g., renewable energy property, fuel cell property, solar property, wind energy property, geothermal property, microturbine property, combined health and power system property, and geothermal heatpump property). Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program. Provides for federal-state agreements for increased regular unemployment compensation payments to individuals. Requires federal payments to states to cover 100% of such additional payments. Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Labor to make special transfers to state accounts in the Unemployment Trust Fund for unemployment compensation modernization incentive payments and for administration. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the SSA to establish in the Treasury the Emergency Contingency Fund for State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants from the Fund to requesting states for purposes related to: (1) caseload increases; (2) increased expenditures for non-recurrent short-term benefits; and (3) increased expenditures for subsidized employment. Limits the total amount payable to a single state for a fiscal year to 25% of the state family assistance grant. Revises the formula for determining the caseload reduction credit for FY2008 and FY2009 under requirements for the pro rata reduction of the TANF mandatory work participation rate due to caseload reductions not required by federal law and not resulting from changes in state eligibility criteria. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to make a one-time emergency payment in calendar 2009 to eligible individuals under SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI). Suspends for FY2008-FY2010 the prohibition against payments to states with respect to their plans for child and spousal support collection under SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) on account of amounts expended by a state from support collection performance incentive payments received from the Secretary of HHS (thus allowing such additional payments during such period). Health Insurance Assistance for the Unemployed Act of 2009 - Provides for payment of a portion of an individual's premiums for any COBRA coverage (health insurance continuation benefits). Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act to allow COBRA coverage to continue past required termination dates for an employee who has attained age 55 or has completed ten or more years of service. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the SSA to allow states to provide coverage to individuals who are receiving unemployment compensation benefits or who have exhausted such benefits. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or the HITECH Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Sets forth provisions governing the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that allows for the electronic use and exchange of information. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to establish incentive payments for certain eligible physicians and hospitals that adopt and use certified electronic health record technology meaningfully, beginning in FY2011. Amends SSA title XIX to establish incentive payments to encourage the adoption and use by Medicaid providers of qualified electronic health records. Requires determination of the maximum amount of such payments using a specified formula involving computation of an overall hospital health information technology amount. Sets forth provisions governing the privacy and security of health information, including requiring notifications for any breach of protected health information. Prohibits the Secretary of HHS from phasing out or eliminating the budget neutrality adjustment factor in the Medicare hospice wage index before October 1, 2009. Requires the Secretary to recompute and apply the final Medicare hospice wage index for FY2009 as if there had been no reduction in the budget neutrality adjustment factor. Provides for non-application of the phased-out indirect medical education adjustment factor for FY2009. Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 with respect to long-term care hospitals.
Bill· SS. 264 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
E-Centives Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for payments to each state that provides incentive payments to physicians, hospitals, community health centers, rural health clinics, and community mental health centers that exhibit meaningful use of certified health information technology. Directs the Secretary to provide for payments to each state that establishes a program to: (1) design, develop, install, maintain, and operate electronic information and eligibility systems and patient registries for the purpose of disease screening; (2) coordinate benefits and services under Medicare and Medicaid for full-benefit dual eligible individuals under the state plan; and (3) train providers in the use of such systems and registries. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to Congress a report on Medicaid transformation payments to states for the adoption of innovative methods to improve effectiveness and efficiency in providing medical assistance.
Bill· SS. 254 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy and home infusion drugs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit in a manner that ensures that: (1) Medicare beneficiaries have timely and appropriate access to infusion therapy in their homes; and (2) there is rapid and seamless coordination between drug coverage under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and home infusion therapy services coverage under Medicare part B (Supplemental Security Income).
Bill· SS. 267 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Summer and Year-Round Jobs for Youth Stimulus Act of 2009 - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Labor for summer and year-round youth jobs and training programs for individuals aged 14 to 24 under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 which are directly linked to academic and occupational learning for calendar 2009-2010. Prohibits the use of such funds for unpaid jobs, statewide workforce investment activities, or the award of certain youth opportunity grants. Requires local areas receiving such funds to give priority to providing: (1) work experiences in public and nonprofit sector green-collar jobs and in other viable industries such as health care; and (2) job referral services for youth to work jobs in green-collar industries. Defines "green-collar industries" as those industries that offer jobs for compensation that promote energy efficiency, energy conservation (including renewable energy and clean technology), and environmental protection.
Bill· SS. 259 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Vision Care for Kids Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award matching grants to states to complement existing state efforts to: (1) provide comprehensive eye examinations from a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist for children who have been previously identified through a vision screening or eye examination by a licensed health care provider or vision screener as needing such services, who do not otherwise have coverage for vision services, and who are low-income children, with priority given to children who are under the age of nine years; (2) provide treatment or services as necessary to correct identified vision problems; and (3) develop and disseminate to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners educational materials on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Requires the Secretary to develop criteria: (1) governing the operation of the grant program; and (2) for the collection of data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services. Requires the Secretary to coordinate the program under this Act with other federal or state programs that provide services to children.
Bill· SS. 266 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Medicare Prescription Drug Gap Reduction Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to reduce the coverage gap in prescription drug coverage under SSA part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program), based on savings to the Medicare program resulting from the negotiation of prescription drug prices. Grants the Secretary of Health and Human Services authority similar to that of other federal entities that purchase prescription drugs in bulk to negotiate contracts with manufacturers of covered part D drugs. States that the Secretary shall be required to: (1) negotiate contracts with manufacturers of covered part D drugs for each fallback prescription drug plan; and (2) participate in negotiation of contracts of any covered part D drug upon request of an approved prescription drug plan or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan. Prohibits the Secretary from requiring a particular formulary or instituting a price structure for the reimbursement of covered part D drugs in order to carry out, and promote competition, under part D.
Bill· SS. 270 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Pregnant Women Support Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to increase public awareness of resources available to pregnant women to carry their pregnancy to term and new parents. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary to make grants for the purchase of ultrasound equipment for examinations of pregnant women. Prohibits a health insurance issuer offering individual coverage from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion or a waiting period or otherwise discriminating against a woman on the basis that she is pregnant. Provides for continuation coverage for newborns. Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to allow states to extend health care coverage to an unborn child. Requires health facilities that perform abortions to obtain informed consent from a pregnant woman seeking an abortion. Provides for the collection and dissemination of information on Down syndrome and other prenatally diagnosed conditions. Directs the Secretary to provide for: (1) higher education pregnant and parenting student services offices; and (2) programs to work with pregnant or parenting teens to complete high school. Authorizes grants for services to pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. Requires states to require a pregnancy determination for homicide victims. Requires the Secretary to provide for comprehensive and supportive services for pregnant women, mothers, and children. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC program). Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to increase the eligibility threshold for food stamps. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990. Authorizes grants to provide to eligible mothers education on the health needs of their infants through visits to their homes by registered nurses. Authorizes grants for collecting and reporting abortion surveillance data.
Bill· SS. 252 (111th)open
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009 - Revises or adds provisions concerning Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) personnel matters, including: (1) the retention of medical professionals; (2) limitations on duty and alternative work schedules for nurses; (3) educational assistance programs; and (4) standards for the appointment and practice of VA physicians. Revises or adds provisions concerning VA health care matters, including: (1) care furnished to children of Vietnam veterans; (2) medical records disclosures; (3) health care quality management; (4) pilot programs on training and certification for family caregivers, respite care to members of the Armed Forces and veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI), the use of community-based organizations and local and state entities to ensure that veterans receive authorized care and benefits, and the provision of dental insurance plans to veterans and their survivors and dependents; (5) specialized residential care and rehabilitation; (6) the use of non-VA facilities for the rehabilitation of veterans with TBI; and (7) the inclusion of certain tribal organizations in programs for state veterans homes. Revises or adds provisions concerning women veterans health care, including: (1) reports on barriers to their receipt of health care, and full-time women veterans program managers at medical centers; (2) pilot programs or studies on the health consequences of women veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, counseling for women veterans recently separated from service, and subsidies for child care for women veterans receiving health care; (3) training and certification for mental health care providers caring for veterans suffering from sexual trauma; and (4) care for newborn children of veterans receiving maternity care. Revises or adds provisions concerning veterans' mental health care, including: (1) services provided through the Readjustment Counseling Service; and (2) a study on veteran suicides. Revises or adds provisions concerning homeless veterans, including pilot programs on financial support for entities providing: (1) supportive services for formerly homeless veterans residing on certain military property or other permanent housing; (2) outreach about pension benefits; and (3) transportation, child care, and clothing assistance to homeless veterans entitled to a rehabilitation program. Revises or adds provisions concerning VA nonprofit research and education corporations. Expands the authority of VA police officers, and provides them a uniform allowance.
Bill· SS. 262 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Fortifying Operational Reserve Component Efforts Act of 2009 or FORCE Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) to conduct a review of Department of Defense (DOD) communications to reserve members of the Armed Forces and their families on health benefits, family support, and other resources available through DOD. Requires: (1) the review to include member and family surveys on their participation in programs and activities associated with member mobilization and demobilization; and (2) the Secretary, using review results, to enhance DOD educational materials provided to such members and families on such benefits, support, and resources. Directs: (1) the Secretary of the military department concerned (Secretary concerned) to assign to each unit of a reserve component under their jurisdiction full-time personnel to provide assistance to the family of a member during, and in connection with, the mobilization and deployment of such unit; and (2) the Secretary to ensure a minimum number of Transition Assistance Advisors in each state. Requires: (1) the Secretary to provide a post-deployment health reassessment to each reserve member returning from deployment in Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom; and (2) the Secretary concerned to provide each reserve member an annual briefing on health benefits available to members and dependents under the TRICARE program (a DOD managed care program). Authorizes the Secretary concerned to pay to a reserve member activated for more than 30 days a monthly stipend to cover, during the activation period, the cost of private health insurance for the spouse and dependents of such member who reside more than 50 miles from the nearest military medical treatment facility or TRICARE services provider. Directs the Secretary to provide to reserve units comprehensive training on mental health matters. Provides funding for mental health care for National Guard members who incurred a psychological or mental illness or injury while on active duty. Requires the Secretary to: (1) measure the achievement of DOD objectives for reserve member participation in the Transition Assistance Program; and (2) ensure that each member of the Individual Ready Reserve who deploys as an individual is provided the same pre- and post-deployment information as provided to members who deploy as a unit. Expresses the sense of Congress that National Guard members returning from deployment in a contingency operation or homeland defense mission of one year or longer should: (1) not be required to commence full-time National Guard duty immediately upon their return; and (2) be permitted to elect to postpone commencement of deactivation from active-duty status until at least 90 days after such return.
Bill· HRH.R. 585 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Environment and Public Health Restoration Act of 2009 - States that it is U.S. government policy to work with states, territories, tribal governments, international organizations, and foreign governments to act as a steward of the environment for the benefit of public health, to maintain air quality and water quality, to sustain the diversity of plant and animal species, to combat global climate change, and to protect the environment for future generations. Requires the President to enter into an arrangement under which the National Academy of Sciences will: (1) study and report to the public, Congress, and implementing agencies on the impact on public health, air quality, water quality, wildlife, and the environment of specified clean water, clean air, and forest, land management, and endangered species regulations, laws, proposed laws, and guidance documents; and (2) make recommendations to maintain, restore, or improve protections for public health, air quality, water quality, wildlife, or the environment for each of such regulations, laws, proposed laws, or documents. Requires the head of each federal agency that issued or implemented such laws or regulations to submit to Congress a plan describing steps to restore or improve such protections.
Bill· HRH.R. 577 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Vision Care for Kids Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award matching grants to states to complement existing state efforts to: (1) provide comprehensive eye examinations from a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist for children who have been previously identified through a vision screening or eye examination by a licensed health care provider or vision screener as needing such services, who do not otherwise have coverage for vision services, and who are low-income children, with priority given to children who are under the age of nine years; (2) provide treatment or services as necessary to correct identified vision problems; and (3) develop and disseminate to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners educational materials on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Requires the Secretary to develop criteria: (1) governing the operation of the grant program; and (2) for the collection of data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services. Requires the Secretary to coordinate the program under this Act with other federal or state programs that provide services to children.
Bill· HRH.R. 584 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapies and Alternative Treatments and Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act to include coverage of hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms and alternative treatments for such therapy under Medicare (title XVIII of the Act). Includes alternative treatments for hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms under Medicaid (title XIX of the Act). Requires coverage of hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms and alternative treatments for such therapy on the same basis as outpatient prescription drugs under: (1) the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (group health plans and group and individual health insurance); (2) the Internal Revenue Code (group health plans); and (3) federal employee health benefit plans. Includes alternative treatments for hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms under veterans' benefits.
Bill· HRH.R. 574 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy and home infusion drugs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit in a manner that ensures that: (1) Medicare beneficiaries have timely and appropriate access to infusion therapy in their homes; and (2) there is rapid and seamless coordination between drug coverage under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and home infusion therapy services coverage under Medicare part B (Supplemental Security Income).
Bill· HRH.R. 573 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit a holder of a new, approved drug application from commencing to manufacture, market, sell, or distribute a generic version of such drug from the time of the receipt of notice from the generic manufacturer that an abbreviated new drug application has been submitted for approval until the expiration or forfeiture of the exclusivity period granted to the generic manufacturer.
Bill· HRH.R. 563 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
SCHIP Expansion for Kids in Need Act of 2009 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) to require states to provide SCHIP priority to children in families with gross income below 200% of the federal poverty level. Declares that no state child health plan shall be considered approved for a fiscal year unless the state has developed and submitted to the Secretary of Health and Human Services a plan to assure that all qualified low-income children are covered by creditable health coverage, such a plan has been approved, and the state implements it beginning with FY2010. Declares that no payment to a state that increases its state child health plan income eligibility level above the one in effect as of the enactment of this Act shall be made for any amount expended for an individual whose family income exceeds the unincreased income eligibility level unless no more than 10% percent of qualified low-income children residing in the state are still not covered under creditable health coverage.
Bill· HRH.R. 568 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Veterans Health Care Quality Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe standards for appointment and practice as a physician within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires: (1) applicants to provide certain information, including each lawsuit, civil action, or other claim against the individual for medical malpractice or negligence, and their results; (2) each appointee to disclose any judgments against the individual for medical malpractice or negligence and any payments made; and (3) physicians already employed within the VHA to disclose such information. Prohibits a new appointment without approval of the director of the Veterans Integrated Services Network (Network) in which the individual will serve. Directs the Secretary to encourage directors to hire physicians who are board-eligible or board-certified. Requires: (1) the VHA's Under Secretary of Health to designate a National Quality Assurance Officer for the VHA quality assurance program; (2) each Network regional director to appoint a quality assurance officer; and (3) the director of each VHA medical facility to appoint a quality assurance officer. Directs the Secretary to review VA policies for maintaining health care quality and patient safety at VA medical facilities. Requires the Secretary, in order to recruit and retain VHA physicians in hard-to-fill positions, to: (1) repay certain educational loans for individuals who agree to serve for at least three years as a VHA physician; (2) reimburse tuition for medical students who agree to serve as a VHA physician after such education; and (3) enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program an individual who agrees to serve as a VHA physician for at least five days per month. Encourages the Secretary to undertake additional incentives to encourage individuals to serve or practice as VHA physicians.
Bill· HRH.R. 570 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Protecting Patients and Health Care Act of 2009 - Nullifies the regulations issued by the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding conscience clause protections for health care workers and facilities.
Bill· HRH.R. 592 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
E-Centives Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for payments to each state that provides incentive payments to physicians, hospitals, community health centers, rural health clinics, and community mental health centers that exhibit meaningful use of certified health information technology. Directs the Secretary to provide for payments to each state that establishes a program to: (1) design, develop, install, maintain, and operate electronic information and eligibility systems and patient registries for the purpose of disease screening; (2) coordinate benefits and services under Medicare and Medicaid for full-benefit dual eligible individuals under the state plan; and (3) train providers in the use of such systems and registries. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to Congress a report on Medicaid transformation payments to states for the adoption of innovative methods to improve effectiveness and efficiency in providing medical assistance.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 69 (111th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Recognizes the need to continue diabetes research. Commends hospitals, community clinics, educational institutes, and other organizations that are: (1) working to increase diabetes awareness; and (2) conducting research for methods to help patients and families in the Latino community suffering from diabetes. Congratulates the work of the Latino Diabetes Association. Expresses support for the designation of Latino Diabetes Awareness Month.
Bill· SS. 245 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand training for health professionals in the fields of geriatrics, long-term care, and chronic care management. Requires an analysis of the health and long-term care workforce. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide for information to adults and dislocated workers about health care and long-term care occupations. Provides for information to veterans about training, internship, and employment opportunities in geriatrics, gerontology, and long-term care. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to require the Assistant Secretary for Aging to: (1) develop family caregiver training materials; and (2) provide for the establishment and operation of a National Resource Center on Volunteers, Students, and Seniors to promote partnerships between entities in the aging network and institutions of higher education and secondary schools, and to encourage projects that involve underserved communities. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide for the development of core training competencies for personal or home care aides and additional training content for nurse aides and home health aides; and (2) establish a panel of long-term care workforce experts. Provides for the development of information and referral protocols for family caregivers of Medicare beneficiaries. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of assessments of family caregiver support needs. Provides for studies on: (1) the mental health workforce; (2) the aging network's capacity to meet current and future needs; (3) retention and tenure of nurse aides and home health aides; and (4) spending by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on conditions and illnesses that disproportionately impact the health of older individuals.
Bill· SS. 246 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Veterans Health Care Quality Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe standards for appointment and practice as a physician within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires: (1) applicants to provide certain information, including each lawsuit, civil action, or other claim against the individual for medical malpractice or negligence, and their results; (2) each appointee to disclose any judgments against the individual for medical malpractice or negligence and any payments made; and (3) physicians already employed within the VHA to disclose such information. Prohibits a new appointment without approval of the director of the Veterans Integrated Services Network (Network) in which the individual will serve. Directs the Secretary to encourage directors to hire physicians who are board-certified. Requires: (1) the VHA's Under Secretary of Health to designate a National Quality Assurance Officer for the VHA quality assurance program; (2) each Network regional director to appoint a quality assurance officer; and (3) the director of each VHA medical facility to appoint a quality assurance officer. Directs the Secretary to review VA policies for maintaining health care quality and patient safety at VA medical facilities. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to recruit and retain VHA physicians in hard-to-fill positions, to: (1) repay certain educational loans for individuals who agree to serve for at least three years as a VHA physician; (2) reimburse tuition for medical students who agree to serve as a VHA physician after such education; and (3) enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program an individual who agrees to serve as a VHA physician for at least five days per month. Encourages the Secretary to undertake additional incentives to encourage individuals to serve or practice as VHA physicians in hard-to-fill positions.
Bill· SS. 236 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act Amendments of 2009 - Amends the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act to declare that it is the intent of Congress that: (1) in a claim brought under such Act, the facts are not to be given a broad liberal construction in favor of the employee or of the employer; (2) the laws pertaining to the claim are to be construed in accordance with the basic principles of statutory construction and not liberally in favor of either the employee or employer; and (3) the system established under the Act shall be efficient and self-executing, but not an economic or administrative burden. Makes compensation under the Act payable regardless of fault as a cause of an injury (no-fault). Specifies requirements for proportional payment of compensation, the last employer doctrine, intervening employment, and noncontributing employment exposure. Prescribes criteria for the preemption of state law providing additional or alternative remedies for an injured employee, the employee's legal representative, spouse, next of kin, or anyone otherwise entitled to recover from an employer on account of an employee's injury or death. Revises requirements for physician selection. Allows a carrier to designate one or more participating networks or one or more health care panels, or both, to provide medical services to employees. Modifies the formula used to determine disability compensation, including for loss of hearing. Increases allowed funeral expenses. Revises requirements for: (1) determination of death compensation to survivors; (2) timing and recipients of a notice of such injury or death; (3) filing of claims; (4) date of payment of compensation; (5) assignment and exemption from the claims of creditors; (6) presumptions, burdens, and rules of evidence; (7) review of compensation orders; (8) modification of compensation awards for fraud or overpayment; (9) reports of fraud; and (10) payments into the special fund in the absence of an entitled survivor of an employee.
Bill· HRH.R. 504 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Medicare Hearing Enhancement and Auditory Rehabilitation (HEAR) Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services under the Medicare program.
Bill· HRH.R. 521 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish and maintain a scientific registry of stillbirths in the United States, which shall include for each stillbirth information on the stillborn fetus and the mother's health and pregnancy as collected and submitted by states on the U.S. Standard Report of Fetal Death. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide for the development of a standard definition of stillbirth and a standard protocol for stillbirth data collection and surveillance; and (2) carry out a national campaign to increase public and state awareness of such definition and protocol and public awareness and knowledge of stillbirths. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) should increase the allocation of funds and other resources for stillbirth research.
Bill· HRH.R. 519 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Elder Caregiver Support and Information Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize additional appropriations for FY2010-FY2012 for the family caregiver support program. Authorizes appropriations for FY2010-2012 for the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information.
Bill· HRH.R. 535 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Working Small Business Regulatory Relief Act - Amends the Paperwork Reduction Act to direct agency heads not to impose civil fines for first-time paperwork violations by small business concerns unless the detection of criminal activity would be impaired, the violation is not corrected within six months, the violation is a violation of internal revenue law or a law concerning the assessment or collection of any tax, debt, revenue, or receipt, or the violation presents a danger to the public health or safety. Permits an agency to determine that a fine should not be imposed for a violation that presents a danger to public health or safety if the violation is corrected within 24 hours after receipt by the small business owner of notification of the violation. Makes this Act inapplicable to any violation by a small business of a requirement regarding the collection of information by an agency if the small business previously violated any requirement concerning the collection of information by that agency.
Bill· HRH.R. 496 (111th)open
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Trade Enforcement Act of 2009 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise certain trade provisions to require the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to: (1) review U.S. trade expansion priorities; and (2) report to Congress on priority foreign country practices which if eliminated will have the most potential to increase U.S. exports. Requires the USTR to seek consultation and satisfactory resolution of any identified priority foreign country trade practice (including an agreement for elimination or provision of compensatory trade benefits) with the country of concern. Establishes the Office of the Congressional Trade Enforcer. Requires the USTR to: (1) identify priority foreign countries that maintain technical barriers to trade, or sanitary or phytosanitary measures, that deny market access to U.S. products; and (2) initiate an investigation of such trade barriers to determine what trade action, if any, must be taken to remedy such barriers. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to apply countervailing duty provisions to nonmarket economy countries. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should restore the balance between rights and obligations struck during the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations; (2) the United States should have the ability to enforce rigorously its trade laws (including antidumping, countervailing duty, and safeguard laws) in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations and dispute settlement proceedings; and (2) dispute settlement panels are obligated to follow WTO negotiated agreements and not Appellate Body jurisprudence. Revises requirements for presidential action on a finding by the International Trade Commission (ITC) regarding an imported Chinese product that threatens or causes market disruption to a like U.S. product. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish: (1) a government-wide, uniform data system to identify all goods imported into the United States; and (2) a voluntary government-private Import Safety Program to ensure that all goods in the international supply chain do not pose risks to public health or safety, and to facilitate the movement of such goods through the chain. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a list of importers of record and foreign manufacturers, processing facilities, exporters, and suppliers whose imported products have been determined to be inadmissible into the United States or have been the subject of U.S. recalls because of violations of health or safety standards; and (2) sanctions for entities on the list. Establishes the position of Director of Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement to develop an annual strategic plan for the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Sets forth: (1) enforcement activities to combat the counterfeiting and piracy of products; and (2) civil fines for the import of pirated or counterfeit products.
Bill· HRH.R. 542 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Healthy Kids One Stop Act - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to give states the option to rely on findings from a public Express Lane agency to conduct simplified eligibility determinations. Amends SSA title XIX to authorize a federal or state agency or private entity in possession of the sources of data directly relevant for Medicaid eligibility determination (including eligibility files maintained by an Express Lane agency) to convey such information to the state Medicaid agency, if such conveyance meets specified requirements. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for improper disclosure of such information.
Bill· HRH.R. 502 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Health Care Freedom of Choice Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the tax deduction for medical expenses without the gross income percentage limitation.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 64 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Commends: (1) the state of Texas for passing S.B. 10 in 2003 (allowed the formation of health group cooperatives); and (2) the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce for actively working to reduce the number of uninsured individuals in Texas and developing a successful health care plan. Encourages: (1) other chambers of commerce or similar groups in Texas to develop a health group cooperative to provide access to affordable health care; and (2) other states to study the Texas model and adopt similar health care solutions.
Bill· SS. 225 (111th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Children's Health Care Quality Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to: (1) identify quality and performance measures for pediatric service providers; and (2) award grants or contracts for the development, validation, and testing of new and emerging measures. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to establish demonstration projects to award grants to states to improve the delivery of health care services to children under Medicaid and SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP). Requires demonstration projects in the categories of: (1) health information technology systems; (2) disease management for children with chronic conditions; (3) evidence-based quality improvement; and (4) quality and performance measures for providers of children's health care services. Requires the Comptroller General to make recommendations to Congress for the design and implementation of a demonstration project to evaluate the suitability of existing quality and performance measures for children's inpatient hospital services for public reporting, differentiating quality, identifying best practices, and providing a basis for payment rewards.
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