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Bill· HRH.R. 4374 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2004
Patient Safety Act of 2004 - Requires any provider under the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act ), as a condition of continued participation in such program, to make publicly available information regarding nurse staffing and patient outcomes as specified by the Secretary. Requires the public availability of data regarding complaints filed with the State agency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or an accrediting agency, compliance with the standards of which have been deemed to demonstrate Medicare participation compliance, and data regarding investigations and findings as a result of those complaints and the findings of scheduled inspection visits. Requires the Secretary to provide for the auditing of such information for accuracy as a part of the process of determining whether a provider is eligible for continued participation in the Medicare program. Amends SSA title XVIII and XIX (Medicaid) to provide for public disclosure of accurate data on nursing facility staffing. Creates a staffing quality measure for consumers to compare nursing facilities. Prohibits adverse employment actions by Medicare providers against their employees for notifying the provider, or any Federal or State agency or accreditation agency, of conditions which are dangerous or potentially dangerous to patients.
Bill· SS. 2420 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2004
SCHIP Expansion Act of 2004 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) make all uninsured children eligible for SCHIP; (2) prohibit the State from excluding a child who has access to high cost coverage under a group health plan or health insurance coverage from being treated as a targeted vulnerable child under SCHIP; (3) increase Federal financial participation under SCHIP and Medicaid for States with simplified enrollment and renewal procedures for children, regardless of their family income; (4) provide for an increase in funds under SCHIP and Medicaid for outreach strategies for children; (5) increase funding for SCHIP; (6) prohibit payments to a State with an enrollment cap (or related procedures) which has not exhausted its available allotments; and (7) provide for the application of Medicaid managed care requirements to States under SCHIP.
Bill· SS. 2421 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2004
Health Care Modernization, Cost Reduction, and Quality Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the use of clinical informatics systems that include the ability to access and share patients' medical records. Amends the Public Health Service Act and the the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group health insurance coverage, to: (1) have an automated, integrated system that allows for adjudication of claims and the detection of fraud and abuse by December 31, 2008; and (2) provide coverage for preventive health care items and services specified by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to support: (1) comprehensive diabetes and arthritis control and prevention programs; (2) stroke care systems that provide high-quality prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation; (3) programs that improve the rate of immunization of adults and adolescents; and (4) programs that improve oral health, especially for adults with intellectual or chronic diseases. Requires Federal agencies that carry out health care-related activities or provide health care-related financial assistance to develop and implement a plan to improve access to such activities and assistance to limited English proficient individuals. Establishes the National Quality Advisory Council to identify national aims and objectives for health care quality improvement, track progress in meeting such aims, and make recommendations to Congress and the public concerning health care quality policies and programs for improvement. Requires the Secretary to establish and implement activities to encourage healthy dietary choice and increase physical activity in schools, work sites, and communities.
Bill· HRH.R. 4360 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2004
Country of Origin Healthcare Accountability Act - Requires that $250 million of foreign aid funds appropriated under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 be made available to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make allotments to States for eligible providers for unreimbursable costs incurred by providing emergency health care services to: (1) undocumented aliens; (2) aliens who have been paroled into the United States at a U.S. port of entry for the purpose of receiving eligible services; and (3) Mexican citizens permitted to enter the United States for not more than 72 hours under the authority of biometric machine readable border crossing identification card.
Bill· SS. 2413 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Medicare Assurance of Rx Transitional Assistance Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for the automatic enrollment of Medicare Savings Program (MSP) beneficiaries under SSA title XIX (Medicaid) in the interim prescription drug discount program and the transitional assistance program, making them eligible for the $600 per year in low-income discount card assistance without requiring a separate enrollment process.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 358 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that legislation should be enacted by December 31, 2006, to provide every individual in the United States with the opportunity to purchase health insurance coverage that is the same as, or better than, the health insurance coverage available to members of Congress, at the same or lower rates.
Bill· HRH.R. 4357 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Medicare Early Access Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to add a new part E (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals 55 to 65 Years of Age). Provides access to Medicare benefits for individuals 55 to 64 years of age who do not have coverage under a Federal health insurance program or under a group plan. Requires enrollees to pay a premium to receive Medicare coverage. Requires the Secretary to base the premium on the Secretary's estimate of the average, national annual per capita amount of the cost of providing services to the population. Allows early retirees with access to retiree coverage to enroll under this part while keeping their Federal or State COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation coverage. Allows an employer that offers employment-based retiree health coverage to an individual who enrolls under this part to modify such coverage to provide for: (1) employer payment of items and services for which payment may not be made under Medicare; and (2) employer payment of 25 percent of the monthly premium applicable to the individual after enrollment. Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund to hold the premiums collected under this Act and to support the new program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow program enrollees to receive a 75 percent advance, refundable credit to offset premium costs (thus requiring program enrollees in the Medicare buy-in to be responsible for 25 percent of the monthly premiums).
Bill· HRH.R. 4350 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
FamilyCare Act of 2004 - Amends title XXI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to rename the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) the FamilyCare Program. Provides for: (1) automatic enrollment in the FamilyCare Program of children born to title XXI parents; and (2) optional family care coverage of parents of targeted low-income children and low-income pregnant women under Medicaid (SSA title XIX). Provides for optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid and SSA title XXI, and of children through age 20 under Medicaid and SSA title XXI. Allows States to elect to provide for a period of presumptive eligibility for medical assistance for a parent of a child with respect to whom such a period is provided under Medicaid. Revises the transitional medical assistance (TMA) program, including making reporting requirements optional, giving States the option to extend eligibility for low-income individuals for up to 12 additional months, and eliminating the sunset for TMA. Establishes limitations with respect to marketing activities to comply with new conflict of interest requirements. Prohibits affiliation with debarred persons. Increases the SCHIP allotment for each of FY 2002 through 2004. Directs the Secretry to award demonstration grants to up to seven States (or other qualified entities) to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to homeless individuals and families under specified programs, including Medicaid. Limits cost-sharing under the FamilyCare program to 2.5 percent for families with income below 150 percent of poverty. Increases Federal reimbursement for language services under the Medicaid program and SSA title XXI.
Bill· HRH.R. 4354 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Women's Health Office Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Social Security Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the establishment of separate Offices on Women's Health within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Office of the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Office of the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration to carry out specified activities relating to the health of women. Directs the lead officers of each Office of Women's Health to establish goals, provide information, serve as a consultant, and establish a Coordinating Committee on Women's Health within their respective agencies. Requires the Director of the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality to designate an official of the Office of Priority Populations to carry out similar responsibilities relating to women's health. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Office of Women's Health, to establish a National Women's Health Information Center to facilitate the exchange of information, access to such information, and the analysis of issues and problems relating to women's health. Transfers the functions of the Office on Women's Health of the Public Health Service to the Office of Women's Health within the Department of Health and Human Services.
Bill· HRH.R. 4356 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Small Business Health Insurance Promotion Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain small employers (not more than 50 employees) a business tax credit equal to 50 percent of amounts paid by such employers for the health care coverage of their employees under a qualified health pooling arrangement. Limits the period during which the tax credit may be taken to four years from the date the employer begins participating in a qualified health pooling arrangement. Defines "qualified health pooling arrangement" as a national or state arrangement that provides health benefits coverage substantially similar to that of the four largest health benefit plans offered to Federal employees. Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Labor to provide for the offering and oversight of qualified State and national health pooling arrangements and to conduct a study, through the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, of the operation of such arrangements.
Bill· SS. 2401 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 - Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY 2005. Authorizes appropriations to DOD for: (1) procurement, including aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and other procurement; (2) research, development, test, and evaluation, including science and technology projects and ballistic missile defense; (3) operation and maintenance, including environmental restoration, defense working capital funds, the defense health program, and chemical agents and munitions destruction; and (4) active and reserve military personnel, including end strengths. Extends certain bonus, special, and incentive pay authorities. Authorizes certain: (1) travel and transportation allowances; and (2) military retired pay and survivor benefits. Sets forth provisions or requirements concerning: (1) environmental provisions, including cleanup costs at certain military installations; (2) active and reserve military personnel policy, including joint officer duties and management and DOD policy and procedures on prevention and response to sexual assaults involving members of the Armed Forces; (3) military health care, including establishment of a chiropractic health care benefits advisory committee; (4) acquisition policy and management, including major defense acquisition programs, establishment of the Commission on the Future of the National Technology and Industrial Base, and management of the defense acquisition and support workforce; (5) DOD organization and management, including establishment of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, and a United States Military Cancer Institute; (6) budget and financial matters, including defense business systems investment management, a space posture review, and a panel on the future of military space launch; (7) additional defenses against terrorism; (8) matters relating to other nations, including assistance to Iraq and Afghanistan military and security forces; (9) DOD civilian personnel policy, including intelligence personnel and personnel of nonappropriated fund instrumentalities; and (10) cooperative threat reduction with states of the former Soviet Union.
Bill· SS. 2400 (108th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 - Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD), military construction, and national security programs of the Department of Energy for FY 2005. Authorizes appropriations to DOD for: (1) procurement, including aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and other procurement; (2) research, development, test, and evaluation, including science and technology projects and ballistic missile defense; (3) operation and maintenance, including environmental restoration, defense working capital funds, the defense health program, and chemical agents and munitions destruction; (4) active and reserve military personnel, including end strengths; (5) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment Program; (6) Guard and Reserve forces facilities; and (7) the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Extends certain bonus, special, and incentive pay authorities. Authorizes certain: (1) travel and transportation allowances; and (2) military retired pay and survivor benefits. Sets forth provisions or requirements concerning: (1) environmental provisions, including cleanup costs at certain military installations; (2) active and reserve military personnel policy, including joint officer duties and management and DOD policy and procedures on prevention and response to sexual assaults involving members of the Armed Forces; (3) military health care, including establishment of a chiropractic health care benefits advisory committee; (4) acquisition policy and management, including major defense acquisition programs, establishment of the Commission on the Future of the National Technology and Industrial Base, and management of the defense acquisition and support workforce; (5) DOD organization and management, including establishment of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, and a United States Military Cancer Institute; (6) budget and financial matters, including defense business systems investment management, a space posture review, and a panel on the future of military space launch; (7) additional defenses against terrorism; (8) matters relating to other nations, including assistance to Iraq and Afghanistan military and security forces; (9) DOD civilian personnel policy, including intelligence personnel and personnel of nonappropriated fund instrumentalities; (10) cooperative threat reduction with states of the former Soviet Union; and (11) the national defense stockpile. Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 - Authorizes military construction, military family housing, and certain military land conveyances.
Bill· HRH.R. 4334 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Establishes the Tick-Borne Disorders Advisory Committee in the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Directs the Committee to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of HHS regarding how to: (1) assure interagency coordination and communication in efforts to address tick-borne disorders; (2) identify opportunities to coordinate efforts with other Federal agencies and private organizations; and (3) develop informed responses to constituency groups regarding HHS' efforts and progress. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2004 and 2005 to fund the Committee in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2004 through 2008 for: (1) research and educational activities concerning Lyme disease and other tick-borne disorders; and (2) efforts to prevent such illnesses. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should consider carrying out a five-year plan to: (1) develop a diagnostic test for Lyme disease and other tick-borne disorders for use in clinical testing; (2) determine the prevalence of such illnesses in the United States; and (3) develop the capabilities at HHS to design and implement improved strategies for the prevention and control of such illnesses.
Bill· HRH.R. 4336 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to prohibit the operation of the Medicare comparative cost adjustment program in the District of Columbia.
Bill· HRH.R. 4335 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Teague Ryan Sudden Child Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndromes Screening and Education Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to award grants or contracts to carry out programs to: (1) screen children for sudden cardiac arrhythmia syndromes; (2) provide referrals for medical services regarding such syndromes; and (3) provide education on such syndromes to health professionals and the general public. Requires the Secretary to give priority to: (1) screenings and referrals for children under the age of six and children who participate in organized sports; and (2) educational activities directed toward parents of such children and health professionals who commonly provide medical care for such children.
Bill· HRH.R. 4325 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Health Security for All Americans Act - Amends the Social Security Act to provide participating States with funding to provide health insurance coverage through State-administered plans targeted at low-income residents. Requires States to implement systems to ensure universal health insurance coverage for their residents by 2009, including by requiring employers to contribute to health insurance premiums for their employees. Requires health plans to: (1) create entities to serve as employers for their home care providers; (2) ensure that enrollees will continue to receive health services if the plan's services are terminated; and (3) supply the State with information on their health care workers. Incorporates the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act, as passed by the Senate on June 29, 2001, and the Patient Safety and Health Care Whistleblower Protection Act of 2001, as introduced on June 27, 2001. Establishes the Health Care Quality, Patient Safety, and Workforce Standards Institute (and a related advisory committee) within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality with a mission to demonstrate how patient safety issues and workplace conditions are linked to quality patient care, reduce medical errors, and improve patient safety and care. Requires that individuals entitled to Medicare benefits be provided full mental health and substance abuse treatment parity. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct research to identify model programs for the provision of long-term and home health care services. Expresses the sense of Congress that funds to implement this Act should be offset by: (1) general revenues available as a result of an on-budget surplus for a fiscal year; (2) direct saving in health care expenditures; and (3) reductions in unnecessary Federal tax benefits available to individuals and large corporations in the maximum tax brackets.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 638 (108th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4279) to amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the disposition of unused health benefits in cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements; for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4280) concerning health care liability claims; and for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4281) to amend title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 concerning certain group health plans.
Bill· SS. 2399 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2004
Healthy Lifestyles Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and implement activities to increase physical activity in schools, work sites, and communities. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): (1) to support physical education programs in schools and training for school personnel; (2) with the Secretary of Labor, to develop work sites that encourage employee participation in physical activity; and (3) with the Secretaries of Transportation and Interior, to implement projects to design pedestrian zones, cycling paths, and open space areas linking parks with residential communities. Amends the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 to require the Secretary to: (1) enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to develop and publish Dietary Guidelines for Americans; (2) ensure that such guidelines serve as the basis of any Federal food, nutrition, or health program; and (3) revise the food guide pyramid. Requires the Secretary to: (1) enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to make recommendations on disseminating dietary information and nutrition guidelines; and (2) publish a plan to implement such recommendations. Requires the Secretary to award grants to improve the consumption of nutritional foods, including by: (1) promoting the intake of nutritional foods; and (2) conducting outreach to grocery stores to increase the availability of healthy foods and beverages. Requires the Secretary to coordinate research on obesity and award grants to: (1) support State comprehensive obesity prevention and control programs; (2) enable States to provide public health surveillance, prevention and control activities; and (3) assist in implementing a national strategy for obesity prevention and control.
Bill· HRH.R. 4321 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2004
Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to repeal provisions prohibiting the Secretary of Health and Human Services from interfering with the negotiations between drug manufacturers and pharmacies and prescription drug plan sponsors with respect to drug price. Replaces them with a requirement that the Secretary negotiate and disclose the lowest possible prices for prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries.
Bill· HRH.R. 4304 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2004
Medicare Preservation and Anti-Privatization Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as added by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to eliminate the MA Regional Plan Stabilization Fund. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide, beginning with 2005, for adjustment of payment rates to Medicare+Choice organizations so that they reflect only the payment at 100 percent of the fee-for-service rate. Provides that, in applying risk adjustment factors to payment to Medicare+Choice organizations in a budget neutral manner, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall assure that such factors, in the aggregate, take into account the actual characteristics of the entire Medicare population, and not merely the population of individuals enrolled under a Medicare+Choice plan under part C (Medicare+Choice) of SSA title XVIII.
Bill· HRH.R. 4316 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2004
Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require hospitals to implement staffing plans that meet specified ratios for direct care registered nurse-to-patient staffing levels for each unit and other requirements, including for receiving input from nurses. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to further limit such ratios as needed to ensure public safety and to establish ratios for units not specified. Provides an exception to such staffing requirements for a declared state of emergency. Requires hospitals to provide the Secretary with their staffing plan and annual updates. Requires the Secretary to conduct audits to ensure the implementation of adequate staffing plans. Requires the Secretary: (1) acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to complete a study of licensed practical nurse staffing and its effects on patient care in hospitals; and (2) to establish requirements for hospitals based on the outcome of the study. Requires the Secretary to adjust payments to cover additional Medicare costs that are attributable to this Act. Requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to submit to Congress and the Secretary a report estimating total costs and savings attributable to compliance with nurse staffing requirements. Provides nurses with the right to refuse to accept assignments that would violate staffing requirements or for which they are not prepared. Prohibits retaliation by hospitals for such refusals or for reporting violations of staffing requirements.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 633 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2004
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that there is a critical need to increase awareness and education about hepatitis C.
Bill· SS. 2388 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
Amends the Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act to allow Indian tribes to apply for grants to: (1) assess the need for mosquito control programs to prevent and control mosquito-borne disease; (2) develop plans for carrying out such programs; and (3) operate such programs. Allows an Indian tribe located on a low-income reservation to receive a grant without conducting an assessment to determine the immediate need for a control program. Defines "low-income reservation" as one on which not less than 40 percent of residents are from families with incomes below the poverty line established annually by the Office of Management and Budget.
Law· HRH.R. 4278 (108th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
Improving Access to Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 - Amends the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (ATA) to reauthorize and revise ATA programs, including: (1) grants to States for purchase of assistive technology (AT) devices and AT services, with an emphasis on AT needs of individuals with disabilities; (2) grants to States for protection and advocacy related to AT; and (3) national activities, including a National Public Internet Site and technical assistance.
Bill· HRH.R. 4279 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit up to $500 of unused health benefits in a plan or other arrangement that provides for a health flexible spending arrangement to be carried forward to the next year of such health flexible spending arrangement or be contributed to a health savings account without affecting the status of such plan or arrangement as a tax-exempt employee benefit cafeteria plan.
Bill· HRH.R. 4280 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2004 -Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims concerning the provision of health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions. Allows the recovery of unlimited economic damages. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility. Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a percentage based on the amount awarded. Allows: (1) any party to a lawsuit involving injury or wrongful death to introduce evidence of collateral source benefits; and (2) any opposing party to then introduce evidence of any amount paid or contributed to secure the right to such benefits. Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where: (1) it is proven that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. Limits the liability of manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and providers of medical products that comply with Food and Drug Administration standards. Provides for periodic payments of future damage awards.
Bill· HRH.R. 4281 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2004 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for establishment and governance of association health plans (AHPs), which are group health plans whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations, and which meet certain ERISA certification requirements. (Thus, through ERISA preemption of State laws, certified AHPs are exempted from State regulation of health insurance providers, including State consumer protection laws and State requirements for health care benefits to be offered by such entities, with certain exceptions.) Establishes rules governing AHPs, including requirements relating to certification, sponsors and boards of trustees, participation and coverage, nondiscrimination, plan documents, contribution rates, benefit options, applications for certification, notice of voluntary termination, corrective actions, and mandatory termination. Requires AHPs which provide health benefits in addition to health insurance coverage to maintain certain reserves and comply with other solvency requirements. Directs the Secretary of Labor to apply for appointment, and carry out specified duties, as trustee of any insolvent AHPs which provide health benefits in addition to health insurance coverage. Allows a State to impose a contribution tax on any AHP commencing operations in such State after the enactment of this Act. Sets forth limits on such tax, including reduction by the amount of any tax or assessment otherwise imposed by the State on specified other insurance related items maintained by the AHP. Requires AHPs to include in their summary plan descriptions, in connection with each benefit option, a description of the form of any solvency or guarantee fund protection secured under ERISA or applicable State law. Allows a certified AHP to exist in a State regardless of any State law that would preclude it. Preempts State requirements for benefits to be offered by AHPs; but allows a State in which an AHP is domiciled to require the domiciled AHP to cover particular types of diseases and conditions. Allows health insurance issuers to offer coverage of the same policy type offered in connection with a particular AHP to eligible employers, regardless of whether such employers are members of the particular association and regardless of State law. Deems health insurance coverage policy forms filed and approved in a particular State in connection with an insurer's offering under an AHP as approved in any other State in which such coverage is offered when the insurer provides a complete filing in the same form and manner to the authority in the other State. Makes inapplicable to certified AHPs certain current ERISA provisions which allow State regulation of multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWAs). Revises ERISA preemption rules to permit State regulation of self-insured MEWAs providing medical care which do not elect to meet the certification requirements for AHPs. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees by January 1, 2009, on the effect, if any, AHPs have had on the number of uninsured individuals. Revises requirements for treatment of single employer arrangements. Allows two or more trades or businesses to be deemed a single employer if they are in the same control group offering medical care benefits, under specified conditions. Provides for enforcement of AHP requirements, including criminal penalties for certain willful misrepresentations, issuance of cease and desist orders, and the responsibility of AHP boards of trustees for certain claims procedures. Directs the Secretary, regarding the exercise of authority, to consult only with the recognized primary domicile State for an AHP. Provides for transitional and other rules relating to treatment of certain existing health benefit programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 4276 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
Rural Safety and Law Enforcement Improvement Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) authorize the Attorney General to make grants to rural local and tribal governments for the retention for one additional year of police officers funded through the cops on the beat (or COPS) program; (2) authorize the use of COPS grants on a matching funds basis to assist the police departments of such units in improving police communications, and in developing and improving access to crime-solving technologies; and (3) hire personnel and purchase equipment for rural areas to assist in the enforcement and prosecution of methamphetamine offenses and the environmental cleanup of methamphetamine-affected areas. Directs the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice to make grants to such units to establish or improve 911 service in those communities. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, to make grants to establish in rural areas substance abuse (particularly methamphetamine) prevention and treatment pilot programs and methamphetamine prevention education programs. Directs the Attorney General to provide for the cleanup of methamphetamine laboratories and related hazardous waste, and for the improvement of contract-related response time for cleanup of methamphetamine laboratories and related hazardous waste by providing additional contract personnel, equipment, and facilities, in rural areas. Makes funding available from the Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund for payment for the costs of experts and consultants needed to clean up areas formerly used as methamphetamine laboratories. Establishes a Rural Policing Institute as part of the Small Town and Rural Training Program.
Resolution· SCONRESS.Con.Res. 103 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2004
Honors the contributions of women whose service on the home front during World War II was instrumental in achieving an Allied victory. Recognizes the lasting legacy of equal employment opportunity and support for child care and health care that developed during the "Rosie the Riveter" era. Calls on the people of the United States to study, reflect on, and celebrate the stories and accomplishments of women who served the nation as "Rosies" during World War II.
Bill· HRH.R. 4258 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2004
Rapid Pathogen Identification to Delivery of Cures Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Defense to submit a report setting forth a strategy to reduce the time frame from the identification of a pathogen to the development and emergency approval of a safe and effective countermeasure, which should include: (1) technical impediments to reducing this time frame; (2) research, development, and technology needs to address these impediments; (3) existing efforts to address such needs; (4) a proposal to establish a coordinated and integrated Federal program to address such needs; and (5) potential liability concerns stemming from distribution of rapidly developed priority countermeasures. Allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to contract with any firm or institution to conduct research and analysis needed for this report. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a system to rapidly: (1) establish clinical research programs to examine the safety and efficacy of treatments for novel, unknown, or bioengineered pathogens; and (2) disseminate results and recommendations to clinicians. Authorizes establishment of a fund to support such clinical research. Amends the Public Health Service Act to add the Secretary of Homeland Security to the working group on bioterrorism and to require the working group to assist in developing such a strategy. Requires the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense, and Homeland Security to conduct programs to develop the capability to rapidly identify, develop, produce, and approve countermeasures.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 413 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2004
Honors the extraordinary contributions of the women whose dedicated service on the home front during World War II was instrumental in achieving an Allied victory. Recognizes the lasting legacy of equal employment opportunity and support for child care and health care that developed during the "Rosie the Riveter" era. Calls on the people of the United States to study, reflect on, and celebrate the stories and accomplishments of women who served the Nation as "Rosies" during that war.
Bill· HRH.R. 4257 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2004
Critical Access to Clinical Lab Services Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide that clinical diagnostic laboratory services furnished by a critical access hospital shall be treated as being furnished as part of outpatient critical access services without regard to whether: (1) the individual for whom the services are furnished is physically present in the critical access hospital at the time the specimen is collected; (2) such individual is registered as an outpatient on the records of, and receives such services directly from, the critical access hospital; or (3) payment is available for such services under the fee schedule established for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests.
Bill· HRH.R. 4251 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2004
Maritime Transportation Amendments of 2004 - Amends Federal law to increase the maximum amount that the Commandant may expend for contingencies of the Coast Guard in any one fiscal year. Repeals the Commandant's authority to authorize the Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy to expend up to a certain amount of such funds for Academy contingencies. Requires a Reserve rear admiral or rear admiral (lower half) to be removed from an active status on the day that officer completes four years of service after appointment to rear admiral (lower half), unless such officer is retained in or removed from an active status under any other law. Increases the maximum amount appropriated per annum for necessary expenses for the operation of the Coast Guard that can be made available for investigative expenses of a confidential character. Extends the authority of certain waterway safety advisory committees. Amends Federal shipping law to authorize members of the Coast Guard while in the performance of official duties: (1) to carry a firearm; and (2) while at a facility, to make an arrest without a warrant for any offense against the United States committed in their presence, and to seize property as provided by law. Authorizes a State or local government law enforcement officer to make an arrest for violation of a security zone regulation prescribed by a Coast Guard official, if the violation is a felony, and the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such violation. Subjects any vessel that is used in violation of certain port security regulations to in rem liability for any civil penalty assessed because of such violation. Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to refuse or revoke any clearance with respect to a vessel in which the owner or operator of the vessel is liable for a civil penalty assessed because of a violation of such regulations. Directs the Secretary to notify the owner, charterer, managing operator, agent, master, or individual in charge of a vessel of deficiencies found during any inspection. Requires the head of an agency in which a civilian of a Federal agency, an officer in the Public Health Services, or an officer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who is employed in any capacity on board a vessel operated by the agency and who has received from a Medical Review Officer a report of a positive drug test to release the report to the Commandant of the Coast Guard. Subjects: (1) certain National Transportation Safety Board final orders regarding maritime matters to judicial review; and (2) towing vessels to Coast Guard inspection. Authorizes the Secretary to issue a certificate of documentation with appropriate endorsement for employment in the coastwise trade for certain named vessels. Authorizes the Commandant of the Coast Guard to convey all right, title, and interest of the United States in certain named vessels to certain named recipients, without consideration, provided certain conditions are met.
Bill· SS. 2369 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2004
Community Options for Rural Elders Act of 2004 or the CORE Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the Administrator of Health Resources and Services to work with the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to establish Programs for All-Inclusive Care for Elderly (PACE) providers in rural areas. Directs the Secretary to permit a rural PACE provider applicant to adapt its PACE program to the unique requirements of eligible participants residing in rural areas and the challenges of providing services to them. Directs the Secretary to utilize the authority provided for flexibility in exercising waiver authority under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, and the regulations issued to carry it out with respect to the operations of rural PACE providers. Requires the Secretary to waive certain requirements of titles XI, XVIII (Medicare), and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act as necessary for purposes of supporting the delivery of PACE services in rural areas. Directs the Secretary to waive the requirement that a rural PACE provider, in at least its first three years of operation, be at full financial risk, and authorizes the Secretary, upon the provider's request, to waive such requirement for subsequent years of operation if the provider is operating properly and has demonstrated a reasonable basis for not assuming full risk. Directs the Secretary to award site development grants to rural PACE providers. Directs the Secretary, through the Office of Rural Health Policy, to make awards to tax-exempt organizations for the purpose of establishing a technical assistance program to provide: (1) outreach and education to State agencies and provider organizations interested in establishing PACE programs in rural areas; and (2) technical assistance necessary to support providers awarded site development grants. Requires the Secretary to establish a fund to reimburse rural PACE providers awarded a site development grant for outlier costs incurred with respect to eligible enrollees who reside in, or receive services in, a rural area. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory group that will review and comment on progress related to providing PACE program services in rural areas, including prospective PACE provider applications.
Bill· SS. 2361 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2004
Training and Research in Urology Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to separate the research and training on urologic diseases from that of kidney and hematologic diseases. Replaces the Division Director for Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases with a Division Director for Urologic Diseases and a Division Director for Kidney and Hematologic Diseases. Requires the Director of the Institute to: (1) give particular attention to supporting research and training programs geared to the needs of urology residents and fellows; and (2) submit to Congress a national urologic research plan and review such plan every three years. Replaces the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Data System, the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, and the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Advisory Board with separate data systems, information clearinghouses, and advisory boards for kidney diseases and urologic diseases. Replaces the Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee and the Institute's advisory panel subcommittee on kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases with separate coordinating committees and subcommittees for: (1) kidney and hematologic diseases; and (2) urologic diseases. Requires at least 15 of the centers developed for research in kidney and urologic diseases under the Public Health Service Act to focus exclusively on urologic diseases. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a loan repayment program for urology research.
Bill· HRH.R. 4231 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2004
Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse Recruitment and Retention Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a health care service region, or section within such a region, in which health care facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs are adversely affected by a shortage of qualified nurses, and to conduct a pilot program in such region or section on the use of innovative human-capital tools and techniques in the recruitment of qualified nurses for such positions. Requires the Secretary, as part of the pilot program, to: (1) identify private-sector nurse recruitment practices that have proven effective; and (2) revise procedures and systems to reduce the length of the hiring process. Authorizes the Secretary, with respect to appointed nurses, to provide: (1) a three 12-hour day work schedule, with authorized overtime after a 36-hour workweek; (2) a seven day, 10-hour work schedule for each two-week period, with authorized overtime after working 80 hours within such period; and (3) a nine-month work period with three months off, with such nurses paid at 75 percent of the full-time rate. Mandates that, for otherwise qualifying individuals, the lack of a baccalaureate degree in nursing shall not be a bar to appointment. Includes certain additional health specialist positions within those positions which the Secretary is authorized to make appointments.
Bill· HRH.R. 4241 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2004
Helping America Hear Act of 2004 - Requires each Federal health benefits plan to include coverage for the provision of at least two hearing aids every three years, except that this provision shall not be construed as requiring the payment under such plan in any three-year period of more than $2,000 on hearing aids with respect to any individual. Amends: (1) the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide that if a group health plan provides benefits with respect to hospital and surgical expenses, the plan (and any health insurance issuer offering health insurance coverage in connection with such a plan) shall provide coverage for the provision of at least two hearing aids every three years, except that this provision shall not be construed as requiring the payment under such plan in any three-year period of more than $2,000 on hearing aids with respect to any individual; and (2) the Public Health Service Act to make the above ERISA provision applicable to health insurance coverage offered by a health insurance issuer in the individual market in the same manner as they apply to health insurance coverage offered by a health insurance issuer in connection with a group health plan in the small or large group market.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 610 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2004
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be an increase in the appropriations provided to carry out the Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan established by the Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee at the National Institutes of Health.
Bill· SS. 2343 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Medicare Modernization Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise provisions added by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 that prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from interfering with the negotiations between drug manufacturers and pharmacies and prescription drug plan sponsors. Gives the Secretary the authority to negotiate contracts with manufacturers of covered Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs as necessary to reduce prices and protect access to needed drugs, in order to ensure that beneficiaries enrolled under prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans pay the lowest possible price. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to repeal the condition on the permission to pharmacists and wholesalers to import prescription drugs from Canada into the United States that the Secretary first demonstrate to Congress the safety of such products and the financial benefit to consumers of permitting their importation. (Thus allows the importation of such drugs to proceed without fulfillment of prerequisites.) Repeals termination of the importation program. Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Secretary to ensure that each Medicare part D eligible individual has available a choice of enrollment in at least two prescription drug plans (currently two qualifying plans, one of which is a prescription drug plan) in the area in which the individual resides. Prescribes requirements for the offering of a fallback prescription drug plan. Provides for making available wraparound coverage through Medigap. Revises requirements for application of tricare standards and convenient access for network pharmacies, allowing the Secretary to consider only community retail pharmacies in determining whether convenient access has been provided. Modifies level playing field requirements for beneficiary protections for qualified prescription drug coverage, including medication therapy management services. Allows the sponsor to permit enrollees to receive through a mail order pharmacy the same amount, scope, and duration of drugs and biologicals received through any other pharmacy. Repeals the authorization of Health Savings Accounts. Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration program to make the Medicare program more responsive to the needs of eligible beneficiaries by promoting continuity of care, helping stabilize medical conditions, preventing or minimizing acute exacerbations of chronic conditions, and reducing adverse health outcomes Amends SSA title XVIII to repeal the MA Regional Plan Stabilization Fund. Prescribes requirements for applying risk adjustment factors to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations in a budget neutral manner. Directs the Secretary to phase-in private plan payment to 100 percent of fee-for-service rate. Repeals the Comparative Cost Adjustment Program. Requires a prescription drug plan sponsor offering a prescription drug plan or an MA organization offering an MA-PD plan, upon the request of any part D eligible individual, to disclose to the individual certain drug-specific coverage information during the period in which the individual is eligible to elect coverage under the plan so that the individual may take such information into account in determining whether to enroll under the plan. Requires Medicare part D beneficiaries to be informed of formulary changes. Provides for full funding and expansion for the demonstration project for coverage of certain prescription drugs and biologicals.
Bill· SS. 2338 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Plan; and (2) acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the coordination of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases research. Requires the Secretary to award grants to: (1) support arthritis-specific research projects at the Centers for Prevention Research by the CDC; (2) support State comprehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and public health surveillance, prevention, and control activities; and (3) assist in the implementation of a national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. Requires the Secretary to coordinate a national education and outreach program on arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Requires the Secretary to establish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee to: (1) improve coordination of Federal research activities related to arthritis and rheumatic diseases; and (2) convene a summit to provide a detailed overview of such current Federal research. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health to expand and intensify juvenile arthritis research and related programs, including by awarding grants to establish new research programs. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to support the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on juvenile arthritis. Requires the Secretary to promote and support pediatric rheumatology training, including by allowing the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program. Requires the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the economic impact of arthritis in the workplace.
Bill· SS. 2339 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Preserving Access to Affordable Drugs Act of 2004 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to: (1) allow employer contributions on drug costs to count towards the catastrophic limit; and (2) provide for direct subsidies for certain State pharmaceutical assistance programs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that employer-based plans receive the same subsidization as the Medicare prescription drug plans. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid), as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to ensure that States can provide supplemental Medicaid prescription drug coverage to complement the Medicare drug benefit for seniors who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Repeals the comparative cost adjustment program under Medicare. Amends SSA title XVIII part D, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to allow the provision of wrap-around prescription drug coverage through Medigap.
Bill· SS. 2341 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Safe Health Care Reporting Act of 2004 - Amends the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to require State licensing boards (currently, boards of medical examiners) to report to the National Practitioner Data Bank regarding: (1) any sanctions taken against a physician or health care practitioner (currently, against a physician); and (2) known instances of health care entities failing to report required information. Requires (current law authorizes) health care entities to report specified information to State licensing boards and the Data Bank regarding any action that adversely affects the clinical privileges of a health care practitioner who is not a physician if the entity would be required to report such information if the practitioner were a physician. Allows the Secretary to impose fines for violations of reporting requirements by health care entities. Requires health care entities and other agencies that employ physicians or other licensed health care providers (currently, requires hospitals) to request from the Data Bank and the State licensing board reported information on licensed health care practitioners who apply to be on the medical staff or who apply for clinical privileges or employment. Provides immunity from civil liability for health care entities that disclose information about employees pursuant to mandatory reporting requirements unless the employer knowingly disclosed false information or violated any legal right of the employee. Prohibits health care entities from retaliating against any employee who, in good faith, reports conduct that may be construed to violate a Federal or State law to a State authority, licensing authority, peer review organization, or employer. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to implement a system to report criminal background information to the Data Bank.
Bill· SS. 2336 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Putting Prevention First Act - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2004 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Services Act. Family Planning State Empowerment Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow States to provide family planning services and supplies to certain individuals not otherwise eligible for Medicaid. Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from excluding or restricting benefits in any way for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services. Amends the PHSA to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving Federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. Family Life Education Act - Requires the Secretary to make grants to States for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Preventing Teen Pregnancy Act - Amends the PHSA to authorize the Secretary to award grants to public and private entities to establish or expand teenage pregnancy prevention programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 4211 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Safe Health Care Reporting Act of 2004 - Amends the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to require State licensing boards (currently, boards of medical examiners) to report to the National Practitioner Data Bank regarding: (1) any sanctions taken against a physician or health care practitioner (currently, against a physician); and (2) known instances of health care entities failing to report required information. Requires (current law authorizes) health care entities to report specified information to State licensing boards and the Data Bank regarding any action that adversely affects the clinical privileges of a health care practitioner who is not a physician if the entity would be required to report such information if the practitioner were a physician. Allows the Secretary to impose fines for violations of reporting requirements by health care entities. Requires health care entities and other agencies that employ physicians or other licensed health care providers (currently, requires hospitals) to request from the Data Bank and the State licensing board reported information on licensed health care practitioners who apply to be on the medical staff or who apply for clinical privileges or employment. Provides immunity from civil liability for health care entities that disclose information about employees pursuant to mandatory reporting requirements unless the employer knowingly disclosed false information or violated any legal right of the employee. Prohibits health care entities from retaliating against any employee who, in good faith, reports conduct that may be construed to violate a Federal or State law to a State authority, licensing authority, peer review organization, or employer. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to implement a system to report criminal background information to the Data Bank.
Bill· HRH.R. 4215 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Community Environmental Equity Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to define "covered substance" as any hazardous contaminants, chemicals, materials, wastes, and substances listed, identified, or defined in specified laws or designated by the President. Prohibits any entity that handles, manages, treats, releases, disposes, stores, transports, or delivers covered substances from disproportionately exposing any individual or community, on the ground of race, color, national origin, or economic status to any covered substance. Authorizes enforcement: (1) by denial or termination of authorization to handle, manage, treat, release, discharge, dispose, store, transport, remove, move, or deliver covered substances; (2) by any other means authorized by law; and (3) for entities receiving Federal financial assistance, through specified compliance provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Bill· HRH.R. 4195 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Preserving Access to Affordable Drugs Act of 2004 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to: (1) allow employer contributions on drug costs to count towards the catastrophic limit; and (2) provide for direct subsidies for certain State pharmaceutical assistance programs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that employer-based plans receive the same subsidization as the Medicare prescription drug plans. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid), as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to ensure that States can provide supplemental Medicaid prescription drug coverage to complement the Medicare drug benefit for seniors who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Repeals the comparative cost adjustment program under Medicare. Amends SSA title XVIII part D, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to allow the provision of wrap-around prescription drug coverage through Medigap.
Bill· SS. 2328 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2004
Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise provisions governing the importation of prescription drugs. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations allowing the importation of prescription drugs by registered exporters or registered importers from Canada within 90 days of passage of this Act and from Australia, European Union countries, Japan, New Zealand, or Switzerland within one year. Provides for inspection, tracking of drugs, and registration and inspection fees for registered importers and exporters. Requires manufacturers to: (1) submit a statement to the Secretary explaining each difference between a drug approved and distributed in the United States and a related drug distributed in a foreign country; and (2) submit an application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval of a related drug that is distributed in a foreign country if there is no comparable drug already approved in at least half of the permitted countries that can be imported to the United States. Allows for the immediate importation of prescription drugs for personal use from licensed Canadian pharmacies. Amends the Clayton Act to prohibit drug manufacturers from preventing importation by engaging in behavior such as charging higher prices or limiting supplies to registered exporters and importers or changing the form of the drug for such purpose. States that the resale in the United States of prescription drugs that were properly sold abroad is not patent infringement. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to refuse admission of drugs that violate importation provisions. Allows the destruction of certain violative shipments. Amends the Controlled Substances Act to repeal the exemption that permitted individuals to import controlled substances for personal medical use.
Bill· SS. 2325 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2004
Telehealth Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends the Social Security Act to: (1) increase the type of originating sites allowed to offer telehealth services, including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and county or community health clinics; and (2) remove the requirement that such originating sites must be in rural areas. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a conference of State licensing boards, local telehealth projects, health care practitioners, and patient advocates to promote interstate licensure for telehealth projects. Authorizes the Director of the Office of the Advancement of Telehealth to award grants to: (1) demonstrate how telehealth technologies can be used to expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of health care services and to improve and expand the training of health care providers and the quality of health information available; (2) provide telehealth services to patients who reside in areas under the jurisdiction of Indian tribes or tribal organizations; and (3) provide oral health services to patients who reside in rural areas. Directs the Secretary to establish a Joint Working Group on Telehealth to: (1) identify, monitor, and coordinate Federal telehealth projects, data sets, and programs; (2) analyze how telehealth systems are expanding access to health care services, education, and information; (3) analyze the clinical, educational, or administrative efficacy and cost-effectiveness of telehealth applications; (4) analyze the quality of the telehealth services delivered; and (5) make recommendations for coordinating Federal and State efforts to increase access to health services, education, and information in rural and medically underserved areas.
Bill· HRH.R. 4192 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2004
Putting Prevention First Act - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2004 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Services Act. Family Planning State Empowerment Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow States to provide family planning services and supplies to certain individuals not otherwise eligible for Medicaid. Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from excluding or restricting benefits in any way for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services. Amends the PHSA to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving Federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. Family Life Education Act - Requires the Secretary to make grants to States for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Preventing Teen Pregnancy Act - Amends the PHSA to authorize the Secretary to award grants to public and private entities to establish or expand teenage pregnancy prevention programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 4182 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2004
Family Life Education Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that States are encouraged but not required to provide matching funds. Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in changing adolescent sexual behavior, including delaying sexual and high-risk activity, preventing pregnancy and disease (including HIV/AIDS), and increasing contraceptive knowledge. Requires States receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the State's program by an external, independent entity.