Healthcare

Veterans' Health Care Improvement Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007

Veterans' Health Care Improvement Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) make grants for conducting workshops in the performing arts, public speaking, writing, and culinary arts to further the readjustment of veterans; and (2) make emergency grants to repair or replace facilities used to provide care for homeless veterans. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in remote areas; (2) provide peer outreach services, peer support services, and readjustment and mental health services to veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom; (3) carry out a pilot program to assist returning war veterans who are at risk of not seeking mental health services; (4) ensure that at least one full-time employee of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is assigned to oversee and coordinate homeless veterans programs at the office of each of the VA regional health delivery networks; (5) annually increase the rate of payment for providing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services to homeless veterans; (6) carry out a demonstration program to prevent veterans who are at risk of homelessness after discharge or release from active military duty from becoming homeless; (7) carry out a pilot program for the provision of permanent housing for homeless veterans; and (8) provide financial assistance for the provision of supportive services for very low-income veteran families residing in permanent housing. Allows homeless veterans' comprehensive services grant funds to be used to provide funding for service center staff. Extends through FY2011 a program of referral and counseling for veterans transitioning from certain institutions who are at risk of homelessness. Repeals a provision limiting to FY2003 and FY2004 the funding for VA domiciliary care programs for homeless veterans. Requires the Secretary to ensure that such programs are adequate, with respect to capacity and safety, to meet the needs of women veterans.

Medicare Residency Program Technical Correction Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007

Medicare Residency Program Technical Correction Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to payments to hospitals for the direct graduate medical education (DGME) costs of inpatient hospital services, particularly the redistribution among qualifying hospitals of unused resident positions which figure in the calculation of DGME costs. Requires a specified adjustment to the reduction of Medicare resident positions where that reduction was based on a cost report subsequently settled, whether as a result of an appeal or otherwise, if the reference resident level under such settled cost report is higher than the resident level used for the reduction.

Teague Ryan Sudden Child Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndromes Screening and Education Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007

Teague Ryan Sudden Child Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndromes Screening and Education Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants or contracts to carry out programs to: (1) screen children for sudden cardiac arrhythmia syndromes; (2) provide referrals for medical services regarding such syndromes; and (3) provide education on such syndromes to health professionals and the general public. Requires the Secretary to give priority to: (1) screenings and referrals for children who participate, or intend to participate, in organized sports; and (2) educational activities directed toward parents of such children and health professionals who commonly provide medical care for such children.

Long-Term Care Life Safety Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007

Long-Term Care Life Safety Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to award grants to nursing homes, hospice facilities, assisted living facilities, residential care program facilities, board and care facilities and other appropriate facilities for the purpose of retrofitting such facilities with a professionally installed fire alarm detection system or other fire detection and prevention technology. Requires the Secretary to give priority to applicants that demonstrate a need or hardship. Allows the Secretary to consider such factors as the age and condition of the facilities, the need for facility beds in the community involved, and requirements imposed on the applicant to meet fire safety regulations under Medicare, Medicaid, other federal programs, or state or local licensing or building code standards.

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to Diamond-Blackfan Anemia.

United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007

Recognizes: (1) the importance of the federal government's continued support of Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA) research; and (2) that federal support of comprehensive centers for rare disease patients enhances the ability for experienced doctors to provide the most complete care for each patient. Commends: (1) Schneider Children's Hospital for providing the first DBA Comprehensive Clinical Care Center and developing the DBA Patient Registry; and (2) the Daniella Maria Arturi Foundation and the Diamon-Blackfan Anemia Foundation for their efforts to facilitate collaboration among the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to achieve a successful multidisciplinary approach aimed at shortening the life cycle of success realized between the laboratory and applied patient care. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the government has a responsibility to encourage further efforts to clarify the natural history of DBA, continue efforts to raise awareness and ease access to information about DBA, encourage research efforts that will advance treatment options and seek a cure, encourage NIH to develop a cross-institutional research initiative to study ribosomal protein deficiencies in rare inherited disease, and encourage continued federal support of the DBA Comprehensive Clinical Care Centers.

Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning contraceptives for women.

United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007

Expresses supports for: (1) a national campaign to help all women, regardless of income, avoid unintended pregnancy and abortion through access to contraception; and (2) programs and policies that make it easier for women to obtain contraceptives and use them consistently and correctly.

Wired for Health Care Quality Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2007

Wired for Health Care Quality Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. Establishes a public-private Partnership for Health Care Improvement to recommend specific actions to achieve a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure. Provides for the adoption by the federal government of standards for the electronic exchange of health information. Establishes the American Health Information Community to provide advice to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the heads of any relevant federal agencies concerning the policy considerations related to health information technology. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for the: (1) purchase of qualified health information technology systems; (2) implementation of regional or local health information plans; and (3) development of academic curricula integrating qualified health information technology systems in the clinical education of health professionals. Requires the Secretary to provide for the development and use of health care quality measures to measure the quality and efficiency of health care that patients receive. Extends health information privacy requirements to an operator of a health information electronic database. Gives individuals the right to inspect and obtain a copy of their protected health information stored in electronic format. Directs the Comptroller General to report on the circumstances in which it is necessary and workable to require that individuals be notified if their individually identifiable health information is wrongly disclosed. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to develop a Health Information Technology Resource Center.

Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2007

Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow a person to submit an application for licensure of a biological product based on its similarity to a licensed biological product (the reference product). Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to license the biological product if it is biosimilar to or interchangeable with the reference product. Allows a determination of interchangeability if the product is: (1) biosimilar to the reference product and can be expected to produce the same clinical result in any given patient; and (2) the risk in terms of safety or diminished efficacy of alternating or switching between the products is not greater than the risk of using the reference product without switching. Prohibits the Secretary from determining that a second or subsequent biological product is interchangeable for any condition of use until one year after the first commercial marketing of the first product to be approved as interchangeable for that reference product. Prohibits the Secretary from making approval of an application under this Act f effective until 12 years after the date on which the reference product was first licensed. Authorizes the Secretary to issue product class-specific guidance. Sets forth provisions governing patent infringement actions related to the exchange of confidential information, good faith negotiations, and the filing of an infringement action. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop recommendations with respect to the goals for the process for the review of biosimilar biological product applications; and (2) collect and evaluate data regarding the cost of reviewing such applications.

Healthy Schools Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2007

Healthy Schools Act of 2007 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) to require the state to certify that it has implemented procedures to pay for covered items and services furnished by school-based health clinics under Medicaid and SCHIP.

Health Care Access and Rural Equity (H-CARE) Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2007

Health Care Access and Rural Equity (H-CARE) Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals; (2) payment for clinical laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals; (3) rebasing for sole community hospitals; (4) establishment of a rural community hospital program; (5) hold harmless provisions for small rural hospitals and sole community hospitals under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department services; (6) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (7) permanent treatment of certain physician pathology services; (8) extension of the Medicare incentive payment program for a physician scarcity area; (9) proportional representation of rural area interests on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC); and (10) additional payments for providers furnishing ambulance services in rural areas and prompt payment of clean claims by Medicare prescription drug plans and MedicareAdvantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans under the Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program). Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend: (1) certain Medicare hospital wage index reclassifications and the disregarding of certain hospital reclassifications for purposes of group reclassifications; (2) Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospital patients in certain rural areas; and (3) the temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area. Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to eligible entities in rural areas for qualified health information technology systems; (2) direct the Secretary to establish a Rural Health Quality Advisory Commission; (3) provide for Delta Region rural disparities and health systems development, as well as small rural health care provider quality improvement grants; and (4) provide for expanded application of the 340B program of limited drug prices to drugs provided in rural hospitals, including hospital provision to states of Medicaid credits on certain inpatient drugs. Directs the Secretary to encourage and facilitate the adoption of telehealth provisions allowing for multistate practitioner access across state lines.

Global Pathogen Surveillance Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2007

Global Pathogen Surveillance Act of 2007 - Prohibits assistance under this Act to an eligible developing country that does not: (1) permit World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel to investigate infectious disease outbreaks within its borders; and (2) provide pathogen surveillance data to appropriate U.S. and international agencies and organizations. Prohibits any participating foreign national from having unsupervised access to agents that may be used in a biological weapon. Establishes a public health education and training fellowship program for eligible nationals to pursue: (1) a master of public health degree with a concentration in epidemiology; or (2) advanced public health training in epidemiology. Directs the Secretary to support short training courses in-country (not in the United States) for laboratory technicians and other public health personnel in: (1) laboratory techniques relating to the identification, diagnosis, and tracking of pathogens responsible for possible infectious disease outbreaks; and (2) syndrome surveillance reporting and rapid analysis of syndrome information using Geographic Information System (GIS). Authorizes the President to furnish assistance to eligible developing countries to purchase and maintain: (1) public health laboratory equipment necessary to collect, analyze, and identify pathogens which may cause disease outbreaks or may be used as a biological weapon; and (2) related communications equipment and information technology. Authorizes a federal agency head, upon the request of a U.S. chief of diplomatic mission or an international health organization, and with the Secretary's concurrence, to assign to the respective U.S. mission or organization any public health officer or employee of the agency for the purpose of enhancing disease and pathogen surveillance efforts in developing countries. Directs CDC and the Department of Defense (DOD) to: (1) increase the number of personnel assigned to their respective laboratories located in eligible developing countries that conduct infectious disease research; and (2) expand the operations of those laboratories, especially in the implementation of on-site training of foreign nationals and regional outreach efforts. Authorizes: (1) the President to provide assistance to enhance the surveillance and reporting capabilities for WHO and existing regional and international health networks, and develop new health networks; and (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish new country or regional foreign epidemiology training programs in eligible developing countries.

A resolution supporting efforts for increased healthy living for childhood cancer survivors.

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2007

Calls for the U.S government to: (1) support neuropsychological research and testing of childhood cancer survivors and their families; (2) work with health care providers, educators, and childhood cancer advocacy and education organizations to encourage such testing; (3) reaffirm the U.S. commitment to fighting childhood cancer by promoting awareness about its causes, risks, prevention, and treatment; (4) promote new education programs about, research of, and expanded medical treatment for childhood cancer survivors; (5) support research and expanded public-private partnerships to improve post-cancer life for survivors; and (6) encourage early diagnosis and access to high-quality care for childhood cancer patients and survivors.

Michelle's Law

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2007

Michelle's Law - 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 terminating coverage of a dependent child due to a medically necessary leave of absence from a postsecondary education institution or any other change in enrollment at that institution that commences while such child is suffering from a severe illness or injury and causes such child to lose full-time student status before that earlier of: (1) one year after the first day of the medically necessary leave of absence; or (2) the date on which such coverage would otherwise terminate under the terms of the plan. Requires certification by the child's attending physician. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market.

Wounded Heroes' Bill of Rights Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2007

Wounded Heroes' Bill of Rights Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide prompt emergency cash assistance to a member of the Armed Forces or veteran who, on or after September 11, 2001, was or is severely injured while serving on active duty (to be known as a Wounded Hero) and, due to such injury, is undergoing significant financial difficulty. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a business tax credit for employers hiring Wounded Heroes. Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide increased protections under such Act for Wounded Heroes and persons in military service. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) to ensure the provision of sufficient services to meet the needs of Wounded Heroes without regard to residential geographic location with respect to the following: (1) adult day health care; (2) home health care; (3) respite care; (4) home-based primary care; (5) hospice; and (6) such other noninstitutional extended care services as appropriate. Directs the Secretary to operate and maintain a program in caregiver education, training, and certification for family members of Wounded Heroes. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities to furnish care to a Wounded Hero, under certain conditions. Establishes: (1) in the VA an Office for Wounded Heroes Advocate; (2) in the Executive Office of the President an Office for Wounded Heroes; and (3) the Wounded Heroes Independent Review Board. Requires the Board to, among other things, review VA or other federal agency determinations with respect to the scope and intensity of benefits, especially health care or vocational rehabilitation, provided to Wounded Heroes.

Servicemembers' Healthcare Benefits and Rehabilitation Enhancement Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2007

Servicemembers' Healthcare Benefits and Rehabilitation Enhancement Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) assign a medical care manager and a caseworker to each member of the Armed Forces who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, or is otherwise in a medical hold or holdover status, for an injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated while on active duty (recovering member); and (2) undertake efforts to improve the speed and efficiency of the Department of Defense (DOD) physical disability evaluation system. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to the congressional defense and veterans' committees a plan to update the disability ratings schedule of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reflect the effects on the modern workforce of mental health disorders, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) establish a system for the prioritization of processing the separation of members; (2) establish a medical record database to track and record the medical status of all members (and make such system accessible to the VA); (3) assess, both before and after, the mental health of each member who is deployed, or is expected to be deployed, to a combat theater; and (4) report, along with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, on plans to increase the role of private providers in the provision of rehabilitation to members and former members with TBI or PTSD when the VA is unable to provide such services. Requires the: (1) Secretary of the military department concerned to notify the appropriate Members of Congress of the hospitalization of any recovering member evacuated from a theater of combat; and (2) recovering member to consent to such notification.

Preexisting Condition Exclusion Patient Protection Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2007

Preexisting Condition Exclusion Patient Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to allow a group health plan to impose a preexisting condition exclusion only if: (1) such exclusion relates to a condition for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received within the 30-day period ending on the enrollment date; and (2) such exclusion extends not more than three months, or nine months for a late enrollee, after the enrollment date. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market. Allows an issuer of individual health insurance coverage to impose a preexisting condition exclusion for a period of not more than three months under certain circumstances. Revises provisions that prohibit health insurance issuers that offer health insurance coverage in the individual market from declining to offer coverage or imposing any preexisting condition exclusion on coverage to an eligible individual to remove eligibility requirements that require an individual to have: (1) elected COBRA continuation coverage, if it was offered; and (2) exhausted such continuation coverage, if elected.

Medicare Equity and Accessibility Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2007

Medicare Equity and Accessibility Act of 2007 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to certain factors and indices in geographic adjustments to the fee schedule for determination of payments for physicians' services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase the practice expense geographic index to 1.0 for any location for which the practice expense geographic index is less than 1.0. Repeals the current termination date in order to extend permanently the 1.0 floor for the work expense geographic index.

Children's Health Protection Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2007

Children's Health Protection Act of 2007 - 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.

Comprehensive Comparative Study of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Populations Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2007

Comprehensive Comparative Study of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Populations Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) , to conduct a comprehensive study to: (1) compare total health outcomes, including the risk of autism, between vaccinated and unvaccinated U.S. populations; and (2) determine whether vaccines or vaccine components play a role in the development of autism spectrum or other neurological conditions. Requires the Secretary to seek to include in the study U.S. populations that have traditionally remained unvaccinated for religious or other reasons.

HEALTH CARE AND THE BUDGET

United States · United States Senate · 21 June 2007

Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007

Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2007 - Prohibits the President from restricting direct transfers from a Cuban depository institution to a U.S. depository institution in payment for a product authorized for sale under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide information and technical assistance to U.S. agricultural producers, cooperative organizations, or state agencies to promote U.S. agricultural exports products to Cuba. Expresses the sense of Congress that temporary entry visas should be issued to Cuban nationals to facilitate purchase of U.S. agricultural products. Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to repeal the prohibition on enforcement of rights to certain U.S. intellectual properties and such properties' transfer. Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, and any regulation restricting or prohibiting such travel shall have no effect, relating to: (1) accompanied personal baggage; (2) payment of living expenses and the acquisition of personal-use goods or services; (3) travel arrangements; (4) nonscheduled air, sea, or land voyage transactions, (such provision does not permit the carriage of articles other than accompanied baggage into Cuba or the United States); and (5) normal banking transactions. States that such provision shall not apply in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers. Amends the Democracy Act of 1992 to repeal the requirement for onsite verification of certain medical exports to Cuba. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the airport ticket tax for transportation between the United States and Cuba by $1; and (2) establish in the Treasury the Agricultural Export Promotion Trust Fund.

Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007

Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner; (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law; (3) a certified nurse-midwife; or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.

Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007

Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2007 - Prohibits the President from restricting direct transfers from a Cuban depository institution to a U.S. depository institution in payment for a product authorized for sale under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide information and technical assistance to U.S. agricultural producers, cooperative organizations, or state agencies to promote U.S. agricultural exports products to Cuba. Authorizes the issuance of temporary entry visas to Cuban nationals to facilitate purchase of U.S. agricultural products. Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to repeal the prohibition on enforcement of rights to certain U.S. intellectual properties and such properties' transfer. Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, and any regulation restricting or prohibiting such travel shall have no effect, relating to: (1) accompanied personal baggage; (2) payment of living expenses and the acquisition of personal-use goods or services; (3) travel arrangements; (4) nonscheduled air, sea, or land voyage transactions, (such provision does not permit the carriage of articles other than accompanied baggage into Cuba or the United States); and (5) normal banking transactions. States that such provision shall not apply in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers. Amends the Democracy Act of 1992 to repeal the requirement for onsite verification of certain medical exports to Cuba. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the airport ticket tax for transportation between the United States and Cuba by $1; and (2) establish in the Treasury the Agricultural Export Promotion Trust Fund.

Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007

Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize expansion of Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services to diseases, conditions, or disorders other than diabetes or a renal disease.

Children's Mercury Exposure Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007

Children's Mercury Exposure Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS): (1) acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to establish a program for research regarding the risks posed by exposure of children to mercury from contaminated industrial sites; and (2) acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to study and report on the prevalence of such exposure. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the CDC Director, to make grants on a competitive basis to state departments of health to conduct testing of exposed children.

Fair Balance Prescription Drug Advertisement Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007

Fair Balance Prescription Drug Advertisement Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow a tax deduction for: (1) expenses for direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising that fails to provide adequate information on drug side effects, contraindications, or lack of effectiveness; and (2) expenses for direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising of a new drug, a new combination of active substances, or a new delivery system for an existing drug for a two-year period after the introduction of such drug into interstate commerce. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the Secretary of the Treasury on misbranding and other violations relating to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

Patients First Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007

Patients First Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support basic and applied research to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, testing, and human clinical use of stem cells that may result in improved understanding of, or treatments for, diseases and other adverse health conditions, including pluripotent stem cells that have the flexibility of embryonic stem cells (whether or not such pluripotent stem cells have an embryonic source), provided that such techniques will not involve: (1) the creation of a human embryo for research purposes; (2) the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a living human embryo; or (3) the use of any stem cell the derivation or provision of which would be inconsistent with this Act. Requires the Secretary to issue guidelines implementing this Act to ensure that any research (including any clinical trial) supported under this Act: (1) is clearly consistent with the standards established in this Act, if conducted using human cells; (2) is prioritized in terms of potential for near-term clinical benefit in human patients; and (3) may take into account techniques outlined by the President's Council on Bioethics and any other appropriate techniques and research. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report on peer reviewed stem cell research proposals that were not funded; and (2) study and submit recommendations to Congress on any structural changes to the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program that would help to expand access to new and future stem cell therapeutic products.

Reconstructive Surgery Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007

Reconstructive Surgery Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan that provide coverage for surgery to also cover reconstructive surgery, including medically-necessary treatment for preoperative and postoperative care. Defines "reconstructive surgery" as any medically necessary and appropriate surgery performed to correct or repair abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease to: (1) improve functions; or (2) give the patient a normal appearance. Excludes cosmetic surgery that is performed to alter or reshape normal structures of the body in order to improve appearance. Applies such requirements to health insurance coverage offered in the individual market.

Healthy Schools Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2007

Healthy Schools Act of 2007 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) to require the state to certify that it has implemented procedures to pay for covered items and services furnished by school-based health clinics under Medicaid and SCHIP.

Servicemembers' Healthcare Benefits and Rehabilitation Enhancement Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2007

Servicemembers' Healthcare Benefits and Rehabilitation Enhancement Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) assign a medical care manager and a caseworker to each member of the Armed Forces who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, or is otherwise in a medical hold or holdover status, for an injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated while on active duty (recovering member); and (2) undertake efforts to improve the speed and efficiency of the Department of Defense (DOD) physical disability evaluation system. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to the congressional defense and veterans' committees a plan to update the disability ratings schedule of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reflect the effects on the modern workforce of mental health disorders, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) establish a system for the prioritization of processing the separation of members; (2) establish a medical record database to track and record the medical status of all members (and make such system accessible to the VA); (3) assess, both before and after, the mental health of each member who is deployed, or is expected to be deployed, to a combat theater; and (4) report, along with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, on plans to increase the role of private providers in the provision of rehabilitation to members and former members with TBI or PTSD when the VA is unable to provide such services. Requires the: (1) Secretary of the military department concerned to notify the appropriate Members of Congress of the hospitalization of any recovering member evacuated from a theater of combat; and (2) recovering member to consent to such notification.

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should reaffirm the commitments of the United States to the 2001 Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health and to pursuing trade policies that promote access to affordable medicines.

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2007

Urges the United States to: (1) honor U.S. commitments made in the 2001 World Trade Organization Doha Declaration on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement and Public Health, which allows World Trade Organization (WTO) members to fully use the flexibilities in the TRIPS Agreement to protect public health and promote access to medicines for all; (2) not place countries on the "Special 301" Priority Watch List for exercising such flexibilites, such as issuing compulsory licenses to obtain generic medicines; (3) not ask developing nations that are trading partners to adopt measures to protect public health intellectual property rights in excess of protections required in the TRIPS Agreement; and (4) support new global norms for promoting medical research and development.

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to apply automatic "deemed" enrollment under part B of the Medicare Program to residents of Puerto Rico.

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2007

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) to extend "deemed" enrollment under part B Medicare to residents of Puerto Rico.

America's Partnership for Nursing Education Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2007

America's Partnership for Nursing Education Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states that are experiencing explosive population growth and have a substantial projected shortage of nurses to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty in college and university nursing programs in the state.

Unique Device Identification System for Medical Devices Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2007

Unique Device Identification System for Medical Devices Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations requiring the labeling of medical devices to bear a unique identifier.

PROTECTING PATIENT PRIVACY IN HEALTHCARE INFORMATION SYSTEMS

United States · United States House of Representatives · 19 June 2007

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure more appropriate payment amounts for drugs and biologicals under part B of the Medicare Program by excluding customary prompt pay discounts extended to wholesalers from the manufacturer's average sales price.

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2007

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the use of average sales price methodology for calculating payments for drugs and biologicals under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Excludes from the manufacturer's average sales price when calculating such payments any customary prompt pay discounts extended to wholesalers.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the special diabetes programs for Type I diabetes and Indians under that Act.

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2007

Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2009-FY2013 for: (1) type I diabetes research; and (2) diabetes prevention and treatment through Indian health facilities.

Prevent Prematurity and Improve Child Health Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007

Prevent Prematurity and Improve Child Health Act of 2007 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give states new options to cover: (1) low-income pregnant women; and (2) low-income legal immigrant pregnant women and children under Medicaid and SCHIP. Extends coverage under Medicaid of prescription drugs and counseling services to tobacco cessation medications to help pregnant women enrolled in the program quit using tobacco. Requires coverage of tobacco cessation counseling services for pregnant women, and exempts such services from cost-sharing charges. Gives states the option under Medicaid to: (1) provide family planning services and supplies to individuals with incomes that do not exceed a state's income eligibility level for medical assistance; and (2) extend the postpartum period for provision of family planning services and supplies. Gives states the option to provide supplemental SCHIP coverage to children who have other health coverage. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a demonstration program to provide payments to states for telemedicine services for the treatment of applicable individuals; (2) develop and disseminate a national set of core pediatric and perinatal quality measures; and (3) collect data regarding the extent to which states use pediatric and perinatal inpatient and outpatient quality measures on an ongoing basis.

HIV Emergency Local Partnership Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007

HIV Emergency Local Partnership Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities located in communities in which racial or ethnic minorities comprise a majority of the population to provide comprehensive HIV/AIDS service to racial and ethnic minorities in such communities. Directs the Secretary to continue funding grants awarded through the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiatives of the Health Resources and Services Administration until the Secretary begins to provide funds for such initiative through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006. Excludes amounts expended for medical assistance for individuals with HIV/AIDS when calculating the caps for Medicaid payments to territories.

TRICARE Mental Health Services Enhancement Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007

TRICARE Mental Health Services Enhancement Act - Amends the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense (DOD) managed health care program) to authorize the provision of mental health counseling for TRICARE participants. Authorizes the provision of mental health services in DOD clinical trials. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 to authorize the Secretary of Defense to enter into personal service contracts with mental health counselors. Includes mental health counselors within DOD licensure requirements for health-care professionals.

Voluntary Medicare Quality Reporting Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007

Voluntary Medicare Quality Reporting Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to evaluate the quality reporting system under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act as applied for 2007 before transition to a new voluntary Medicare quality reporting system. Allows eligible professionals to continue to report to the Secretary specified quality measures for covered professional services in order for the Secretary to refine systems for reporting them. Prohibits use of the Physician Assistance and Quality Initiative Fund for quality reporting bonus payments in 2008. Specifies quality measures for covered professional services for the voluntary Medicare quality reporting program. Revises requirements for medical registry-based reporting of quality measures. Directs the Secretary to treat quality measures data as confidential, unavailable to any other party or person. Shields such data from discovery or admission into evidence in any federal or state civil judicial or administrative proceeding.

Health Care Relief Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007

Health Care Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a refundable tax credit up to $1,000 for the health insurance coverage costs of a previously uninsured taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, and dependents; and (2) certain small business employers a business tax credit for amounts paid under a new health plan for employee health insurance coverage.

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a wage index floor for hospitals and home health agencies located in certain areas under the Medicare Program.

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the area wage index for hospitals located in certain rural areas with respect to discharges on or after October 1, 2007, to be not less than the index applicable during FY2007. Requires the area wage index for a home health agency located in an urban area in New Hampshire to be not less than the area wage index for a rural area in such state.

Nurse Faculty and Physical Therapist Education Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2007

Nurse Faculty and Physical Therapist Education Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration, to establish a Nurse Faculty Education Program to ensure an adequate supply of nurse faculty through awarding grants to eligible entities to: (1) hire new faculty, retain existing faculty, and purchase educational resources; (2) increase enrollment and graduation rates for students from doctoral programs; and (3) assist graduates in serving as nurse faculty in schools of nursing. Requires the Comptroller General to report on activities to increase participation in the nurse educator program. Requires the Secretary to establish a program to provide Geriatric Academic Career Awards to promote the career development of eligible individuals as geriatric nurse faculty. Requires the Secretary to establish a Nurse and Physical Therapist Distance Education Pilot Program to award grants for activities to increase accessibility to nursing and physical therapy education, including to: (1) assist individuals in rural areas who want to study nursing or physical therapy; (2) promote the study of nursing and physical therapy at all educational levels; (3) establish additional slots for nursing and physical therapy students at existing schools and programs; and (4) establish new nursing and physical therapy education programs at institutions of higher education Requires the Secretary to: (1) report on the country of origin or professional school of origin of newly licensed nurses and physical therapists in each state; and (2) contract with the Institute of Medicine to study the nursing and physical therapy workforce.

Reducing Fraudulent and Imitation Drugs Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2007

Reducing Fraudulent and Imitation Drugs Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require prescription drug packaging to incorporate: (1) radio frequency tagging technology or similar trace and track technologies; (2) tamper-indicating technologies; and (3) blister security packaging when possible. Directs the Secretary to: (1) require that such technologies be used exclusively to authenticate the pedigree of prescription drugs; and (2) prohibit such technologies from containing or transmitting any identifying information of a health care practitioner or consumer, or any advertisement or information about indications or off-label uses. Requires the Secretary to encourage prescription drug manufacturers and distributors to incorporate: (1) overt optically variable counterfeit-resistant technologies into packaging; and (2) required prescription drug packaging technologies into multiple elements of the physical packaging of the drugs. Requires prescription drug shipments to include a label on the shipping container that incorporates packaging technologies. Deems a prescription drug to be misbranded if the packaging or labeling of the drug is in violation of a requirement or prohibition of this Act. Requires the Secretary to publish the National Specified List of Susceptible Prescription Drugs, consisting of not less than 30 of the most frequently counterfeited prescription drugs in the United States.

Prostate Cancer Research and Prevention Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2007

Prostate Cancer Research and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through FY2012 for: (1) 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 and local health departments to carry out preventive health measures related to prostate cancer; and (2) the Director of the National Cancer Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate prostate cancer research activities.

Children's Health Care Quality Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2007

Children's Health Care Quality Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to: (1) identify quality and performance measures for pediatric service providers; and (2) award grants or contracts for the development, validation, and testing of new and emerging measures. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to establish demonstration projects to award grants to states to improve the delivery of health care services to children under Medicaid and SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP). Requires demonstration projects in the categories of: (1) health information technology systems; (2) disease management for children with chronic conditions; (3) evidence-based quality improvement; and (4) quality and performance measures for providers of children's health care services. Requires the Comptroller General to make recommendations to Congress for the design and implementation of a demonstration project to evaluate the suitability of existing quality and performance measures for children's inpatient hospital services for public reporting, differentiating quality, identifying best practices, and providing a basis for payment rewards.

Access to Medical Treatment Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2007

Access to Medical Treatment Act - Gives an individual the right to be treated by a health care practitioner with any medical treatment that the individual desires, including a treatment that is not approved, certified, or licensed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, if: (1) the practitioner has personally examined the individual and agrees to treat the individual; and (2) the administration of such treatment does not violate licensing laws. Authorizes health care practitioners to provide any method of treatment to such an individual if certain requirements are met, including that: (1) there is no reason to conclude that such treatment will cause danger to the individual; and (2) the patient is informed in writing that such treatment has not been approved, certified, or licensed by the Secretary. Requires a practitioner to report: (1) administering such treatment and discovering it to be a danger to an individual; and (2) the positive effects of an unconventional medical treatment for a life-threatening medical condition. Allows an individual to introduce or deliver into interstate commerce, or to produce, transport, receive, or hold, a food, drug, device, or equipment solely for use in accordance with this Act if there have been no advertising claims made by the manufacturer, distributor, or seller with respect to a medical treatment. States that nothing in this Act shall in any way adversely affect the distribution or sale of dietary supplements.

Safe Tissue Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2007

Safe Tissue Act - Requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to inspect, at least once every two years, each establishment that engages in the manufacture of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a user fee to fund such inspections. Requires the FDA to conduct periodic audits of all documentation submitted by each such establishment to determine compliance with all applicable requirements, including requirements related to ensuring: (1) that human cells, tissues, or cellular or tissue-based products are obtained legally; (2) that donor eligibility and donor medical history interviews are based on accurate information that was not provided or obtained in a fraudulent manner; and (3) current good tissue practice. Requires the Secretary to publish a model form containing minimum requirements for establishments to use in obtaining consent from a potential donor of human cells, tissues, or cellular or tissue-based products. Sets forth penalties for failing to comply with model form requirements or for knowingly using fraudulent information. Directs the Secretary to: (1) accredit establishments and the personnel of such establishments who participate in the recovery, processing, storage, labeling, packaging, or distribution of human cells, tissues, or cellular or tissue-based products; and (2) define "reasonable payments" that are associated with donation of human tissue and tissue-based products for purposes of the National Organ Transplant Act.

Supporting the goals and ideals of National HIV Testing Day, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2007

Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National HIV/AIDS Testing Day. Encourages the use of rapid test kits approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for HIV testing.