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311 records in US in 1994
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1994
Designates the week beginning October 2, 1994, as Chemical Dependency Nurses Week.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1994
Designates October 1994 as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Portable and Permanent Private Health Insurance Subtitle A: Portability Subtitle B: Permanence Title II: Expansion of Health Care Choices Subtitle A: Employer-Provided Health Insurance Subtitle B: Medical Savings Accounts Title III: Equal Tax Treatment for Health Insurance of Self-Employed and Uninsured Title IV: Small Business Health Insurance Pools Title V: Assistance to Individuals With Preexisting Conditions in Purchasing Health Insurance Title VI: Encourage Responsible Behavior by the Financially Capable Title VII: Assistance to Low-Income Workers to Purchase Health Insurance Title VIII: Reward Preventive Medicine and Healthy Lifestyles Title IX: Reform Medicaid and Expand Choices Under Medicare Subtitle A: Medicaid Subtitle B: Medicare Title X: Enhanced Efficiency Through Paperwork Reduction Title XI: Meaningful Medical Liability Reform Title XII: Antitrust Reforms Title XIII: Expenditure Targets for the Medicaid and Medicare Programs Comprehensive Family Health Access and Savings Act - Title I: Portable and Permanent Private Insurance - Subtitle A: Portability - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify required continuation coverage of group health plans by allowing the offering of annual deductibles for such coverage. Terminates such continuation coverage after an individual is eligible for employer-based coverage for more than 90 days. (Sec. 102) Allows penalty-free withdrawals from qualified retirement plans to pay for health insurance during a continuation period. Subtitle B: Permanence - Prohibits an insurer from cancelling an individual or group health insurance plan or denying renewal of coverage except for specified reasons. Prohibits an employer from cancelling a self-insured group health plan or denying renewal of coverage except for similar reasons. (Sec. 112) Requires individual health insurance plans and group health plans to offer insureds the option to purchase new health insurance plans after enactment of this Act. Title II: Expansion of Health Care Choices - Subtitle A: Employer-Provided Health Insurance - Requires an employer-provided health insurance package to include one of the following options: (1) the health insurance coverage provided by the employer on the date of enactment of this Act; (2) coverage in a health maintenance organization, managed care arrangement, or preferred provider organization; or (3) a medical savings account. Subtitle B: Medical Savings Account - Allows a deduction from gross income for medical expenses attributable to coverage under a catastrophic health insurance plan. (Sec. 212) Allows individuals a tax deduction for contributions made to a medical care savings account established for the benefit of an eligible individual or such individual's spouse and dependents. Allows such deduction whether or not an individual itemizes deductions. Disallows distributions from such accounts as medical expense deductions. Excludes employer contributions to such accounts from employment taxes. Establishes an excise tax for excess contributions to medical care savings accounts and for prohibited transactions. Title III: Equal Tax Treatment for Health Insurance of Self-Employed and Uninsured - Allows as an exclusion from gross income such self-employed health insurance costs as do not exceed the national per employee average of the employer-provided contribution excluded from gross income. Excludes certain health insurance costs from employment taxes. Title IV: Small Business Health Insurance Pools - Prohibits: (1) State restrictions on groups purchasing health insurance; (2) State benefit mandates for group health plans; and (3) for five years following enactment, specified State restrictions on managed care. Title V: Assistance to Individuals with Preexisting Conditions in Purchasing Health Insurance - Requires the Secretary to establish and administer a program providing allotments to States for the establishment of State-wide insurance risk pools to provide health insurance coverage to individuals with preexisting conditions. Authorizes appropriations. Title VI: Encourage Responsible Behavior by the Financially Capable - Prohibits any family with an income exceeding 200 percent of the poverty line or who is eligible for a catastrophic health insurance plan as defined in title VII of this Act, but who fails to purchase a plan providing such coverage within one year of enactment from being eligible for the insurance pool program under title V of this Act. Title VII: Assistance to Low-Income Workers to Purchase Insurance - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for the cost of premiums for a catastrophic health insurance plan based upon family income and size. Allows the advance payment of such credit. Disallows the use of such credit amount as a medical expense deduction. (Sec. 702) Allows the collection of unpaid debts for medical expenses from individuals who are eligible for such credit but fail to claim it. Title VIII: Reward Preventive Medicine and Healthy Lifestyles - Provides that in the case of any health insurance plan, no provision of State or local law shall apply that restricts the reduction of premiums or the allowance of incentives with respect to such plans for individuals who pursue healthy lifestyles. Title IX: Reform Medicaid and Expand Choices Under Medicare - Subtitle A: Medicaid - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to place a specified formula cap on the Federal payment made each year to a State for furnishing medical assistance to eligible individuals. (Sec. 902) Provides for waivers from Medicaid requirements in order for States to establish innovative and cost-effective programs for furnishing medical assistance to eligible individuals. Subtitle B: Medicare - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow an individual to elect health care coverage through either a private health care arrangement or an eligible organization within one year after becoming entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or forgoing an employer health benefit plan. Details the election process for current Medicare part A beneficiaries. Provides for payments under Medicare to individuals enrolled with such arrangements or organizations, including additional amounts from the Medicare trust funds for individuals enrolled with such arrangements. Title X: Enhanced Efficiency Through Paperwork Reduction - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to adopt standards to reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens of all Federal health care programs by 50 percent within the two-year period following the date of this Act's enactment (initial reduction), and by an additional 50 percent reduction over a subsequent three-year period (subsequent reduction), for a total reduction of 75 percent over the five-year period following such date. Requires the Secretary, to achieve the initial reduction, to adopt standards for Federal health care programs relating to: (1) data elements for use in paper and electronic claims processing under health insurance plans, as well as for use in utilization review and management of care; (2) uniform claims forms; and (3) uniform electronic transmission of the data elements, including protections to assure the confidentiality of patient-specific information and to protect against the unauthorized use and disclosure of information. Directs the Secretary, to achieve the subsequent reduction, to modify by regulation the standards adopted with respect to the initial reduction. Specifies that such modification may include such recommendations as reported by the Standardized Form Commission or any other provisions necessary to meet the goals for reduction in the paperwork burden of Federal health care programs. (Sec. 1002) Requires each State, to be eligible for Federal funds in connection with any State-administered health care program, to standardize the processing of paper and electronic claims to reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens on such programs by 75 percent during the five-year period following enactment of this Act. Sets forth provisions regarding enforcement of this provision and waivers of payment reductions for noncompliance. (Sec. 1003) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a Standardized Forms Commission to make recommendations on the standardization of paper and electronic claims processing to reduce the paperwork burden and enhance the efficiency and productivity of claims processing; and (2) submit recommendations to the Congress in the form of an implementing bill. Sets forth procedures for congressional consideration of such bill. Makes a health care provider or insurer that fails to comply with any enacted recommendations of the Commission ineligible for payments of claims submitted under any provision of the Social Security Act or the Public Health Service Act. Title XI: Meaningful Medical Liability Reform - Makes this title applicable with respect to any medical malpractice liability claim or action (such action) brought in State or Federal court, except with respect to certain claims or actions for damages arising from a vaccine-related injury or death. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) preemption; (2) negotiated liability; (3) effect on sovereign immunity and choice of law or venue; and (4) jurisdiction. (Sec. 1102) Prohibits such action from being initiated after the expiration of: (1) the two-year period that begins on the latter of the date the alleged injury that is the subject of the claim was discovered or the date the injury should reasonably have been discovered; and (2) the four-year period that begins on the date on which the alleged injury occurred. Makes an exception for a minor who has not attained age six. (Sec. 1103) Provides that: (1) the liability of each defendant in such action, with respect to economic and noneconomic damages, shall be several only and not joint; (2) such a defendant shall be liable only for the amount of damages allocated to the defendant in direct proportion to such defendant's percentage of fault or responsibility for the injury; and (3) the trier of fact shall determine and assign a percentage of responsibility for each such defendant. (Sec. 1104) Requires: (1) all requests for discovery pursuant to such action to identify the relevant portion of the complaint, answer, or other pleading to which responses to the discovery requests are expected to relate; and (2) the court, with respect to any motion for an order compelling discovery, to award the prevailing party reasonable fees and expenses incurred in bringing or defending against the motion, including reasonable attorney fees, unless the court finds that the position of the unsuccessful party with substantially justified or that special circumstances make such an award unjust. (Sec. 1105) Limits the total amount of noneconomic damages that may be awarded to a claimant and family members to $250,000, regardless of the number of parties against whom the action is brought or the number of actions brought with respect to the injury. (Sec. 1106) Specifies that a defendant may not be required to pay damages awarded for any economic losses to be incurred after the date on which the judgment is entered exceeding $100,000, in a single, lump-sum payment, but shall be permitted to make such payments periodically based on projections of the amount of damages expected to be incurred by the claimant at appropriate intervals, as determined by the court. Permits the court to require that a defendant purchase an annuity or fund a reversionary trust to make periodic payments if the court determines that a reasonable basis exists for concluding that the defendant may be unable or otherwise fail to make the required periodic payments. Specifies that a court judgment awarding such payments may not be reopened at any time to contest, amend, or modify the schedule or amount of the payments in the absence of fraud or any other basis under which a party may obtain relief from a final judgment. (Sec. 1107) Sets forth provisions regarding costs and fees, including limitations on attorneys charging or collecting contingency fees. Establishes recordkeeping requirements as a prerequisite to the receipt of an award of attorney fees. (Sec. 1108) Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) contribution and indemnification; and (2) collateral sources. (Sec. 1110) Prohibits the award of noneconomic damages with respect to any medical product liability claim alleged against a medical product producer if: (1) the drug or device that is the subject of such claim was subject to specified approval or premarket approval under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); or (2) the drug or device is generally recognized as safe and effective pursuant to conditions established by the FDA and applicable regulations, including packaging and labeling regulations. Makes exceptions in cases of withheld information, misrepresentation, or illegal payment of FDA officials to secure approval. (Sec. 1111) Provides that, in any medical malpractice liability action that is certified as a class action: (1) the share of damages under any final judgment or settlement that is awarded to any party serving as a representative claimant shall be calculated in the same manner as the shares awarded to all other members of the claimant class (but permits the award of reasonable compensation, costs, and expenses relating to the representation of the class); (2) if a party is represented by an attorney who has a beneficial interest in the subject of the litigation, the court shall make a determination of whether such interest constitutes a conflict of interest sufficient to disqualify the attorney; and (3) an attorney may not represent the class if the attorney has paid, or is obligated to pay, a fee to a third party who assisted the attorney in obtaining the representation of any party to the action (and bars an attorney who knowingly violates this provision from representing the party in such action or any action to which this title applies). Title XII: Antitrust Reforms - Directs the Attorney General to promulgate guidelines under which a health care joint venture may submit an application requesting that the Attorney General provide the entities participating in the venture with an exemption under which: (1) monetary recovery on an antitrust claim brought against the entity shall be limited to actual damages if specified conditions are met; and (2) the conduct of the entity in making or performing a contract to carry out the venture shall not be deemed illegal per se. Requires the Attorney General to approve or disapprove the application within a specified time frame and to provide a statement explaining the reasons for any disapproval. Directs the Attorney General to approve the application if an entity participating in the venture submits to the Attorney General an application that contains: (1) the identities of the parties to the venture; (2) the nature, objectives, and planned activities of the venture; and (3) specified assurances and information. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) revocation and renewal of exemptions and withdrawal of an application; (2) requirements relating to notice and publication of exemptions; and (3) issuance of health care certificates of public advantage to each eligible health care joint venture that complies with specified requirements. (Sec. 1203) Establishes the Interagency Advisory Committee on Competition, Antitrust Policy, and Health Care to: (1) discuss and evaluate competition and antitrust policy and their implications regarding the performance of health care markets; (2) analyze the effectiveness of health care joint ventures receiving exemptions in reducing costs and expanding access; and (3) make recommendations to the Congress. Title XIII: Expenditure Targets for the Medicaid and Medicare Programs - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, not later than 30 days after the end of each fiscal year beginning with FY 1995, to determine the amount of "medicaid excess expenditures" and "medicare excess expenditures" for such fiscal year. Defines such terms for a fiscal year as the amount by which the Federal expenditures under each such program for such fiscal year exceed the target expenditures for each such program. Sets formulas for determining the target expenditures. (Sec. 1302) Provides that if the Director determines that there are Medicaid or Medicare excess expenditures for a fiscal year, specified categories of health insurance benefits (including certain tax credits and exclusions and assistance to individuals with preexisting conditions in purchasing health insurance) that are effective in the applicable taxable or calendar year beginning after such fiscal year may be delayed until the following year. Makes such provision applicable only to so many of such categories in the order in which such categories are listed such that the savings resulting from such delay at least equal the costs of the Medicaid and Medicare excess expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1994
Expresses the sense of the Congress that any Government-mandated health care reform should be included on budget and should be subject to the same budget rules as other tax and spending measures.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1994
Safe Shipment and Handling Act of 1994 - Authorizes any port authority to: (1) establish, through a public comment process, reasonable guidelines to ensure that the unloading, transfer, and shipment of spent nuclear fuel at or through a port under its jurisdiction is conducted in a manner that protects the public health and safety and the environment in the port's vicinity; and (2) prohibit any such unloading, transfer, or shipment not in compliance with such guidelines. Specifies certain contents of such guidelines. States that nothing in this Act shall affect the liability or indemnification of the port in the handling of nuclear materials.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Meat, Poultry, and Eggs Inspection Agency Subtitle A: Establishment and Authorities of Agency Subtitle B: Transitional Provisions Subtitle C: Other Matters Title II: Expansion of Foods Covered by Inspection Laws Title III: Establishment and Enforcement of Safe Cooking Standards for Meat and Poultry Products Title IV: Epidemiological Activities Regarding Foodborne Diseases Title V: Research on Treatment of Foodborne Diseases Katie O'Connell Safe Food Act - Title I: Meat, Poultry, and Eggs Inspection Agency - Subtitle A: Establishment and Authorities of Agency - Establishes in the executive branch the Meat, Poultry, and Eggs Inspection Agency which shall be responsible for administering inspection, research, and oversight activities regarding meat, poultry, and eggs (including retail safe cooking standards). (Sec. 104) Establishes: (1) within the Agency the Bureau for Improved Inspection Capabilities; and (2) an advisory commission on inspection. Authorizes the Director of the Agency to make grants and enter into contracts for related research. Subtitle B: Transitional Provisions - Provides for the termination of the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture and the transfer of assets, appropriations, and personnel to the Agency. (Sec. 135) Provides for the establishment of the Office of Inspector General of the Agency. Subtitle C: Other Matters - Defines "Agency," "Director," and "inspection laws" for purposes of this title. Title II: Expansion of Foods Covered by Inspection Laws - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to authorize coverage of additional meats (such as deer, bison, and rabbits). (Sec. 202) Amends the Poultry Products Inspection Act to authorize coverage of additional poultry (such as quail, pheasant, and squab). Title III: Establishment and Enforcement of Safe Cooking Standards for Meat and Poultry Products - Requires the Agency to establish meat and poultry safe cooking standards for restaurants and other food establishments. (Sec. 302) Provides for enforcement inspections, including civil monetary penalties. Title IV: Epidemiological Activities Regarding Foodborne Diseases - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to carry out foodborne disease prevention and control activities, including population-based surveillance of selected diseases. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Research on Treatment of Foodborne Diseases - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require: (1) the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to carry out foodborne disease research and treatment activities; and (2) the National Digestive Diseases Data System and the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse to include foodborne disease activities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1994
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to establish and construct the National Center for Sickle Cell Disease Research at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and for related facilities and equipment at such Center. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1994
Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act - Requires the U.S. Government to: (1) disable and dismantle all its nuclear weapons and refrain from replacing them at any time with weapons of mass destruction; (2) undertake vigorous good faith efforts to eliminate war, armed conflict, and all military operations; (3) actively promote policies to induce all other countries to join in these commitments for peace on earth; and (4) redirect resources that are currently being used for nuclear weapons programs to constructive, ecologically beneficial peacetime activities and to address human needs such as housing, health care, education, agriculture, and environmental protection. Makes this Act effective when the President certifies to the Congress that all foreign countries possessing nuclear weapons have established legal requirements comparable to those set forth in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Applicant Job Search, Voucher Program, Transition and Work Program, Etc. Title II: Provisions Relating to Paternity Establishment Title III: Child Support Enforcement Title IV: Expansion of Statutory Flexibility of States Title V: Expedited State Waiver Authority Title VI: Welfare Restrictions for Aliens Title VII: Miscellaneous Welfare Reform Act of 1994 - Title I: Applicant Job Search, Voucher Program, Transition and Work Program, Etc. - Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) require State AFDC plans to require AFDC applicants to search for a job while their application for AFDC is being processed; (2) make reimbursable job search expenses for transportation and child care; and (3) require the State to have in effect an employment voucher program under which eligible individuals receiving AFDC or food stamps shall receive vouchers in lieu of such benefits after they have obtained employment with a qualified employer. (Sec. 103) Amends SSA title IV part F (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program) (JOBS) to require State JOBS programs to include specified transition and work supplementation components. Amends the community work experience and work supplementation programs. (Sec. 104) Revises State AFDC plan requirements for: (1) sanctions for an individual's failure to participate in the JOBS program; and (2) exemptions from JOBS program participation requirements. (Sec. 106) Increases State JOBS program and work program participation rates with regard to AFDC-eligible individuals and unemployed parents, respectively. Extends to all States the option to limit AFDC-UP (AFDC for Unemployed Parents). (Sec. 107) Provides for additional payments to States for JOBS programs. Title II: Provisions Relating to Paternity Establishment - Amends SSA title IV part A to provide for reduction of AFDC for the parents or guardians of children whose paternity is not established. (Sec. 202) Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to require each State to have in effect laws requiring outreach to pregnant, unmarried women regarding paternity establishment and eligibility for benefits under Federal and State programs, including assistance under AFDC. (Sec. 203) Increases the paternity establishment percentage. Title III: Child Support Enforcement - Makes various specified changes with regard to State child support order registries, the Parent Locator Service, regulations for sharing child support information, income withholding orders, and noncustodial parents with child support arrearages who are applying for, or are already on, AFDC. Title IV: Expansion of Statutory Flexibility of States - Amends SSA title IV part A to give States the option to: (1) disallow the increases or decreases in AFDC payments that are mandated by this Act on the basis of childhood preventive health care examinations and immunizations; (2) increase or decrease AFDC payments on the basis of attendance at educational or vocational training institutions; (3) deny AFDC for additional children; (4) provide for a married couple transitional benefit in cases where an AFDC recipient marries an individual who is not a parent of the recipient's child and the resulting family would become ineligible for AFDC by reason of the marriage; (5) treat families moving interstate who apply for AFDC in their new State of residence, where they have resided for less than one year, under the AFDC rules of their former State of residence; (6) condition the receipt of AFDC on the recipient's attendance at appropriate parenting and money management classes; (7) deny AFDC to unmarried individuals under 18 who are pregnant or have a dependent child (if the State does not opt to deny AFDC eligibility in such case, then it must require that the individuals live at home to be AFDC-eligible); and (8) disregard certain savings of a family on AFDC designated for education in determining eligibility for AFDC. (Sec. 401) Requires States to conduct appropriate education and outreach activities designed to increase public awareness of the importance of preventive health care and immunizations for pre-school children. Requires the Surgeon General to issue, and periodically revise, recommendations for the immunization of children under six. Title V: Expedited State Waiver Authority - Establishes an Interagency Waiver Request Board to provide a focal point within the Federal Government for the development and coordination of waiver requests designed to improve opportunities for low-income individuals and families. (Sec. 502) Prescribes contents of applications to implement Federal assistance plans, as well as the review, approval, implementation, and evaluation processes. (Sec. 505) Requires any entity applying for plan approval to establish a Public-Private Partnership Committee to advise it on plan development and implementation. Title VI: Welfare Restrictions for Aliens - Prohibits, generally, the payment of direct Federal financial benefits, food stamps, and unemployment benefits to individuals who are not U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or refugees. (Sec. 601) Requires any lawful alien receiving any such benefits for over one year to be reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and be treated as a public charge for purposes of the Immigration and Nationality Act with regard to deportation for failing to notify the Attorney General of a current address. Deems the income and resources of any person who agrees to sponsor and provide support to a lawful alien as unearned income and resources of such alien until the alien is naturalized as an U.S. citizen. (Sec. 602) Amends SSA title IV part A to require State AFDC agencies to provide INS with information on illegal aliens. Title VII: Miscellaneous - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to prohibit the payment of OASDI benefits to individuals confined by court order to public institutions pursuant to verdicts of not guilty by reason of insanity (or other similar finding) or guilty, but insane. (Sec. 702) Amends SSA title IV part A to require AFDC applicants and recipients to undergo any necessary substance abuse treatment and submit to unannounced drug tests afterwards as a condition of receiving AFDC. (Sec. 703) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct research projects to evaluate education and training programs with respect to participation in the AFDC program; (2) conduct demonstration projects and report to the Congress on whether providing benefits based on need through the use of electronic cards and automatic teller machines would reduce administrative costs and fraud; and (3) establish a commission to determine the cost and feasibility of creating an interstate system to compare the social security numbers of all AFDC recipients in order to identify those recipients receiving AFDC from multiple States. (Sec. 705) Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) to make: (1) ineligible for SSI benefits individuals receiving SSI on the basis of a disability caused by illegal drugs who are on illegal drugs or refuse to be tested for such; and (2) changes with regard to government agencies as paid representative payees (RPs) and RP fees. (Sec. 706) Amends SSA title IV part A to: (1) make State AFDC fraud control programs mandatory; and (2) permanently bar individuals found guilty of fraud in connection with the AFDC program from being considered in determining their families' eligibility for AFDC.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1994
Gun Violence Health Care Costs Prevention Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to increase fees for certain three-year Federal firearms dealer licenses. Appropriates a percentage of such fees to the Gun Violence Trauma Care Trust Fund. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the manufacturer's excise tax on handguns, assault weapons, and the ammunition for such firearms. Establishes a new 30-percent Federal sales and transfer tax to cover sales of these instruments by gun dealers to retail customers. Establishes the Gun Violence Trauma Care Trust Fund to make grants to assist hospitals, trauma centers, or other health care providers that have incurred substantial uncompensated costs in providing medical care to gunshot victims.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Portable and Permanent Private Health Insurance Subtitle A: Portability Subtitle B: Permanence Title II: Small Business Health Insurance Pools Title III: Enhanced Efficiency Through Paperwork Reduction Title IV: Antitrust Reforms Consensus Interim Health Act - Title I: Portable and Permanent Health Insurance - Subtitle A: Portability - Amends COBRA provisions of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to continuation coverage requirements to permit the options of: (1) identical coverage; (2) coverage with an annual $1,000 deductible; and (3) coverage with an annual $3,000 deductible. Permits penalty-free withdrawals from qualified retirement plans for such coverage. Subtitle B: Permanence - Prohibits either an insurer or an employer from cancelling a health plan other than for: (1) nonpayment of premiums; (2) fraud; (3) noncompliance; or (4) the plan will no longer be provided in a geographic area. (Sec. 112) Requires an insurer, with respect to any individual health plan as of enactment, to offer the insured the option to purchase a new individual health insurance plan. (Sec. 113) Requires an insurer, with respect to any group health plan in effect as of enactment, to offer the option to purchase upon leaving the group a new individual health insurance plan. Title II: Small Business Health Insurance Pools - Prohibits any State or local law from applying that: (1) prohibits two or more employers or groups from obtaining coverage under a multiple employer health plan; and (2) requires the coverage of one or more specific benefits, services, or categories of health care or provider. (Sec. 203) Preempts, for five years, the following provisions of State law: (1) restrictions on reimbursement rates or selective contracting; (2) restrictions on differential financial incentives; and (3) restrictions on utilization review methods. Title III: Enhanced Efficiency Through Paperwork Reduction - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to adopt standards to reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens of all Federal health care programs by a total of 75 percent over a five-year period. (Sec. 302) Requires any State-administered health care program, in order to be eligible for funds in connection with such program, to standardize the processing of paper and electronic claims by 75 percent over a five-year period. (Sec. 303) Provides for the establishment of a Standardized Forms Commission to make recommendations on the standardization of paper and electronic claims processing. Title IV: Antitrust Reforms - Provides for the promulgation of guidelines under which a health care joint venture may request that the entities participating in the joint venture receive specified exemptions under the antitrust laws. (Sec. 402) Permits the Attorney General to issue a certificate of public advantage to an eligible health care joint venture, exempting such venture under the antitrust laws, if: (1) the benefits that are likely to result outweigh any likely reduction in competition; and (2) any such reduction is reasonably necessary to obtain such benefits. (Sec. 403) Establishes the Interagency Advisory Committee on Competition, Antitrust Policy, and Health Care in order to: (1) evaluate competition and antitrust policy; (2) analyze the effectiveness of health care joint ventures receiving exemptions; and (3) make recommendations.