The world's political record
Records whose title is actually about this topic. Use a country filter if the list is still too broad.
201 records in US in 2000
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Medicare Renal Dialysis Payment Fairness Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for an update in the renal dialysis composite rate.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Home Health Refinement Amendments of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate the 15 percent reduction in payment rates under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services; (2) provide for additional payments for outliers; (3) provide for additional payments under the PPS for home health services furnished in a rural area; (4) provide for exclusion of nonroutine medical supplies under the PPS for home health services; and (5) set forth a rule of construction relating to telehomehealth services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of including home health services furnished by telecommunications systems as a home health service.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Hospice Improvement Program Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) a Hospice Demonstration Program to increase the utility of Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA)) hospice services for Medicare beneficiaries; (2) a supportive and comfort care benefit for any eligible Medicare beneficiary for purposes of such program; (3) special rules for payment to any Medicare+Choice (SSA title XVIII part C) organization offering a Medicare+Choice plan in which a Medicare beneficiary that participates in such demonstration program is enrolled; and (4) a Hospital Education Grant program under which the Secretary awards education grants to entities participating in the demonstration program for the purpose of providing information about the Medicare hospice benefit and the benefits available to Medicare beneficiaries under the demonstration program. Provides for funding.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Medicare Beneficiary Prescription Drug Assistance and Stop-Loss Protection Act of 2000 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXII (Outpatient Prescription Drug Assistance Program) to provide funds to enable States to establish a program of assistance (separate from Medicaid under SSA title XIX) to low-income Medicare (SSA title XVIII) beneficiaries and, at State option, Medicare beneficiaries with high drug costs to obtain coverage for outpatient prescription drugs. Makes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a Medicare outpatient prescription drug benefit program that provides medication therapy management benefits. Allows low-income Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare beneficiaries with high drug costs to elect to suspend Medicare supplemental (Medigap) insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Medicare Access to Ambulance Services Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to restructure the payment rates for ambulance services, air and ground, and establish a prudent layperson standard for emergency ambulance services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on rural areas and the cost of providing ambulance services.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Health Care Safety Net Oversight Act of 2000 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to add a new part D to establish the Safety Net Organizations and Patient Advisory Commission to: (1) study the health care safety net programs; and (2) report annually to Congress, the Comptroller General, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the health care needs of the uninsured and the financial and infrastructure stability of the core health care safety net of the United States based on such review. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish standards for payment under Medicare of certain orthotic, prosthetic, and pedorthic devices.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Medicare Renal Dialysis Payment Fairness Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for an update in the renal dialysis composite rate.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Directs the White House to convene a conference to study issues concerning quality of care in assisted living facilities in the United States and develop national recommendations for ensuring consumer protections in such facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should support: (1) efforts to promote awareness of cancer among children; (2) increased investment in childhood cancer research; (3) policies that provide incentives to encourage medical trainees and investigators to enter the field of pediatric oncology, that provide incentives to encourage the development of pediatric cancer drugs and biologics, and that encourage participation in clinical trials; and (4) medical education curricula designed to improve pain management for cancer patients.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2000
Medicare Glaucoma Detection Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of glaucoma detection tests for certain eligible individuals under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Medicare Temporary Drug Assistance Act - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXII (Outpatient Prescription Drug Assistance Program) to provide funds to enable States to establish a program of assistance (separate from Medicaid under SSA title XIX) to low-income Medicare (SSA title XVIII) beneficiaries and, at State option, Medicare beneficiaries with high drug costs to obtain coverage for outpatient prescription drugs. Makes appropriations. Allows low-income Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare beneficiaries with high drug costs to elect to suspend Medicare supplemental (Medigap) insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
See summary of: S. 3016
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Veterans Comprehensive Hepatitis C Health Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, during the first year after the enactment of this Act, to provide a blood test for the Hepatitis C virus to: (1) each veteran who served on active military duty during the Vietnam era, is enrolled to receive veterans' medical care, and requests such care or is otherwise receiving a physical examination or any other care or treatment from the Secretary; and (2) any other veteran who so requests. Requires the Secretary, after such period, to provide such test to any veteran who presents one or more risk factors for such virus and who requests the test. Requires the Secretary to provide appropriate treatment protocol for any veteran who tests positive, without regard to whether the virus is determined to be service-connected and without regard to the veteran's priority group categorization. Prohibits a copayment from being charged for such treatment. Requires the Secretary to: (1) perform a liver biopsy test on a positive-testing veteran as a follow- up test; (2) upon request, provide a Hepatitis C genotype test before beginning virus treatment; (3) employ at each Department of Veterans Affairs medical center at least one full-time gastroenterologist or hepatologist to conduct such tests; and (4) ensure that each center has at least one staff member assigned to coordinate treatment options and provide information to positive-testing patients. Provides funding for Department Hepatitis C detection and treatment programs, beginning with FY 2001. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and implement a standardized Department policy with respect to such virus; and (2) annually take appropriate outreach actions to notify untested veterans. Directs the Secretary to establish at least one and no more than three Hepatitis C centers of excellence within the Department health care network. Provides centers' funding.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Medicare Prescription Drug Internet Access and Safe Importation Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into a contract arrangement with a qualified carrier under which the carrier will provide for the operation of an Internet site through which Medicare beneficiaries, physicians, and pharmacies serving Medicare beneficiaries can identify one or more Internet pharmacies through which such individuals and pharmacies may directly purchase safe and effective domestic and international prescription drugs. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the promulgation of criteria for Internet pharmacies eligible to participate with a Medicare carrier in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
National Media Campaign to Prevent Underage Drinking Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop, implement, and conduct a national media campaign for the purpose of reducing and preventing underage drinking in the United States. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Safe Medications for the Elderly Act of 2000- Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide for Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) coverage of certain pharmaceutical care services; and (2) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a relative value scale and fee schedules for the payment of such services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to repeal the cap on Medicaid payments for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. Increases the minimum Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) (including for such territories) from 50 percent to 77 percent .
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Patient Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Public Availability of Physician Information in National Practitioner Data Bank - Amends the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations under which the public may obtain, through the Internet, specified physician information contained in the National Practitioner Data Bank, including patient care incidents. Requires the inclusion of information regarding medical malpractice payments and criminal acts. Title II: Reporting Requirements Regarding National Practitioner Data Bank - Requires the inclusion, within certain reports required for such Data Bank, of information regarding the physician's medical field, date of licensing and years of experience, and professional license number. Requires each State Board of Medical Examiners to report criminal acts of physicians. Requires each physician to report, for the Data Bank, each felony conviction and sets forth sanctions for failure to report. Title III: Duty to Obtain Information - Requires Federal hospitals and State Boards of Medical Examiners to obtain physician information required under this Act. Title IV: General Provisions - Requires the Secretary, on request, to provide State Boards of Medical Examiners a summary of information reported in the Data Bank on physicians licensed in that State.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2000
Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel Act of 2000 - Title I: Personnel Matters - Revises pay adjustment authority for nurses employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to require the director of such Department health-care facility to use third-party industry wage surveys in making such adjustments. Prohibits any adjustment from reducing the rate of basic pay applicable to any nurse grade. Prohibits a director, in determining whether to carry out an adjustment, from considering the absence of a current recruitment or retention problem for personnel in that position. Requires a director to make such determination based on whether there is a significant pay-related staffing problem for such position at that facility. Authorizes the Department's Under Secretary for Health to modify any adjustment determination made by a facility director. Requires each director to report annually to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on staffing for covered positions at that facility. Requires the Secretary to report annually on such staffing to the congressional veterans' committees. Makes annual (currently terminated in 1993) a reporting requirement from the Secretary to the veterans' committees regarding pay adjustments. Requires the Under Secretary to ensure that: (1) the director of a geographic service area, in formulating policy for the provision of patient care, consult regularly with a senior nurse executive(s); and (2) the director of a health-care facility include a registered nurse on any committee providing recommendations or decisions on medical center operations or policies affecting clinical services, clinical outcomes, budget, or resources. (Sec. 102) Increases the special pay for dentists for: (1) full-time status; (2) completing a post-graduate year of accredited hospital-based training; (3) length-of-service pay; (4) scarce specialty pay; (5) service in a geographic location in which there exists extraordinary difficulties in the recruitment and retention of qualified dentists; and (6) service in certain executive positions. Credits toward civil service retirement calculations 25 percent of the special pay for length-of-service pay for each two years that the dentist completes as a dentist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). (Sec. 103) Exempts VHA pharmacists from a required ceiling on special salary rates for certain VHA health professionals. (Sec. 104) Requires a physician assistant with appropriate experience to advise the Under Secretary on all matters relating to the utilization and employment of VHA physician assistants. (Sec. 105) Revises generally provisions regarding the temporary appointment of graduates of physician assistant training programs. Provides a three-year term for temporary full-time appointments of certain medical support personnel (with authorized renewals for additional three-year periods). (Sec. 106) Requires VHA social workers to be licensed or certified to independently practice social work in a State (with an authorized waiver on an individual basis for a reasonable period). (Sec. 107) Amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Employment Reduction Assistance Act of 1999 to: (1) revise the number of authorized participants in a plan for voluntary separation incentive payments; (2) revise the percentage of required agency contributions to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund to cover such payments; and (3) extend payment authority through 2002. Title II: Construction Authorization - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out major medical facility projects at Department medical centers in Palo Alto, California, Miami, Florida, and Long Beach, California. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a renovation project at the Department medical center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (Sec. 202) Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 and 2002 for the Construction, Major Projects, account for such projects. Title III: Military Service Issues - Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) a protocol is used during at least one clinical evaluation of a patient to identify pertinent military experiences and exposures that may contribute to the health of the patient; and (2) such information is included in the patient's medical records. Requires a report from the Secretary to the veterans' committees on the feasibility and desirability of using a computer-based system in conducting such evaluations. (Sec. 302) Directs the Secretary to contract with an appropriate entity to conduct a follow-up study on post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans. Requires a report to the veterans' committees. Title IV: Medical Administration - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a pilot program in not more than four geographically dispersed areas to improve access to and coordination of inpatient care of eligible veterans. Terminates the pilot program on September 30, 2005. Authorizes the Secretary, under such program to pay the cost of hospital care and medical services furnished on an inpatient basis in a non-Department hospital to a veteran participant. Directs the Secretary to limit program care and services to general medical and surgical services, and to require that such services be provided only upon preauthorization by the Secretary. Makes eligible for the program a veteran who: (1) is enrolled to receive medical services from a nearby Department outpatient clinic; (2) has received care within 24 months preceding the veteran's application for program enrollment (3) requires such care and services for a non-service-connected condition and could not receive such care and services from a Department clinic; and (4) elects to receive such care and services under an entitled health plan. Directs the Secretary to ensure that at least 15 percent of program participants are veterans without a health care plan. Requires two reports from the Secretary to the veterans' committees on program implementation and operation. Limits to $50 million the total authorized program expenditure for any fiscal year. (Sec. 402) Authorizes the payment of veterans' disability compensation for veterans who are disabled during participation in a compensated work therapy program. (Sec. 403) Extends through December 31, 2005, the authority of the Secretary to establish nonprofit research and education corporations. (Sec. 404) Authorizes the Secretary to furnish temporary lodging in Fisher houses (guest houses) or other appropriate facilities, in connection with the examination, care, and treatment of a veteran, to: (1) a veteran who must travel a significant distance to receive such care and treatment; and (2) a family member and others who accompany such veteran and provide familial support. Authorizes the Secretary to establish charges for such lodging. (Sec. 405) Extends through 2004 an annual reporting requirement describing activities of the Committee on Care of Severely Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans. (Sec. 406) Excludes from the right of the Department to recover certain costs from a State for veterans' care facilities not so used for at least 20 years the establishment and operation of an outpatient clinic at such a facility. (Sec. 407) Prohibits the Secretary from entering into an enhanced-use lease of Department property until 90 days after notifying the veterans' committees of the intention to designate property for such use. (Sec. 409) Authorizes the Secretary to employ veterans claims examiners (also known as veterans service representatives) on a fee basis. Requires two reports on the implementation of such authority. (Sec. 410) Directs the Secretary to release a reversionary interest in certain real property in Johnson City, Tennessee, previously transferred to the State of Tennessee.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2000
National Health Service Corps Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY 2005 (currently terminated after FY 2000) the authorization of appropriations for certain programs for the National Health Service Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2000
Same Insurance as Congress Act - Requires any carrier of a plan approved under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to offer health insurance to individuals who are not eligible: (1) to be enrolled in a group health plan; or (2) for Medicare, Medicaid, or Children's Health Insurance Program benefits under the Social Security Act. Provides that such coverage shall not adversely affect the coverage, contributions, or benefits of Federal employees and annuitants and their families under the Program. Allows a carrier to apply for exclusion from requirements of this Act. Terminates the provisions of this Act ten years after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2000
Health Care Liability Reform Act - Permits punitive damages, to the extent permitted by applicable State law, to be awarded against a manufacturer or product seller in a civil action if the claimant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the harm suffered was the result of conduct manifesting actual malice. Prohibits the manufacturer of a prescription drug or device and a health care provider from being subject to punitive damages with respect to harm caused by a drug or device if the drug or device was approved under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act unless: (1)the manufacturer withholds from the Food and Drug Administration; or (2) the health care provider withholds from a patient, information which is relevant to the performance of the drug or device and causally related to the harm suffered by the plaintiff.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2000
Provides that, effective for discharges occurring between October 1, 2001, and October 1, 2003, for purposes of making disproportionate share payments with respect to the operating costs of inpatient hospital services to hospitals in Lake County, Indiana, such county is deemed to be located in the Chicago, Illinois, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2000
Cancer Care Preservation Act of 2000 - Prohibits the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration from implementing any reduction to the rates of reimbursement for outpatient cancer therapy services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) unless such reductions: (1) are developed in consultation with the Comptroller General of the United States, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), and representatives of the cancer care community; (2) provide for the appropriate payment rates for outpatient cancer therapy services based upon the determinations made by the Comptroller General in the nationwide analysis required by this Act; and (3) are authorized by an Act of Congress. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a nationwide analysis and report to Congress on the physician and non- physician clinical resources necessary to provide safe outpatient cancer therapy services and the appropriate payment rates for such services under Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Health Care Provider Bill of Rights - Title I: Reform of HCFA Regulatory Process - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to: (1) prospective application of certain regulations used to carry out the administration of the Medicare program; (2) notice and hearing requirements for certain interim final regulations; (3) General Accounting Office audit and report to Congress on compliance with certain statutory administrative procedure requirements; (4) requirements for judicial and regulatory challenges of regulations; and (5) national coverage determination process. Title II: Reform of Appeals Process - Permits appeal of overpayment determinations under certain conditions. (Sec. 202) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) time lines for appeals; and (2) suspension of certain activities while appeals are pending. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to permit any health care provider to appeal any determination of the Secretary under the Medicare program on behalf of a deceased beneficiary where no substitute party is available. (Sec. 205) Makes any determination of the Departmental Appeals Board of the HHS Department under the Medicare program have national precedential value with respect to any determination of an administrative law judge under such program. (Sec. 206) Amends Federal money and finance law with regard to requirements for affirmative appeal of Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) actions. (Sec. 207) Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an audit for a report to Congress on: (1) the statistical validity of random sample audits conducted under Medicare before the enactment of this Act; (2) the necessity of such audits for specified purposes; and (3) the effects of the applications of such audits to health care providers. Title III: Reform of Overpayment Procedure - Amends SSA title XVIII to prohibit: (1) retroactive overpayment determinations; (2) sampling audits to reduce future reimbursements; (3) recovery of past overpayment by certain means; and (4) recovery of past overpayments if appeal pending. Title IV: Reform of Voluntary Disclosure Procedure - Directs the Secretary and the Attorney General to establish, by regulation, voluntary disclosure procedures that apply with respect to any potential violations of Federal criminal, civil, or administrative laws by a health care provider under the Medicare program. Prohibits criminal prosecution under SSA title XI and no civil action under such title, Medicare, or under specified provisions of Federal money and finance law against a health care provider with respect to a matter that such provider has voluntarily disclosed in accordance with such regulations. Title V: Criminal Law Enforcement Reforms - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) deny law enforcement authority to employees of the HHS Office of Inspector General; and (2) establish guidelines for search warrants on health care facilities. Title VI: Provider Compliance Education - Mandates specified levels of funding for the stated purpose of ensuring that health care providers learn of new coverage, billing, documentation, and coding changes to Medicare laws and regulations in a timely manner. (Sec. 601) States that health care providers have the right to information about such matters that are applicable to local carrier guidelines under Medicare. Provides that fiscal intermediaries and carriers will offer each health care provider the right to receive this information by electronic or certified mail. Outlines requirements for additional educational outreach for health care providers for coverage, billing, documentation, and coding issues that have the most frequent billing errors. (Sec. 602) Sets forth provisions regarding advisory opinions. (Sec. 603) Amends SSA title XI to provide for an extension of existing advisory opinion provisions of law.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Rural Health Care in the 21st Century Act of 2000 - Title I: High Technology - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a High Technology Acquisition Grant and Loan program for the purpose of: (1) improving the quality of health care in rural areas through the acquisition of advanced medical technology; (2) fostering the development of described networks; (3) promoting resource sharing between urban and rural facilities; and (4) improving patient safety and outcomes through the acquisition of high technology. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) to: (1) revise the Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA)) telehealth payment methodology; (2) make other specified revisions to the telehealth program; and (3) extend telehealth coverage to certain services furnished by a physician. Directs the Secretary to: (1) study and report to Congress on additional telehealth items and services that would be appropriate for Medicare coverage; and (2) maintain through September 30, 2003, the grant and operational phases of any ongoing Medicare telemedicine demonstration project. Title II: Improvements in the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) Program - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise DSH adjustments for payments to rural and urban hospitals for inpatient services. Title III: Improvements in the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Program - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment to skilled nursing facilities for routine service costs to provide for the treatment of: (1) swing-bed services furnished by CAHs; (2) ambulance services furnished by certain CAHs; and (3) home health services furnished by certain CAHs. Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) direct the Secretary to designate a national agency or organization with an agreement to perform (single fiscal intermediary) functions with respect to each CAH electing to have such functions performed by such agency or organization; and (2) establish an all-inclusive payment option for outpatient CAH services. Title IV: Outpatient Services Furnished by Rural Providers - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) a permanent guarantee of pre-BBA' 97 payment levels for outpatient services furnished by rural hospitals; (2) repeal of the termination date for (thus permanently allowing) direct payment to a physician assistant for certain physician assistant services; (3) exclusion of rural health clinic services from the prospective payment system for skilled nursing facilities; and (4) bonus payments for rural home health agencies. Title V: Bad Debt - Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to provide for restoration of full payment for bad debts (uncollectible copayments) of qualified Medicare beneficiaries. Title VI: National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from an individual's gross income certain amounts received under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship program. Title VII: Technical Corrections to the Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) extend the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals; and (2) provide for supplementary medical insurance payments for the aged and disabled to CAHs for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Managed Care Integrity Act of 2000 - Requires health benefits plans offered by managed care entities to ensure that, with respect to a contract year, the actuarial value of the aggregate plan benefits is at least 85 percent of the aggregate amount of payments received from, or on behalf of, plan enrollees. Waives such requirement for a limited period if an entity's solvency is in jeopardy or compliance would cause the entity to fail to meet solvency requirements for licensure in a State. Excludes plan management and operation costs for purposes of determining actuarial value of aggregate benefits. Includes Medicaid managed care organizations and managed care entities providing health care coverage for Federal employees and members of the armed forces within the definition of "managed care entity." Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop formal investigation and compliance procedures with respect to complaints concerning failures of health benefits plans to comply with this Act. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to apply the requirements of the Managed Care Integrity Act of 2000 to Medicare+Choice organizations. Sets forth remedies with respect to failures to comply with this Act, including monetary penalties, and, with respect to Medicare+Choice organizations, suspension of enrollment of individuals or payments.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Consumer Awareness of Market-based Drug Prices Act of 2000 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publicize certain market-based drug pricing information received from drug manufacturers, including: (1) average manufacturer's price; (2) manufacturer's best price with respect to single source and innovator multiple source drugs; and (3) the base average and initial average manufacturer price for newly marketed drugs used to determine an additional rebate for single source and innovator multiple source drugs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Restoring Essential Access to Care in the Home (REACH) Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for reimbursement for home health services furnished by essential access home health providers, exempting such services from specified home health interim and prospective payment systems.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Medicare Bad Debt Relief and Medicare Cost-Sharing Eligibility Act of 2000 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to: (1) deem as a bad debt certain uncollectible Medicare cost-sharing (thus providing bad debt relief for facilities furnishing care to certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries); and (2) require State plans for medical assistance to provide for determination of eligibility of specified individuals for Medicare cost-sharing, and for their enrollment at any hospital, clinic, or similar entity at which State or local agency personnel are stationed for eligibility determination.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Family Health Insurance Program Act of 2000 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to give States the option to provide for coverage of parental health assistance for targeted low-income parents under the State's Children's Health Insurance program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Access to Affordable Health Care Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) in the case of an employer, for an employee health insurance expenses credit; (2) in the case of an individual (including the self-employed), for the deduction of 100 percent of the cost of medical care insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Medicare Equity and Access Act of 2000 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) elimination of reduction in Medicare+Choice payment rates by neutrality adjustments; (2) modification of the application of blended capitation rate area-specific and national percentages for years after 2000; (3) an increase in the baseline of the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage for years after 2000; and (4) inclusion of costs of certain Department of Defense military treatment facility services to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the calculation of Medicare+Choice payment rates.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Federal Reformulated Fuels Act of 2000 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to authorize a State Governor, upon notification to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the 90-day period beginning on this Act's enactment date, to waive oxygen content requirements for reformulated gasoline sold or dispensed in the State. Considers gasoline that complies with all other requirements for reformulated gasoline other than those regarding oxygen content to be reformulated gasoline. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations to ensure that reductions of toxic air pollutant emissions achieved under the reformulated gasoline program before this Act's enactment are maintained in States for which the oxygenate requirement is waived or to apply a specified alternative performance standard to reformulated gasoline sold in such States. (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Administrator to control the sale or introduction into commerce of any fuel or fuel additive that causes or contributes to air or water pollution that may be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. Permits States not subject to a prohibition on enforcement of certain State emission control standards to prescribe such control on fuel or fuel additives for water quality protection purposes. Requires the Administrator to ban the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline unless the use of MTBE is determined to pose no substantial risk to water or air quality or human health. Authorizes the Administrator to establish a schedule to phase out the use of MTBE preceding such ban. Prohibits (if the Administrator makes the determination described above), for the fourth calendar year after this Act's enactment date and thereafter, the quantity of gasoline sold or introduced into commerce by a gasoline refiner, blender, or importer from containing on average more than one percent by volume MTBE and bars such individuals from selling or introducing into commerce any gasoline that contains more than a specified percentage by volume of MTBE as determined by the Administrator. Authorizes the Administrator to promulgate regulations to provide for an MTBE credit trading program to authorize persons who refine, blend, or import gasoline with less than the maximum MTBE content to use or transfer such credits to others for compliance purposes. Requires such regulations to ensure that the total quantity of gasoline sold or introduced into commerce during any calendar year by all such individuals contains on average not more than one percent MTBE. Provides for a temporary waiver of such limitations if there is an insufficient domestic capacity to produce or import gasoline. Authorizes a State to make such waiver inapplicable to any area with respect to which the State has exercised authority to limit the sale or use of MTBE. Permits States to petition the Administrator to eliminate the use of MTBE in gasoline in the State in order to protect air or water quality or human health. (Sec. 4) Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations concerning the use of conventional gasoline to eliminate any increase in emissions of criteria air pollutants that may have resulted during 2005 and 2006 over the amount of such emissions during 1998 through 1999. Makes such regulations inapplicable to certain States that adopted emissions control standards before March 30, 1966. Eliminates a specified waiver for ethanol under provisions governing Reid vapor pressure limitations on gasoline. (Sec. 5) Directs (currently, authorizes) the Administrator, for purposes of registration of fuels or fuel additives and on a regular basis, to require manufacturers of such fuels or additives to conduct tests to determine potential public health and environmental effects (currently, public health effects) of the fuel or additive and to meet other existing requirements. (Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator to report to Congress every five years on: (1) reductions in emissions of criteria air pollutants, precursors of those pollutants, toxic air pollutants, and greenhouse gases that result from implementation of CAA provisions regarding regulation of fuels; and (2) regulatory options to achieve reductions in the risk to public health and the environment posed by fuels and fuel additives and recommendations for statutory changes necessary to implement such options. (Sec. 7) Authorizes the Administrator to approve State implementation plan revisions that apply a prohibition on the sale of conventional gasoline in covered areas (areas requiring the use of reformulated gasoline) to a nonclassified area. (Sec. 8) Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to authorize the EPA Administrator and States to use funds from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund to carry out corrective actions with respect to a release of MTBE that presents a risk to human health or welfare or the environment. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the Administrator or a State to use funds appropriated from the Trust Fund for: (1) necessary expenses directly related to the implementation of provisions regarding the response program for petroleum; (2) enforcement regarding underground storage tanks; and (3) inspection of such tanks. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Medicare Self-Administered Medications Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the definition of covered non-self-administered drugs and biologicals. Replaces the current definition of drugs and biologicals which cannot, as determined in accordance with regulations, be self-administered with a definition of drugs and biologicals for which the usual method of administration is not patient self-administration or, in the case of injectable drugs and biologicals, for which the physician determines that self-administration is not medically appropriate (thus covering such drugs and biologicals which a patient may, all the same, self-administer).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Veterans' Right to Know Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) provide information concerning eligibility for Department benefits and health care services and application requirements when a veteran or his or her dependent first applies for any such benefit; and (2) prepare an annual plan for the conduct of outreach activities to provide such veterans and dependents with such information.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to convey specified tracts of property at the Carl Vinson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dublin, Georgia, to: (1) the Board of Regents of the State of Georgia to be used solely for education purposes; and (2) the Community Service Board of Middle Georgia to be used solely for education and health care purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Homebound Clarification Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to provisions regarding conditions on payments for services and payments of claims of providers of services, to consider an individual to be confined to home if there is a normal inability to leave home and leaving home requires a considerable and taxing effort by the individual. (This Act removes the additional condition that absences from home be infrequent or of relatively short duration or attributable to the need to receive medical treatment to be considered confined to home.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Medicare+Choice Program Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) increasing the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; (2) increasing the minimum payment amount in 2002 for any of the 50 States and the District of Columbia; (3) allowing a Medicare+Choice organization to elect to apply an area-specific percentage of 50 percent and a national percentage of 50 percent for 2002 rather than the rate currently applicable for that year in determining the blended capitation rate used in determining the calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates; (4) increasing the update for payment areas with only one or no Medicare+Choice contracts; (5) permitting higher negotiated rates in certain Medicare+Choice payment areas below the national average; and (6) providing for a ten year phase-in of risk adjustment based on data from all settings. Delays from July to November 2000 the deadline for withdrawing the offer, or rescinding the withdrawal, of Medicare+Choice plans for 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Mental Health Early Intervention, Treatment, and Prevention Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish programs for the treatment of mental illness. Directs the creation of a national anti-stigma and suicide prevention campaign to reduce the stigma often associated with mental illness. Provides for award grants to States, their political subdivisions, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to train teachers and school personnel to recognize and respond to symptoms of adolescent mental disorders. Authorizes grants to support the designation of emergency mental health centers. Provides for a program of up to 125 grants to develop programs to divert individuals with mental illness from the criminal justice system to community-based services. Establishes grant programs for: (1) reduction of suicide deaths; (2) outreach screening to identify and refer persons with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance abuse disorders; (3) expansion of community-based mental health services; and (4) establishment of centers of excellence on psychological trauma response. Requires establishment, through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, of a research program to determine factors contributing to noncompliance with outpatient treatment plans and to design innovative methods to enhance compliance. Directs the creation of Centers for Excellence in Translational Research, and programs to increase the supply of basic and clinical researchers in the mental health field. Creates a grant program to provide integrated child welfare and mental health services for children and adolescents under age 19 in the child welfare system or at risk of becoming part of the system, and parents or caregivers with mental illness or mental illness and a co-occurring substance abuse disorder. Provides for grants for accredited primary care residency training programs and continuing education programs to identify and refer persons with a mental illness. Establishes a commission to study mental health issues research and develop model State legislation based on such research results. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to direct the Attorney General to make grants for mental health court programs: (1) to provide training of law enforcement and judicial personnel in addressing the unique needs of individuals with a mental illness who come in contact with the criminal justice system; and (2) to coordinate criminal adjudication, supervision, and delivery of mental health treatment for preliminarily qualified individuals. Establishes a mental health screening and treatment grant program for persons in jails and prisons. Directs that grants be made to train State and local law enforcement officers in identification of and resources available to individuals with a mental illness.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the personal needs allowance deducted from monthly income in determining Medicaid payment for the cost of care in an institution, to increase such allowance: (1) from $30 to $50 for institutionalized individuals; and (2) from $60 to $100 for institutionalized couples.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to increase from 70 percent to100 percent of the locality adjusted national average per resident amount the payment floor for direct graduate medical education payments under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Community Mental Health Center Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to partial hospitalization services, to revise qualifications for community mental health centers to include entities contracting to provide mental health services. Postpones until August 1, 2001, the application of the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system to partial hospitalization services. Revises the formula for calculating the base payment-to-cost-ratio component of outpatient department prospective payment system transitional corridor payments to include in such formula (and so cover) hospitals that did not submit cost reports for 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Health Care Fraud Prevention and Paperwork Reduction Act of 2000 - Establishes the Commission on Billing Codes and Forms Simplification which shall make recommendations regarding: (1) standardized forms; and (2) reduction in billing codes. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a process under which a physician may request, in writing from a carrier, assistance in addressing questionable codes and procedures under the medicare program. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) policy development regarding evaluation and management guidelines; and (2) medicare overpayments.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Medicare Choice Preservation Act of 2000 - Title I: Improvements in Payments - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) increasing the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; (2) increasing the minimum payment amount in 2001 for any of the 50 States and the District of Columbia; (3) allowing a Medicare+Choice organization to elect to apply an area-specific percentage of 50 percent and a national percentage of 50 percent for 2002 rather than the rate currently applicable for that year in determining the blended capitation rate used in determining the calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates; (4) increasing the minimum percentage increase in 2001 under provisions for calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates; (5) increasing the update for payment areas with only one or no Medicare+Choice contracts; (6) eliminating the budget neutrality adjustment for 2001 and 2002 under blended capitation rate provisions; (7) revising calculation of area-specific and national percentage capitation rates; and (8) phasing-in over a ten year period of risk adjustment methodology based on data from all settings. Title II: Additional Improvements - Delays from July to November 2000 the deadline for withdrawing the offer, rescinding the withdrawal, of Medicare+Choice plans for 2001. Amends SSA title XVIII part C to revise data collection requirements under the Medicare+Choice program with regard to: (1) issuance of encounter data submission; (2) post-stabilization guidelines; (3) effectiveness of elections and changes of elections; (4) uniform premium and benefits; and (5) Medicare+Choice program compatibility with employer or union group health plans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for State accreditation of diabetes self-management training programs under the Medicare Program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Breast Imaging Goes High Tech in the Future for Women Act (BRIGHT Future for Women Act) - Declares that the fee schedule amount otherwise applicable to digital mammography (including a physician's interpretation of procedure results) under part B of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act shall be: (1) for digital mammography performed in 2001, $130 (subject to geographic adjustment); or (2) for digital mammography performed in a subsequent year, the amount established for the preceding year adjusted by the percentage increase in the Medicare Economic Index (MEI). Provides for annual adjustments and waives the current limit on such payments.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Medicare Fairness in Reimbursement Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations concerning the calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promptly conduct a new survey of levels of wages and wage-related costs for different occupational categories of hospital employees and to use the survey data in computing a certain hospital wage index for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2001. Provides that, in applying any wage-related geographic area adjustment to a portion of a payment amount or rate under Medicare, the portion to which the adjustment is applied shall be 75 percent of the portion otherwise computed, and 25 percent of such portion shall not be subject to any such geographic area adjustment. Applies such provision to geographic adjustments made under specified Medicare provisions, including those with regard to home health and clinical laboratory services. Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII to permanently remove application of the budget neutrality factor under the Medicare+Choice program beginning in 2002. Allows a Medicare+Choice organization to elect to apply an area-specific percentage of 50 percent and a national percentage of 50 percent for 2002 rather than the rate currently applicable for that year in determining the blended capitation rate used in determining the calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates. Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to review the extent to which the adjustments made in payment rates on a geographical basis for variations in costs accurately reflect the actual costs of items and services in low reimbursement areas and the impact of such adjustments on the health infrastructure in such areas.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Medicare Community Nursing Organization Demonstration Project Revision and Extension Act of 2000 - Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with respect to the extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects. Repeals the requirement for a reduction in payments for such projects in the extension period so that total Federal expenditures do not exceed what they would have been had the projects not been extended. Adds specified terms and conditions for the conduct of any such demonstration project for the period of October 2000 through December 2001, with specified reduced basic capitation rates for certain project services. Declares that a targeted case management fee shall be paid only for enrollees classified as moderate or at risk through a baseline health assessment. Requires greater uniformity in clinical features among project sites. Requires enrollee satisfaction surveys and reporting on specified quality indicators for the enrolled population. Makes this Act effective as if its amendments were included in the enactment of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999.