Healthcare

Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2008

Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to implement a comprehensive program to achieve a 50% reduction in the mortality rate of lung cancer by 2015. Includes within such program: (1) a strategic review and prioritization of research grants; (2) an expansion of research programs, such as on predispositions to lung cancer; and (3) the expedited development of computer assisted diagnostic, surgical, treatment, and drug testing innovations. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary to provide incentives for the development of chemoprevention drugs for precancerous conditions of the lung, drugs for targeted therapeutic treatments and vaccines for lung cancer, and new agents to curtail or prevent nicotine addiction. Provides for compassionate access to drugs, biological products, and devices under the lung cancer mortality reduction program. Requires the Secretary to establish an early disease research and management program targeted at the high incidence and mortality rates among minority and low income populations. Requires the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to coordinate with the Secretary in: (1) the development of the lung cancer mortality reduction program under this Act; (2) the implementation of an early detection and disease management research program for military personnel and veterans whose smoking history and exposure to carcinogens during active duty service has increased their risk for lung cancer; and (3) the implementation of coordinated care programs for military personnel and veterans diagnosed with lung cancer. Requires the Secretary to establish a Lung Cancer Advisory Board to monitor the programs established under this Act.

Medicare Special Needs Plans Extension and Amendments Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2008

Medicare Special Needs Plans Extension and Amendments Act of 2008 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend the authority to restrict enrollment for specialized Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for special needs individuals. Redefines “specialized MA plan for special needs individuals” to require targeted enrollment of high-risk groups. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into agreements with states to coordinate the financing of specialized MA plans for special needs individuals for enrollees entitled to medical assistance under state Medicaid plans. Establishes additional requirements for dual special needs plans (SNPs) as well as for severe or disabling chronic condition SNPs. Directs the Secretary to evaluate for Congress the adequacy of the MA risk adjustment system for high-risk, high cost beneficiaries. Authorizes the Secretary to modify rules, policies, and procedures under SSA titles XVIII and XIX (Medicaid) to provide for alignment of Medicare and Medicaid requirements for dual eligibles, particularly in the oversight of SNPs serving such dual eligibles. Directs the Secretary to etablish or designate an Office on Medicare/Medicaid Integration to align Medicare and Medicaid policies and procedures and develop tools to support state integration efforts for dual eligible access to Medicare and Medicaid benefits and services.

Healthy Transition Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2008

Healthy Transition Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants or cooperative agreements to states: (1) to develop plans for the statewide coordination of services to assist adolescents and young adults with a serious mental health disorder in acquiring the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to ensure their healthy transition to successful adult roles and responsibilities; and (2) for the coordination of such services. Requires the Secretary to designate a federal entity, or establish a Committee of Federal Partners, to coordinate programs providing such services. Directs such entity or committee to: (1) review how federal programs and efforts that address issues related to the transition of adolescents and young adults with serious mental health disorders may be coordinated to ensure the maximum benefit for the individuals being served; and (2) provide technical assistance to the states who are planning or implementing programs under this Act.

Universal Service Reform, Accountability, and Efficiency Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2008

Universal Service Reform, Accountability, and Efficiency Act of 2008 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to revise the policies concerning the principles for the advancement of universal service to require that the policies be based on the principles of affordability, efficiency, certain contribution and distribution requirements, transparency, consumer focus, and access to advanced telecommunications services for schools, libraries, and rural health care providers. Requires that universal service support be used solely to provide voice (including IP-enabled voice) communications in high cost areas and to low-income households. Authorizes the FCC to select any contribution mechanism that is consistent with the above principles and that: (1) is based exclusively on providing voice communications service; (2) does not assess broadband transmission or Internet access services; and (3) includes a universal service contribution low-income exemption. Requires that universal service support decline over time. Allows, after this Act's auction, only eligible telecommunications providers to receive support for service in high cost areas. Prohibits the receipt of support for services in high cost areas having a high percentage of high income households. Prohibits a state from assessing interstate services in order to fund a state's universal service program. Requires a reverse auction plan in which each auction winner has the privileges and obligations of a provider-of-last-resort to be used to distribute universal service support for voice communications service in high cost areas. Provides for subsequent auctions, including transitioning away from subsidizing a provider-of-last-resort. Requires the FCC to: (1) determine whether the goals of universal service are being achieved in an economically efficient way; (2) strengthen the universal service program's oversight structure; (3) provide the FCC's Inspector General with resources to conduct regular and thorough audits; (4) permanently bar anyone committing universal service fraud from receiving future subsidies; and (5) develop increased penalties for service fund wrongdoing.

PRO(TECH)T Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2008

Protecting Records, Optimizing Treatment, and Easing Communication through Healthcare Technology Act of 2008 or the PRO(TECH)T Act of 2008 - Establishes the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Establishes a HIT Policy Committee to make policy recommendations to the National Coordinator relating to the implementation of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure Establishes the HIT Standards Committee to recommend to the National Coordinator standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information. Requires the National Coordinator to develop a Health Information Technology Resource Center. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the National Coordinator to award competitive grants for: (1) the purchase of qualified health information technology; and (2) the implementation of regional or local health information plans. Allows the Secretary to award grants for demonstration projects to develop academic curricula integrating qualified health information technology in the clinical education of health professionals. Requires the Director of the National Institute for Standards and Technology to: (1) test standards and specifications under this Act in order to assure their efficient implementation and use; and (2) assist institutions of higher education in establishing multidisciplinary Centers for Health Care Information Enterprise Integration. Directs the National High-Performance Computing Program to coordinate federal research and development programs related to the development and deployment of health information technology. Requires notification of individuals whose unencrypted protected health information has been, or is reasonably believed to have been, accessed or acquired as a result of a breach. Sets forth provisions governing the privacy of protected health information, including requirements for business associates to protect health information.

Medicare Beneficiary Protection Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2008

Medicare Beneficiary Protection Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and maintain a Medicare plan complaint system. Requires non-network Medicare Advantage private fee-for-service plans to disclose providers that refuse to accept certain enrollees in the plan. Prohibits certain marketing practices with respect to Medicare Advantage plans and prescription drug plans, including provision for meals or other items of monetary value, telemarketing, cross-selling, and up-selling. Revises enrollment requirements under Medicare parts C (Medicare+Choice) and D (Voluntary Prescription Drugs). Allows an individual to discontinue an election of a Medicare+Choice plan if enrolled fewer than 60 days. Changes the beginning date of the annual, coordinated election period for such a plan from November 15 to October 1. Requires the Secretary, in establishing a process for the enrollment, disenrollment, termination, and change of enrollment of part D eligible individuals in prescription drug plans, to use rules similar to (and coordinated with) those under the Medicare+Choice program for a continuous open enrollment and disenrollment period for the first three months of the year in which an individual first becomes eligible.

Supporting efforts to raise awareness, improve education, and encourage research of inflammatory breast cancer.

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2008

Declares that the federal government has a responsibility to: (1) raise awareness and improve education about inflammatory breast cancer; (2) encourage the American Medical Association to take steps to increase awareness of the disease among physicians; (3) encourage treatment research; and (4) continue to consider ways to improve access to information on the disease for doctors and patients.

Patient-Controlled Health IT Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2008

Patient-Controlled Health IT Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration program to provide financial incentives to providers and health information exchange networks for the use of qualifying personal health records (QPHRs). Requires the Secretary to provide for activities to educate qualifying providers about the patient, provider, and overall health care benefits of using QPHRs and participating in electronic health information exchange networks. Requires access to the record to be controlled solely by the patient. Authorizes the patient to add personal health information to the record, but not alter information entered by any qualifying provider. Limits access to the record to only: (1) a health care provider who is authorized by the patient to access the record; and (2) the minimum data set specified by the patient. Deems the patient to have provided authorization for health care providers to access a limited information set concerning the patient for emergency response purposes, unless the patient specifies that such information may not be so accessed. Provides for: (1) the use of de-identified data for public health analysis, postmarket safety surveillance of prescription drugs, and research purposes; and (2) a messaging system to send messages to patients, including education messages, reminders, and messages concerning health care or benefits from federal agencies. Sets forth security and privacy standards, policies, and practices for the demonstration program. Requires the Secretary to establish a PHR Incentive Fund to receive contributions from Fund partners, such as health care payers, drug and device manufacturers, and government agencies, including the Medicare program.

21st Century Rural Health Care Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2008

21st Century Rural Health Care Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize appropriations for the National Health Service Corps for FY2009-FY2013. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to define "accredited training program with an integrated rural track" to mean an accredited medical residency training program that is located in an urban area which offers a curriculum for family practice for all residents in the program and that meets certain requirements, including: (1) four month-long rotations in rural public health and community health settings; and (2) specified minimum training in obstetrics, pediatrics, and emergency medicine.

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2008

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of additional preventive services. Provides for gradual elimination of copayment rates for Medicare psychiatric services. Places prohibitions and limitations on certain sales and marketing activities under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and prescription drug plans. Requires offering of a range of Medicare supplemental policies. Extends the qualifying individual program. Provides for application of a full low-income subsidy assets test under the Medicare Savings Program. Eliminates Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) late enrollment penalties paid by subsidy-eligible individuals. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for state health insurance assistance programs, area agencies on aging, and aging and disability resource centers. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states for increasing the delivery of mental health services or other health care services to meet the needs of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas. Permits rebasing for sole community hospitals. Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for development and testing of new community health integration models in certain rural counties. Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to extend through FY2009 the reclassification of certain hospitals. Increases physicians' payments. Revises requirements for and extends the quality reporting system, including incentive payments. Directs the Secretary to establish a Physician Feedback Program. Provides for: (1) incentives for electronic prescribing of medicine; (2) expanded access to primary care services; (3) extension of the floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule; and (4) an accreditation requirement for advanced diagnostic imaging services. Revises requirements for Medicare anesthesia teaching programs. Makes permanent the exception to the 60-day limit on Medicare reciprocal billing arrangements between two physicians over a longer continuous period during all of which one of them is ordered to active duty as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces. Provides for coverage of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation. Extends increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary to establish pilot projects with respect to chronic kidney disease. Revises requirements for renal dialysis. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay generally until after 2011 full implementation of the Medicare competitive acquisition program for the purchase of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). Revises such program, dividing its implementation into two rounds, and specifying covered item updates for 2009-2014. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a competitive acquisition ombudsman within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to respond to complaints and inquiries by suppliers and individuals. Provides for phase-out of indirect costs of medical education from capitation rates. Revises requirements for MA private fee-for-service plans as well as MA plans for special needs individuals. Modifies requirements for quality improvement programs. Requires prompt payment of clean claims by prescription drug plans and MA-Prescription Drug plans under Medicare part D. Revises the definition of medically accepted indication for drugs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract with a consensus-based entity for certain activities relating to health care performance measurement; and (2) evaluate and report to Congress on approaches for the collection of data regarding health care disparities. Creates the Medicare Improvement Fund. Extends the transitional medical assistance (TMA), the abstinence education program, and allotments for disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) under SSA title XIX (Medicaid). Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend supplemental grants under SSA title IV part D (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF). Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend special diabetes grant programs.

Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2008

Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a Geriatric and Gerontology Loan Repayment Program to enter into contracts with physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, psychologists, and social workers trained in geriatrics or gerontology to pay educational loans in exchange for providing full-time clinical practice and service to older adults; and (2) establish the National Advisory Council on the Geriatric and Gerontology Loan Repayment Program. Requires the Secretary to ensure that individuals eligible for the nurse loan repayment program include registered nurses who complete specialty training in geriatrics or gerontology and who elect to provide nursing services to older adults in home and long-term care settings. Authorizes the Secretary to award nursing education grants and enter into contracts for programs that focus on specialty training in providing long-term care services for nursing personnel who provide services in home and long-term care settings. Requires the Secretary to establish a Health and Long-Term Care Workforce Advisory Panel to conduct a research project to identify incentives for recruitment and retention of clinicians and providers who agree to serve vulnerable older adults in geriatric and long-term care settings.

Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2008

Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and implement procedures to change the Medicare beneficiary identifier used to identify individuals entitled to benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), or enrolled under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), so that such an individual's Social Security number is not used. Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to establish and implement a system to verify on a monthly basis that the claims for reimbursement under Medicare part B for physicians' services furnished in high risk areas are: (1) for physicians' services actually furnished by the physician (or the physician's group practice); and (2) otherwise accurate. Requires the Secretary to establish a system to identify the 50 counties most vulnerable (high risk areas) to Medicare fraud. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the use of technology to provide real-time data analysis of Medicare reimbursement claims to identify and investigate unusual billing or order practices under the Medicare program that could indicate fraud or abuse. Requires the Secretary to establish procedures to require carriers, before paying a claim for reimbursement for durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) to confirm with the National Supplier Clearinghouse: (1) that the supplier's Medicare identification number is active; and (2) that the item or service for which the reimbursement claim is submitted was properly identified on the CMS-855S Medicare enrollment application. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations for a unique identifier (serial number) tracking system for payment for DME. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Secretary must put in place a surety bond requirement for DME suppliers within six months of the date of enactment of this Act in order to maintain Medicare program integrity.

Fostering Connections to Success Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2008

Fostering Connections to Success Act - Amends Part E (Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give state plans the option of providing for the state to enter into agreements to provide kinship guardianship assistance payments to grandparents and other relatives who have assumed legal guardianship of children for whom they have cared as foster parents and for whom they have committed to care on a permanent basis. Amends SSA title IV part B (Child and Family Services) to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make matching grants to state, local, or tribal child welfare agencies, and experienced private nonprofit organizations to help children in, or at risk of entering, foster care to reconnect with family members. Requires the applicable state agency, within 30 days after placing a child in foster care, to attempt to: (1) locate and notify any of the child's adult family members of the child's removal from parental custody; and (2) explain the options for participating in the child's care and placement. Gives states the option of covering under part E certain children in foster care, and certain children in an adoptive or guardianship placement, after attaining age 18. Provides for short-term training for child welfare agencies and prospective relative guardians. Allows an Indian tribe to receive direct federal SSA title IV part E funds if specified requirements are met. Requires each state child welfare services plan to provide that the state will develop a plan for the ongoing oversight and coordination of health care services for any child in a foster care placement. Requires case plans under SSA title B or E to include a plan for ensuring the educational stability of a child while in foster care. Provides for joint placement of siblings in the same foster care, kinship guardianship, or adoptive placement unless it would be contrary to the safety or well being of any of the siblings. Revises and extends the adoption incentives payment program. Requires the state plan for foster care and adoption assistance to provide that the state will inform any individual who is adopting, or considering adopting, a child in foster care of the individual's potential eligibility for a federal tax credit. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the collection of unemployment compensation debts resulting from fraud. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to invest U.S. operating cash in repurchase agreements with acceptable parties.

Commission on Affordable Health Care Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2008

Commission on Affordable Health Care Act of 2008 - Establishes in the legislative branch the Commission on Affordable Health Care to: (1) conduct a comprehensive study of potential models for a health care system to provide affordable and quality health care to all U.S. citizens; and (2) make recommendations for implementing such a system. Requires the Commission to report to Congress on the study and include a legislative proposal that provides for a health care system based on the recommendations of the Commission. Provides for expedited congressional consideration of such a proposal.

A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to priority review vouchers.

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2008

Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require that priority review vouchers, which are given by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the sponsor of a tropical disease product application, are transferable to sponsors of human drug applications for approval of a new drug or biological product. Prohibits such vouchers from being redeemed to affect the review of a pending human drug application.

Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Acquisition Reform Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2008

Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Acquisition Reform Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay generally until after 2011 full implementation of the Medicare competitive acquisition program for the purchase of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). Revises such program, dividing its implementation into two rounds, and specifying covered item updates for 2009-2014. Prescribes requirements for application of accreditation in implementing quality standards. Requires suppliers to disclose subcontractors. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a competitive acquisition ombudsman within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to respond to complaints and inquiries by suppliers and individuals. Specifies topics for the Comptroller General's required study and report to Congress on the impact of competitive acquisition of DME on suppliers, manufacturers, and patients. Sets forth a special rule for the competitive acquisition program for diabetic testing strips.

Preventing Stillbirth and SUID Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2008

Preventing Stillbirth and SUID Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop: (1) a standard definition of stillbirth; and (2) a standard protocol for stillbirth data collection and surveillance, including enhancing the National Vital Statistics System for the reporting of stillbirths. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to establish: (1) a national registry that can facilitate the understanding of root causes, rates, and trends of stillbirth; (2) public education and prevention programs aimed at reducing the occurrence of stillbirth; and (3) a population-based sudden, unexpected infant deaths (SUID) case registry that can facilitate the understanding of the root causes, rates, and trends of SUID.

Helping HANDS for Autism Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2008

Helping Housing, Awareness, and Navigation Demonstration Services for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders Act of 2008 or the Helping HANDS for Autism Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS Secretary), in coordination with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD Secretary) and the Secretary of Education, to establish a demonstration program to award grants to eligible entities to develop an autism navigator program to create a more efficient, effective, coordinated use of the health, housing, education, and social service systems for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. Requires: (1) an eligible entity that receives a grant to develop an autism navigator program that will recruit, employ, train, assign, and supervise autism navigators; and (2) the HHS Secretary to provide for evaluations to determine the effects of navigator services. Directs the HHS Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) develop, demonstrate, and disseminate a standard curriculum for training first responders in assisting individuals with autism and other cognitive behavioral disabilities and their families during emergencies; and (2) award grants to states and local governments to train first responders in providing assistance to such individuals in emergency situations. Requires the HUD Secretary to convene a task force to establish a housing demonstration grant program to award grants to entities to provide a program aimed at providing individualized housing and services to adults with an autism spectrum disorder.

America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2008

America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2008 - Authorizes a health insurance issuer to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to certify health insurance coverage policies offered in the individual market in any state as Health Benefit Plans. Allows certified plans to be offered to individuals in all states without regard to state and local laws respecting mandates for benefits. Requires such plans to cover inpatient hospital services and physicians' surgical and medical services. Requires the Secretary to review the impact of this Act on the availability and purchase of health insurance coverage. Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase the authorization of appropriations for FY2009-FY2013 for grants to states for the creation and operation of qualified high risk health insurance pools. Conditions eligibility for receiving an operating grant on a state submitting to the Secretary evidence-based information on the operation of such pool for purposes of creating best practice guidelines. Requires the Secretary to: (1) recommend and publicly post a list of best practices on the operation of qualified high risk pools; and (2) give a bonus grant to states that demonstrate that their pool was operated in accordance with such best practices.

Select Agent Program and Biosafety Improvement Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008

Select Agent Program and Biosafety Improvement Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002 to reauthorize appropriations for the Select Agent Program, which lists and controls biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety. Requires appropriate training of individuals handling or using such agents and toxins. Includes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) among the federal agencies limited in the disclosure of information related to listed agents or toxins. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to review and make recommendations for improving the Select Agent Program. Sets forth additional factors that the Secretary must consider in determining whether to list an agent or toxin, including whether the agent or toxin is endemic to the United States. Requires the Secretary to issue guidance on inventorying and monitoring listed biological agents. Directs the Attorney General to issue guidance regarding the scope of the statutory definition of "variola virus." Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop guidelines for how laboratories and laboratory personnel that do not regularly test for listed agents and toxins may be rapidly accessed and utilized during emergencies; and (2) evaluate national needs of, and oversight of, high containment biological laboratories. Provides for the development of minimum standards for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity training for relevant personnel of high containment biological laboratories. Requires the Secretary to establish a Biological Laboratory Incident Reporting System.

HONOR Warriors Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008

Honoring Our Nation's Obligation to Returning Warriors Act or HONOR Warriors Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide scholarships to individuals pursuing education or training in behavioral health care specialties that are critical to the operations of Vet Centers (centers for readjustment counseling and related mental health services for veterans) in order to recruit and retain individuals with such specialties for service in Vet Centers. Conditions the scholarship agreeing to serve in such a capacity for whatever period the Secretary specifies in the agreement. Makes any Armed Forces member who serves in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom eligible for readjustment counseling and related mental health services through Vet Centers regardless of whether the member is on active duty at the time of receipt of counseling and services. Directs the Secretary, on receipt of a request for counseling from an individual who has been discharged or released from active service, to: (1) provide referrals to assist the individual in obtaining mental health care and services outside the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (2) if pertinent, advise such individual of the individual's rights to apply for review of the discharge or release. Treats the suicide of a former member that occurs within two years after separation or retirement, if the member had a medical history of a combat-related mental health condition, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), as a death in line of duty for purposes of the survivors' eligibility to burial benefits and benefits under the Survivor Benefit Plan, laws administered by the Secretary, and the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide emotional support services for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces and deceased veterans through the survivors' peers. Directs the Secretary of the Army to carry out at Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of various means of enhancing awareness among members of the Army of PTSD.

Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008

Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2008 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to revise the medical criteria for evaluating disability caused by adult-onset and juvenile Huntington's Disease. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 24-month waiting period for Medicare eligibility for individuals disabled by Huntington's Disease.

Next Steps for Haiti Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008

Next Steps for Haiti Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Director of Foreign Assistance, in consultation with the government of Haiti and Haitian civil society organizations, to establish the Haiti Professional Exchange Program whose purpose shall be to assign qualified Haitian Americans and others to provide technical assistance to help Haiti improve in areas vital to its growth and development, including education, energy, environment, health care, infrastructure, security, transportation, and disaster preparedness. Requires that the Director establish an outreach program to encourage Exchange Program participation. Sets forth Program provisions. Authorizes appropriations.

Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Acquisition Reform Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008

Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Acquisition Reform Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay generally until after 2011 full implementation of the Medicare competitive acquisition program for the purchase of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). Revises such program, dividing its implementation into two rounds, and specifying covered item updates for 2009-2014. Prescribes requirements for application of accreditation in implementing quality standards. Requires suppliers to disclose subcontractors. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a competitive acquisition ombudsman within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to respond to complaints and inquiries by suppliers and individuals. Specifies topics for the Comptroller General's required study and report to Congress on the impact of competitive acquisition of DME on suppliers, manufacturers, and patients. Sets forth a special rule for the competitive acquisition program for diabetic testing strips.

ACCESS Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008

Access, Compassion, Care, and Ethics for Seriously Ill Patients Act or the ACCESS Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to permit an investigational drug, biological product, or device to be made available for expanded access under a treatment investigational new drug application or treatment investigational device exemption if specified Compassionate Investigational Access requirements are met. Gives immunity to the manufacturer, distributor, administrator, sponsor, or physician from suit or liability relating to products approved under this Act. Establishes a procedure for accelerated approval of an investigational drug, biological product, or device that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit to a patient suffering from a serious or life-threatening condition. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) the Accelerated Approval Advisory Committee; (2) a new program to expand access to investigational treatments for individuals with serious or life threatening conditions and diseases; and (3) a demonstration project under the Medicare program to pay for drugs, biological, products, and devices approved under this Act. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the definition of "medically accepted indication" to provide for coverage of a covered Part D drug based on the sponsor's or organization's determination that the drug is for a medically accepted indication. Requires the Secretary to consider the clinical judgment and risks to the patient from the disease or condition in evaluating the safety and effectiveness of drugs, biological products, and devices that treat serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions, including the evaluation of nonstatistical information. Requires any committee evaluating investigational drugs, devices, or biological product applications to have at least two patient representatives as voting members.

Preserving Access to Medicare Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008

Preserving Access to Medicare Act of 2008 - Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) revise the payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals; (2) extend increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services; (3) extend the authorization for Medicare rural hospital flexibility program grants; (4) provide for rebasing for sole community hospitals; and (5) extend the rural home health add-on policy through 2009. Revises the formula for payments for physician services to provide an update to the single conversion factor of: (1) 0.5% for the remainder of 2008; and (2) 1.1% for 2009. Extends the Physician Assistance and Quality Initiative (PAQI) Fund. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Physician Feedback Program. Revises requirements or provides for: (1) incentive payments for electronic prescribing and primary care services in physician scarcity areas; (2) the Medicare anesthesia teaching program; (3) advanced diagnostic imaging services; (4) Medicare coverage of items and services under cardiac rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation programs; (5) phase-out of the indirect costs of medical education (IME) from capitation rates; (6) quality improvement programs; and (7) certain prohibitions with respect to marketing of Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary to establish specified pilot projects regarding chronic kidney disease. Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 to extend the transitional medical assistance (TMA) and abstinence education programs. Amends SSA title XIX to extend: (1) the qualifying individual program; and (2) the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotment for Tennessee and Hawaii. Provides for: (1) asset verification under Medicaid; and (2) reduction in payments for Medicaid administrative costs to prevent certain payment duplications. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend authority for supplemental grants under SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF). Amends the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 to provide for additional funding for state health insurance assistance programs, area agencies on aging, and aging and disability resource centers. Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to make appropriations for federal reimbursement of eligible providers for emergency health services furnished to undocumented aliens.

Outpatient Mental Health Modernization Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008

Outpatient Mental Health Modernization Act of 2008 - Establishes a moratorium between January 1, 2009, and January 1, 2010, on changes in the Medicare outpatient department (OPD) fee schedule amount established for partial hospital (episode and visit) services. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) establish an accreditation program for community mental health centers providing partial hospitalization services; (2) require a specified reduction in the OPD fee schedule increase factor for any such center that fails to submit required data on its partial hospitalization services; and (3) establish a minimum number of four units of items and services as a requirement for coverage of such services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require fiscal intermediaries under the Medicare program to file the cost reports of providers of partial hospitalization services into the Healthcare Provider Cost Reporting Information System (HCRIS) maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

A bill to apply an alternative payment amount under the Medicare program for certain graduate medical education programs established to train residents displaced by natural disasters.

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for a cost reporting period beginning on or after July 1, 2005, to provide for payments of direct graduate education costs under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act in accordance with an alternative payment methodology for eligible hospitals in or adjacent to a major disaster area which have established a program to educate residents displaced from a graduate medical education (GME) program impacted by such disaster.

Children's Health Protection Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008

Children's Health Protection Act of 2008 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan from imposing any preexisting condition exclusion for individuals who have not attained 19 years of age. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market.

Javits-Wagner-O'Day and Randolph-Sheppard Modernization Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008

Javits-Wagner-O'Day and Randolph-Sheppard Modernization Act of 2008 - Establishes the Committee for the Advancement of Individuals with Disabilities. Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act - Reauthorizes the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act program providing for government procurement of goods and services from qualified nonprofit agencies for individuals who are blind or with significant disabilities. Directs the Committee to designate central nonprofit agencies to: (1) facilitate government procurement of such goods and services; (2) establish permanent Javits-Wagner-O'Day Endowment Funds; and (3) makes grants or enter contracts with nonprofit agencies to carry out demonstration projects for the employment of students with significant disabilities. Randolph-Sheppard Act - Reauthorizes the Randolph-Sheppard Act program providing self-support opportunities to licensed vendors with disabilities through the operation of vending machines in federal facilities. (Currently, only blind individuals are provided such opportunities.) Directs the Committee to: (1) identify new vending facility sites for licensed vendors; and (2) provide for the designation of state licensing agencies to issue licenses to such vendors. Exempts contracts for the operation of full food service dining at Department of Defense (DOD) facilities from Javits-Wagner-O'Day program requirements. Gives equal priority to the award of such contracts to: (1) a state licensing agency bidding for the contract under the Randolph-Sheppard Act program; and (2) a small business concern, a HUBZone entity, an Alaska Native Corporation, and other socially-disadvantaged groups. Transfers to the Committee specified functions of the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the Department of Education (relating to the Randolph-Sheppard Act program). Repeals former provisions of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act and the Randolph-Sheppard Act.

Restorative and Enhanced Vision Access for Medicare Patients (REVAMP) Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008

Restorative and Enhanced Vision Access for Medicare Patients (REVAMP) Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover vision restoration therapy devices and associated software used in the patient's home to treat impaired visual function as durable medical equipment (DME).

ADDRESSING DISPARITIES IN HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE: ISSUES OF REFORM

United States · United States House of Representatives · 10 June 2008

A resolution designating the week beginning June 9, 2008, as "National Health Information Technology Week".

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2008

Designates the week beginning June 9, 2008, as National Health Information Technology Week. Recognizes the value of, and calls upon all stakeholders to promote the use of, information technology and management systems in transforming U.S. health care.

A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) new policy restricting women's access to medications containing estriol does not serve the public interest.

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2008

Calls for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reverse its policy that aims to eliminate patient access to compounded medications containing estriol prescribed by physicians unless it holds a public comment period on the issue and can document evidence of adverse events and other safety issues to justify such policy.

$150 Barrel Energy Extortion Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2008

$150 Barrel Energy Extortion Act of 2008 - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe certain income tax regulations relating to an election to expense certain refineries. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to treat domestic use oil refinery facilities bonds as exempt facility bonds. Instructs the President to designate, and make available to the private sector, at least 10 federal sites for siting and construction of an oil refinery or natural gas refinery (or both). Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to revise the terms and conditions under which the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) is authorized to guarantee obligations for innovative technologies. Revises requirements governing the Secretary's authority to enter into contracts with sponsors of an advanced nuclear facility. Directs the Secretary to carry out a Nuclear Power 2010 Program to position the nation to start construction of new nuclear power plants as close to 2010 as achievable. Establishes an Interagency Working Group to make recommendations to coordinate federal actions and programs to promote increasing domestic manufacturing capacity and export of domestic nuclear energy products and services. Amends the IRC to allow tax credits for: (1) investment in a qualifying nuclear power manufacturing project or equipment; and (2) nuclear power facility construction. Instruct the Secretary of Labor to promulgate regulations to implement a training program to meet the demand for a nuclear energy workforce. Instructs the Secretary to establish a National Nuclear Energy Council. Authorizes the Secretary to initiate temporary spent nuclear fuel storage agreements. Declares that no consideration of the public health and safety, common defense and security, or environmental impacts of the storage of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel generated in reactors licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is required in connection with development, construction, and operation of a civilian nuclear power reactor or any facility for the treatment or storage of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste. Amends the IRC to: (1) apply the tax credit for producing fuel from nonconventional sources to gas produced onshore from formations more than 15,000 feet deep; and (2) allow a tax credit for carbon dioxide captured from industrial sources and used as a tertiary injectant in enhanced oil and natural gas recovery. Terminates all laws prohibiting expenditures for oil and natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for areas of the outer Continental Shelf. American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act - Provides for: (1) a competitive leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas on the Alaskan Coastal Plain; (2) distribution of federal and state revenues from federal oil and gas leasing and operations; (3) rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation; and (4) financial assistance for local government impact aid and community service assistance.

Medicare Efficiency and Development of Improvement of Care and Services Act (MEDICS Act) of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2008

Medicare Efficiency and Development of Improvement of Care and Services Act (MEDICS Act) of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of additional preventive services. Provides for gradual elimination of copayment rates for Medicare psychiatric services. Places prohibitions and limitations on certain sales and marketing activities under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and prescription drug plans. Requires offering of a range of Medicare supplemental policies. Extends the qualifying individual program. Provides for application of a full low-income subsidy assets test under the Medicare Savings Program. Eliminates Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) late enrollment penalties paid by subsidy-eligible individuals. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for state health insurance assistance programs, area agencies on aging, and aging and disability resource centers. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states for increasing the delivery of mental health services or other health care services to meet the needs of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas. Permits rebasing for sole community hospitals. Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for development and testing of new community health integration models in certain rural counties. Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to extend through FY2009 the reclassification of certain hospitals. Increases physicians' payments. Revises requirements for and extends the quality reporting system, including incentive payments. Directs the Secretary to establish a Physician Feedback Program. Provides for: (1) incentives for electronic prescribing of medicine; (2) expanded access to primary care services; (3) extension of the floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule; and (4) an accreditation requirement for advanced diagnostic imaging services. Revises requirements for Medicare anesthesia teaching programs. Makes permanent the exception to the 60-day limit on Medicare reciprocal billing arrangements between two physicians over a longer continuous period during all of which one of them is ordered to active duty as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces. Provides for coverage of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation. Revises payment rules for power-driven wheelchairs. Extends increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary to establish pilot projects with respect to chronic kidney disease. Revises requirements for renal dialysis. Provides for phase-out of indirect costs of medical education from capitation rates. Revises requirements for MA private fee-for-service plans as well as MA plans for special needs individuals. Modifies requirements for quality improvement programs. Requires prompt payment of clean claims by prescription drug plans and MA-Prescription Drug plans under Medicare part D. Revises the definition of medically accepted indication for drugs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract with a consensus-based entity for certain activities relating to health care performance measurement; and (2) evaluate and report to Congress on approaches for the collection of data regarding health care disparities. Creates the Medicare Improvement Fund. Extends the transitional medical assistance (TMA) and allotments for disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) under SSA title XIX (Medicaid). Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend supplemental grants under SSA title IV part D (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF), as well as special diabetes grant programs. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress an effective plan to increase the number of primary care physicians, particularly in locations classified as underserved or with a disproportionate number of Medicare beneficiaries.

SHOP Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2008

Small Business Health Options Program Act of 2008 or the SHOP Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate an office within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to administer a health insurance program for small businesses and self-employed individuals to purchase health insurance coverage meeting certain requirements. Establishes a Small Business Health Board to monitor the implementation of the program and make recommendations for improvements. Requires the Administrator of the program to: (1) enter into contracts with health insurance issuers to provide health insurance coverage under this Act; and (2) enter into agreements with entities to serve as navigators to provide information about the program and assist in enrollment. Requires a participating employer to ensure that each eligible employee has an opportunity to enroll in a plan. Sets forth requirements for health plans offered under this Act. Requires the Administrator to contract with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to study the rating requirements, administrative procedures, and standards of external and internal review that apply to such plans and to health insurance purchased in the small group markets in the states and to develop recommendations concerning rating requirements. Sets forth premium-setting rules for plans under this Act. Allows a state to prohibit participation in this program if the state offers alternative health benefit plans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for small employers for qualified employee health insurance expenses under this Act.

Advancing FASD Research, Prevention, and Services Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2008

Advancing FASD Research, Prevention, and Services Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention and Services Program to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a research agenda for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD); (2) facilitate surveillance, public health research, and prevention of FASD; and (3) award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to states and other entities to provide services for individuals with FASD, to educate court, law enforcement, and adoption officials on how to treat and support individuals with FASD, and to provide transitional services for individuals affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. Requires: (1) the Secretary to provide for continuation of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome; and (2) the Comptroller General to evaluate and make recommendations regarding appropriate federal FASD activities. Includes within the grant program for services to individuals with FASD: (1) respite care for caretakers of such individuals, (2) recruitment and training of mentors for such individuals; and (3) educational and supportive services to families of such individuals. Requires the Secretary of Education to direct the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to implement screening procedures and introduce curricula for educating children with FASD. Requires the Attorney General to direct the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to: (1) educate officials on how to treat individuals with FASD; (2) study the inadequacies of the current system for dealing with such individuals; and (3) develop transitional programs for such individuals who are released from incarceration.

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2008

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of additional preventive services. Provides for gradual elimination of copayment rates for Medicare psychiatric services. Places prohibitions and limitations on certain sales and marketing activities under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and prescription drug plans. Requires offering of a range of Medicare supplemental policies. Extends the qualifying individual program. Provides for application of a full low-income subsidy assets test under the Medicare Savings Program. Eliminates Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) late enrollment penalties paid by subsidy-eligible individuals. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for state health insurance assistance programs, area agencies on aging, and aging and disability resource centers. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states for increasing the delivery of mental health services or other health care services to meet the needs of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas. Permits rebasing for sole community hospitals. Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for development and testing of new community health integration models in certain rural counties. Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to extend through FY2009 the reclassification of certain hospitals. Increases physicians' payments. Revises requirements for and extends the quality reporting system, including incentive payments. Directs the Secretary to establish a Physician Feedback Program. Provides for: (1) incentives for electronic prescribing of medicine; (2) expanded access to primary care services; (3) extension of the floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule; and (4) an accreditation requirement for advanced diagnostic imaging services. Revises requirements for Medicare anesthesia teaching programs. Makes permanent the exception to the 60-day limit on Medicare reciprocal billing arrangements between two physicians over a longer continuous period during all of which one of them is ordered to active duty as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces. Provides for coverage of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation. Revises payment rules for power-driven wheelchairs. Extends increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary to establish pilot projects with respect to chronic kidney disease. Revises requirements for renal dialysis. Provides for phase-out of indirect costs of medical education from capitation rates. Revises requirements for MA private fee-for-service plans as well as MA plans for special needs individuals. Modifies requirements for quality improvement programs. Requires prompt payment of clean claims by prescription drug plans and MA-Prescription Drug plans under Medicare part D. Revises the definition of medically accepted indication for drugs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract with a consensus-based entity for certain activities relating to health care performance measurement; and (2) evaluate and report to Congress on approaches for the collection of data regarding health care disparities. Creates the Medicare Improvement Fund. Extends the transitional medical assistance (TMA), the abstinence education program, and allotments for disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) under SSA title XIX (Medicaid). Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend supplemental grants under SSA title IV part D (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF). Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend special diabetes grant programs.

Relief for Rural Veterans in Crisis Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008

Relief for Rural Veterans in Crisis Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to states for increasing the delivery of mental health services or other health care services deemed necessary to meet the needs of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas; and (2) extend the authorization for Medicare rural hospital flexibility program (FLEX) grants.

Medicare Wound Therapy Patient Protection Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008

Medicare Wound Therapy Patient Protection Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exempt from the Medicare competitive acquisition program negative pressure wound therapy pumps and related supplies and accessories, until the Secretary of Health and Human Services can validate, using a panel of wound care clinical experts, the clinical comparability of all such products. Expresses the sense of the Senate that this Act should be deficit neutral over the five-year period beginning on October 1, 2008, through appropriate offsets.

CURA Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008

Cure and Understanding through Research for Alzheimer's Act of 2008 or the Cura Act of 2008 - Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to ensure sufficient resources for activities relating to Alzheimer's disease and Hispanic communities, including by: (1) increasing efforts in epidemiological work in Hispanic subgroups; (2) allocating resources to the National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's disease research centers and other academic centers involved in such research to increase participation of Hispanics and other underrepresented ethnic groups in research and clinical trials in sufficient numbers to draw valid conclusions; and (3) conducting social, behavioral, and health services research to understand the underlying reasons why Hispanic individuals delay diagnosis and underutilize services, to identify culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches to address such delays and underutilization, and to identify what is culturally competent care. Requires the Director to expand and intensify NIH efforts to educate communities about the importance of research relating to Alzheimer's disease and to respond effectively to cultural concerns about participation in such research. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for a program of grants to states to carry out demonstration programs related to Alzheimer's disease. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct an aggressive, evidence-based education and outreach program to promote public awareness and risk reduction with respect to Alzheimer's disease, particularly to Hispanic populations.

La Cura Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008

Cure and Understanding through Research for Alzheimer's Act of 2008 or La Cura Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to ensure sufficient resources for activities relating to Alzheimer's disease and Hispanic communities, including by: (1) increasing efforts in epidemiological work in Hispanic subgroups; (2) allocating resources to the National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's disease research centers and other academic centers involved in such research to increase participation of Hispanics and other underrepresented ethnic groups in research and clinical trials in sufficient numbers to draw valid conclusions; and (3) conducting social, behavioral, and health services research to understand the underlying reasons why Hispanic individuals delay diagnosis and underutilize services, to identify culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches to address such delays and underutilization, and to identify approaches for providing, and improving the quality of, culturally competent care. Requires the Director to expand and intensify NIH efforts to educate communities about the importance of research relating to Alzheimer's disease and to respond effectively to cultural concerns about participation in such research. Authorizes appropriations for a program of grants to states to carry out demonstration programs related to Alzheimer's disease. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct an aggressive, evidence-based education and outreach program to promote public awareness and risk reduction with respect to Alzheimer's disease, particularly to Hispanic populations.

Farm Animals Anti-Cruelty Act

United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008

Farm Animals Anti-Cruelty Act - Subjects a person to specified civil and criminal penalties who: (1) kills, mutilates, tortures, or intentionally causes an animal held for commercial use pain or suffering; or (2) has responsibility for an animal held for commercial use and fails to provide it with necessary food, water, shelter, and health care. Exempts from such provision the treatment of an animal held for commercial use: (1) in lawful scientific or agricultural research; (2) undergoing veterinary treatment; or (3) at a state or county fair, or at similar exhibitions. States that any act in compliance with the Humane Slaughter Act is not prohibited under this Act.

Student to School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008

Student to School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states to reduce the student-to-school nurse ratio in public secondary schools, elementary schools, and kindergarten. Sets forth reporting requirements.

Resolving to address the costly obesity epidemic by identifying opportunities to increase access to and promotion of nutrition, physical activity, and health care in all of Congress's work.

United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008

Recognizes the urgency and complexity of the obesity epidemic. Commends the Campaign to End Obesity for identifying actionable steps that Congress can take toward reversing the epidemic. Commits to considering opportunities for addressing the epidemic, such as improving nutrition, increasing physical activity, and expanding access to care in all major legislative action.

Promoting Health Information Technology Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2008

Promoting Health Information Technology Act of 2008 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Establishes the Health Information Technology Resource Center to provide assistance for the adoption and use of interoperable health information technology. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate final rules to modify standards related to the electronic exchange of health information. Amends title XI (General Provisions, Peer Review, and Administrative Simplification) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary to provide for an expedited upgrade program to develop and approve additions and modifications to adopted standards for the electronic exchange of health information. Sets forth the process for such additions and modifications. Prohibits federal funds from being used for the purchase of any health information technology that has not been certified in compliance with such standards. Requires federal agencies to comply with standards. Requires the Secretary to study current federal security and confidentiality standards. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat qualified health care information technology as a depreciable asset. Requires the Secretary to encourage and facilitate the adoption of state reciprocity agreements for practitioner licensure in order to expedite the provision across state lines of telehealth services. Provides for studies related to telehealth services, including on expanding the list of Medicare telehealth originating sites to include mental health facilities. Requires the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services to make federally qualified health centers eligible to participate in demonstration projects related to health records and heath information technology.

TRICARE Continuity of Coverage for National Guard and Reserve Families Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2008

TRICARE Continuity of Coverage for National Guard and Reserve Families Act of 2008 - Makes a member of the Retired Reserve who is qualified for a non-regular (reserve) retirement at age 60, but is not yet 60, eligible for health benefits under TRICARE Standard (a Department of Defense (DOD) managed health care program for members of the reserves). Terminates such eligibility when the member becomes eligible for TRICARE Standard at age 60. Includes immediate family members under such coverage. Requires members to pay a premium for such coverage.

Equality in Medicare Advantage Payment Act of 2008

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2008

Equality in Medicare Advantage Payment Act of 2008 - Amends part C (Medicare Advantage) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make budget-neutral adjustments in payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to reduce the variation in Medicare Advantage payment rates among counties in the same state within a very large metropolitan area.

Expressing support for designation of the period beginning on June 9, 2008, and ending on June 13, 2008, as "National Health Information Technology Week".

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2008

Expresses support for the designation of a National Health Information Technology Week. Recognizes the value of information technology and management systems to transforming health care. Encourages the President to issue a proclamation calling upon all stakeholders to promote the use of such systems to transform the U.S. health care system.