Healthcare

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 7900) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (S. 3373) to improve the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant and the Children of Fallen Heroes Grant; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 8296) to protect a person's ability to determine whether to continue or end a pregnancy, and to protect a health care provider's ability to provide abortion services; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 8297) to prohibit the interference, under color of State law, with the provision of interstate abortion services, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 6538) to create an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, and for other purposes; and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022

Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 7900) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (S. 3373) to improve the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant and the Children of Fallen Heroes Grant; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 8296) to protect a person's ability to determine whether to continue or end a pregnancy, and to protect a health care provider's ability to provide abortion services; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 8297) to prohibit the interference, under color of State law, with the provision of interstate abortion services, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 6538) to create an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, and for other purposes.

Electrodiagnostic Medicine Patient Protection and Fraud Elimination Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022

Electrodiagnostic Medicine Patient Protection and Fraud Elimination Act of 2022 This bill requires, as a condition for Medicare payment, specified electrodiagnostic services to be furnished by qualified facilities that comply with accreditation, training, and other quality control requirements, as established under the bill.

Locked Out Workers Healthcare Protection Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022

Locked Out Workers Healthcare Protection Act This bill prohibits an employer from terminating or altering the employer-provided health insurance coverage of an employee during the period that the employer is taking action to lock out, suspend, or otherwise withhold employment from the employee in order to influence the position of such employee or the representative of such employee in collective bargaining prior to a strike. An employer that violates this prohibition is generally subject to a maximum civil penalty of $75,000 for each violation.

Expressing support for the designation of the week of July 19 through July 25, 2022, as "Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week", and supporting the goals and ideals of raising awareness and understanding of maternal mental health conditions as they affect Black individuals.

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022

This resolution expresses support for the designation of Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week.

Public Health Air Quality Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022

Public Health Air Quality Act of 2022 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to take specified actions related to monitoring and improving air quality, including by implementing a program to administer or conduct emissions measurement and quantification, promulgating regulations related to specified source categories, and deploying not fewer than 1,000 air quality sensors.

Food Safety Administration Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022

Food Safety Administration Act of 2022 This bill splits the current Food and Drug Administration into the Federal Drug Administration (to regulate drugs, cosmetics, devices, biological products, color additives, and tobacco) and the Food Safety Administration (to regulate food safety). The bill also establishes specific requirements with respect to manufacturers of infant formula, such as requiring manufacturers to notify the newly created Food Safety Administration of potential infant formula shortages.

Defunding Abortion Transportation Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022

Defunding Abortion Transportation Act This bill prohibits federal Medicaid payment for nonemergency transportation that is used to access medical care or services for which federal payment is prohibited (e.g., abortion services).

Solving the Border Crisis Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022

Solving the Border Crisis Act This bill addresses immigration and border security issues. For example, the bill (1) requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume all activities related to the construction of a border wall system along the U.S.-Mexico border that were planned or underway prior to January 20, 2021; (2) imposes limits on ending the policy commonly known as Title 42, a policy that authorizes DHS to suspend the entry of certain non-U.S. nationals or imports on public health grounds; and (3) requires DHS to ensure certain staffing levels for various agencies involved with immigration enforcement.

Food Safety Administration Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022

Food Safety Administration Act of 2022 This bill splits the current Food and Drug Administration into the Federal Drug Administration (to regulate drugs, cosmetics, devices, biological products, color additives, and tobacco) and the Food Safety Administration (to regulate food safety). The bill also establishes specific requirements with respect to manufacturers of infant formula, such as requiring manufacturers to notify the newly created Food Safety Administration of potential infant formula shortages.

Public Health Air Quality Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2022

Public Health Air Quality Act of 2022 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to take specified actions related to monitoring and improving air quality, including by implementing a program to administer or conduct emissions measurement and quantification, promulgating regulations related to specified source categories, and deploying not fewer than 1,000 air quality sensors.

Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2022

Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022 This bill prohibits anyone from interfering with a person's ability to access out-of-state reproductive health care. (Reproductive health care is defined as medical, surgical, counseling, or referral services related to pregnancy, the termination of a pregnancy, contraception services, and other reproductive care.) Specifically, the bill prohibits anyone from restricting, discriminating against, or otherwise disadvantaging anyone who receives, provides, or assists with out-of-state reproductive health care that is legal in the state in which it is provided. The bill allows the Department of Justice to bring a civil action and establishes a private right of action for violations. The bill specifically waives any applicable governmental immunity and preempts any contravening state laws.

Health Share Transparency Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2022

Health Share Transparency Act of 2022 This bill requires a health care sharing ministry (HCSM) to disclose specific information to individuals enrolling in the HCSM and to designated government agencies. (An HCSM is a faith-based organization with members who share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs and who contribute regular payments to cover the medical expenses of other members.) The bill requires an HCSM to disclose to an enrolling individual information such as (1) the average out-of-pocket expenses an enrollee incurs, (2) how to file a complaint or appeal a coverage determination, and (3) a list of the HCSM's non-reimbursable items and services. The bill also requires that an HCSM submit annual financial disclosures and program information to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Internal Revenue Service, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. HHS is required to publicly post this information. Additionally, health insurance brokers contracting with an HCSM are required to provide an enrolling individual with information about health insurance coverage that is available through Medicare, Medicaid, or a health insurance exchange, as appropriate. HHS may apply civil monetary penalties to an HCSM that fails to comply with the bill's requirements. Further, the bill requires the Federal Trade Commission to publicly disclose information about consumer complaints regarding HCSMs.

Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2022

Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022 This bill prohibits anyone acting under state law from interfering with a person's ability to access out-of-state abortion services. ( Abortion services includes the use of any drugs that are approved to terminate pregnancies and any health care services related to an abortion, whether or not provided at the same time or on the same day.) Specifically, the bill prohibits any person acting under state law from preventing, restricting, impeding, or retaliating against health care providers who provide legal abortion services to out-of-state residents, any person or entity who helps health care providers to provide such services, any person who travels to another state to obtain such services, any person or entity who helps another person travel to another state to obtain such services, or the movement in interstate commerce of drugs that are approved to terminate pregnancies. The Department of Justice may enforce this bill through civil actions; the bill also establishes a private right of action for violations.

Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2022

Women's Health Protection Act of 2022 This bill prohibits governmental restrictions on the provision of, and access to, abortion services. Specifically, governments may not limit a provider's ability to prescribe certain drugs, offer abortion services via telemedicine, or immediately provide abortion services when the provider determines a delay risks the patient's health. Furthermore, governments may not require a provider to perform unnecessary medical procedures, provide medically inaccurate information, comply with credentialing or other conditions that do not apply to providers whose services are medically comparable to abortions, or carry out all services connected to an abortion. In addition, governments may not (1) require patients to make medically unnecessary in-person visits before receiving abortion services or disclose their reasons for obtaining such services, or (2) prohibit abortion services before fetal viability or after fetal viability when a provider determines the pregnancy risks the patient's life or health. The bill also prohibits other governmental measures that are similar to the bill's specified restrictions or that otherwise single out and impede access to abortion services, unless a government demonstrates that the measure significantly advances the safety of abortion services or health of patients and cannot be achieved through less restrictive means. The Department of Justice, individuals, or providers may bring a lawsuit to enforce this bill, and states are not immune from suits for violations. The bill applies to restrictions imposed both prior and subsequent to the bill's enactment.

To restrict limitations on the possession, sale, purchase, transportation or use of any contraceptive that relates to interstate commerce.

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2022

This bill bars state or local officials from prohibiting or restricting the possession, sale, purchase, transportation, or use of contraceptives (i.e., drugs or devices that are primarily used to prevent pregnancy). Individuals or the Department of Justice may bring civil actions for violations of this bill.

Steven’s Law

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2022

Steven's Law This bill establishes requirements for collecting and disclosing the medical history of reproductive tissue donors. Through regulations, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must require reproductive tissue banks to collect, verify, and disclose certain information about a donor's medical history. As part of the regulations, HHS must (1) set out the medical information that a donor must disclose to a tissue bank, including familial medical conditions and the contact information of a medical professional who has examined the donor; and (2) require donors to waive privacy and other protections that limit disclosure of personal health information. A tissue bank must provide, at no cost, the donor's medical information to the recipient of the donor tissue, the recipient's physician, or a person conceived using the donor tissue (if that person is either 18 years of age or older or has the consent of a parent or guardian).

To allow for devices with a predetermined change control plan to be marketed without submitting a supplemental application or premarket notification if the changes to such devices are consistent with such plan.

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2022

This bill allows changes to be made to medical devices without the need for supplemental applications or premarket notifications if the changes are made in accordance with a predetermined change control plan.

Addressing the national crisis of suicide among minority adolescents.

United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2022

This resolution recognizes the mental health concerns faced by adolescents and the need for adequate mental health resources to address those concerns, particularly among minority populations.

Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023

United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2022

Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023 This bill provides FY2023 appropriations to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and related agencies. The bill provides appropriations to the Department of Labor for the Employment and Training Administration, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the Wage and Hour Division, the Office of Labor-Management Standards, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Office of Disability Employment Policy, and Departmental Management. The bill provides appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Administration for Community Living, and the Office of the Secretary. The bill provides appropriations to the Department of Education for Education for the Disadvantaged; Impact Aid; School Improvement Programs; Indian Education; Innovation and Improvement; Safe Schools and Citizenship Education; English Language Acquisition; Special Education; Rehabilitation Services; Special Institutions for Persons with Disabilities; Career, Technical, and Adult Education; Student Financial Assistance; Student Aid Administration; Higher Education; Howard University; the College Housing and Academic Facilities Loan Program; the Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program Account; the Institute of Education Sciences; and Departmental Management. The bill also provides appropriations to several related agencies, including the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the National Council on Disability, the National Labor Relations Board, the National Mediation Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Railroad Retirement Board, and the Social Security Administration. The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.

Banning Misleading Drug Ads Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2022

Banning Misleading Drug Ads Act of 2022 This bill finalizes a 2010 proposed rule from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding television and radio prescription drug advertisements if the FDA does not otherwise issue a final rule within 180 days of the bill's enactment. (The proposed rule specifies standards for major statements about a drug's side effects in television and radio advertisements.)

Emergency Advance Refill Notification Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2022

Emergency Advance Refill Notification Act of 2022 This bill requires private health insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to notify plan holders about the plan's policy concerning advance drug refills in response to a national or public health emergency. Specifically, the plan must notify plan holders in emergency areas whether the plan is waiving time limits on authorized prescription refills and, if so, the process for obtaining an early refill. Plans must issue such notification within five days of an emergency being declared. Concerning the public health emergency declared in response to COVID-19, a plan must provide initial notification of its waiver policy not later than five days after this bill is enacted.

Investing in Public Health: Legislation to Support Parents, Workers, and Research

United States · United States House of Representatives · 29 June 2022

Affirming the constitutional right to travel freely and voluntarily within the United States, District of Columbia, Tribal lands, and the territories of the United States.

United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2022

This resolution expresses the sense that every person has the right to travel freely within the United States and that no one should be held criminally or civilly liable for seeking, providing, or assisting with out-of-state health care services that are legal in the jurisdiction in which they are delivered. It also expresses the sense that those whose rights are violated may seek relief through Section 1983 lawsuits (Section 1983 is a federal statute that allows individuals to sue state or local government actors for violations of constitutional rights).

Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights to protect and codify the rights of transgender and nonbinary people under the law and ensure their access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security.

United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2022

This resolution expresses support for implementing a Transgender Bill of Rights that guarantees certain rights for transgender and nonbinary people with respect to public services and accommodations, employment, housing, health care, and other specified areas.

Community Multi-Share Coverage Program Act

United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2022

Community Multi-Share Coverage Program Act This bill establishes a pilot program to provide health coverage and employment supports for low-income individuals through partnerships between community organizations and hospitals.

No Patient Left Alone Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2022

No Patient Left Alone Act of 2022 This bill requires hospitals, as a condition of Medicare participation, to have certain written policies and procedures that provide for patient visitation rights and to inform patients of such rights, including any applicable restrictions.

Supporting the goals and ideals of Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month.

United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2022

This resolutions supports the goals and ideals of Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month (Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder that results in a loss of memory and other cognitive functions and death).

Telemental Health Parity Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2022

Telemental Health Parity Act of 2022 This bill requires private health insurance plans to apply benefits for mental health or substance use disorder services that are furnished via telehealth in the same manner as those services that are furnished in person. Under current mental health parity rules, insurance plans that provide benefits for mental health or substance use disorder services are generally required to make those benefits comparable to the benefits the plan provides for medical and surgical care.

Offices of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction and Health Security Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Offices of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction and Health Security Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) office in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and establishes a new Office of Health Security. The CWMD office, for purposes of coordinating DHS efforts to counter weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, shall perform duties including providing expertise and guidance to DHS leadership and components on CBRN matters; leading development of policies and strategies to counter WMD and CBRN threats on behalf of DHS; identifying, assessing, and prioritizing capability gaps relating to DHS's CBRN strategic and mission objectives; and supporting components of DHS and federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, and providing intelligence and information analysis and reports on WMD and CBRN and other related emerging threats. The CWMD office shall serve as a primary entity of the federal government to further develop, acquire, deploy, and support the operations of a national biosurveillance system in support of federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and improve that system over time. The Chief Medical Officer of the Office of Health Security shall have the responsibility for oversight of all medical, public health, and workforce safety matters of DHS.

A resolution expressing support for the designation of July 2022 as "National Sarcoma Awareness Month".

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Sarcoma Awareness Month. Sarcoma is a cancer of connective tissues, such as nerves, muscles, joints, fat, bones, and blood vessels.

Preventing Vape Use Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Preventing Vape Use Act This bill requires electronic nicotine delivery systems (e.g., e-cigarettes and vape pens) to successfully undergo Food and Drug Administration (FDA) premarket review before being introduced into interstate commerce for commercial distribution. It also requires the FDA to order a mandatory recall of any such systems that have not successfully undergone premarket review.

Promoting Health Care Quality Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Promoting Health Care Quality Act of 2022 This bill increases FY2023 funding for certain performance and quality measurement programs under Medicare.

Veterans Equal Access Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Veterans Equal Access Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to authorize VA health care providers to (1) provide veterans with recommendations and opinions regarding participation in their state's marijuana programs, and (2) complete forms reflecting such recommendations and opinions.

Stop Child Abuse Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Stop Child Abuse Act This bill nullifies the executive order titled Advancing Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Individuals , which was issued on June 15, 2022. The order directed several executive agencies to establish initiatives that support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex individuals in a variety of settings, including health care, education, housing, and social services.

Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act This bill directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take steps to allow patients to receive prescriptions for mifepristone, a drug approved by the FDA for medical abortion, via telehealth and for prescriptions for the drug to be filled by mail. (Mifepristone is subject to a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, which imposes various safety-related requirements. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA suspended enforcement of the current strategy's requirement that the drug must be dispensed in person, and this suspension is still in effect. In December 2021, the FDA stated the data supported modifying the strategy to remove the in-person dispensing requirement.) Under this bill, the FDA must require the holder of the relevant approved drug application to submit a proposal to modify the strategy. The modification shall (1) remove the in-person dispensing requirement, (2) allow patients to access prescriptions for mifepristone via telehealth, and (3) authorize all pharmacies certified to dispense mifepristone to patients to do so via mail.

Kids’ Mental Health Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Kids' Mental Health Improvement Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue certain guidance and reports on ways to expand access to behavioral health services (particularly for children), including guidance to states on (1) how to expand mental, emotional, and behavioral health services and telehealth services under Medicaid; and (2) existing regulatory flexibilities for hospitals and other providers to support children in crisis or in need of more intensive services.

Improving Diagnosis in Medicine Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Improving Diagnosis in Medicine Act of 2022 This bill requires various activities to improve diagnostic safety and quality in health care. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must convene an expert panel to make recommendations about the data needed to accelerate diagnostic safety and quality research. In convening the panel, HHS must coordinate with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and other HHS components. HHS must also establish an interagency council to develop a strategic plan and recommendations to improve diagnosis in health care. In addition, AHRQ must (1) establish a quality improvement program related to diagnostic errors that includes dissemination of evidence-based strategies to improve diagnostic quality, safety, and health-care value; and (2) seek to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study disparities in diagnostic safety and quality. The bill also allows specified grants provided by AHRQ and by the National Institutes of Health to be used for diagnostic safety and quality research.

Coordinating Substance Use and Homelessness Care Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Coordinating Substance Use and Homelessness Care Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to award competitive grants to improve coordination of health care and homelessness services for individuals who are homeless, have significant behavioral health issues (e.g., substance use disorders), and voluntarily seek assistance. Entities eligible for these grants include local and tribal governments, public housing agencies that administer housing choice vouchers, and certain nonprofits.

Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2022 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and others to undertake efforts to reduce health disparities. For example, the bill (1) requires more detailed reporting of demographic and health disparities data, including related to public health emergencies; (2) directs certain components of HHS to support health workforce diversity; and (3) increases access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care. The bill also modifies eligibility and other requirements for Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance, nutrition assistance, and other programs to reduce health disparities among vulnerable populations. The bill includes specific provisions with respect to noncitizens; maternal, infant, and child health; mental and behavioral health; specified conditions that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority groups, such as certain cancers, HIV/AIDS, kidney disease, and diabetes; investments in communities facing health and other inequities; and nondiscrimination in the provision of services in federally supported health programs. Additionally, the bill (1) revises health information technology programs to address health disparities, and (2) supports health impact assessments and other efforts pertaining to environmental justice and social determinants of health (i.e., nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes, such as income and educational attainment). The bill also requires various studies and reports on issues related to health care and health disparities, including a report by the Government Accountability Office on health workforce diversity.

Health Care Capacity for Pediatric Mental Health Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Health Care Capacity for Pediatric Mental Health Act of 2022 This bill establishes programs to support the provision of pediatric mental, emotional, behavioral, and substance use disorder services, particularly in underserved and other high-need areas. The Health Resources and Services Administration must award funding to children's hospitals and other facilities that provide such pediatric services for integrating and coordinating the provision of services to meet community needs, workforce training, and constructing new sites of care or otherwise expanding capacity at existing sites to provide services.

Expanding Access to Mental Health Training Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

Expanding Access to Mental Health Training Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 grants for training teachers and other school personnel to recognize the symptoms of childhood and adolescent mental health disorders. These grants are awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to states, localities, Indian tribes, and nonprofits.

INFORM Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022

INsulin For Our Recurring Medical Needs Act or the INFORM Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to compile and publish on its website information about publicly available pharmaceutical affordability assistance programs, including for insulin. HHS also must distribute various printed materials with such information to health facilities, including community health centers, medical clinics, pharmacies, and hospitals.

Protect Minors from Medical Malpractice Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2022

Protect Minors from Medical Malpractice Act of 2022 This bill makes a medical practitioner who performs a gender-transition procedure on an individual who is less than 18 years of age liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, or physiological harms from the procedure for 30 years after the individual turns 18. Additionally, if a state requires medical practitioners to perform gender-transition procedures, that state shall be ineligible for federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. Gender-transition procedures generally include certain surgeries or hormone therapies that change the body of an individual to correspond to a sex that is discordant with the individual's biological sex. They exclude, however, interventions to treat (1) individuals who either have ambiguous external biological sex characteristics or lack a normal sex chromosome structure, sex steroid hormone production, or sex steroid hormone action; (2) infections, injuries, diseases, or disorders caused by a gender-transition procedure; or (3) a physical disorder, injury, or illness that places an individual in imminent danger of death or impairment of a major bodily function.

Rural Telehealth Access Task Force Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2022

Rural Telehealth Access Task Force Act This bill establishes the Rural Telehealth Access Task Force to identify, evaluate, and recommend ways to increase adoption of telehealth services and access to broadband internet in rural areas.

Undertaking Needed Investments in Therapy, Education, and De-Escalation Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2022

Undertaking Needed Investments in Therapy, Education, and De-Escalation Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 and establishes new mental and behavioral health programs. It also temporarily extends certain waivers related to the provision of telehealth services. The bill reauthorizes the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant program, which supports the provision of mental health services for adults with serious mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances. Additionally, the bill reauthorizes grants for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and other suicide prevention programs, including those in institutions of higher education, schools, juvenile justice systems, and other child- and youth-serving organizations; community crisis response systems; training teachers and other school personnel to recognize symptoms of childhood and adolescent mental health disorders; clinical education and training of students seeking to enter mental and behavioral health professions; and assertive community treatment (i.e., comprehensive services for individuals with severe functional impairments associated with serious mental illness). Further, the bill establishes (1) a national center to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise related to behavioral health services for community recovery; and (2) grants for crisis call centers to hire and train staff, purchase or upgrade technology, and improve operations. With respect to telehealth services, the Department of Health and Human Services waived, using emergency authorities, certain requirements that applied to services furnished through telehealth during the COVID-19 emergency. The bill extends those waivers for two years following the end of the emergency.

Securing Facilities for Mental Health Services Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2022

Securing Facilities for Mental Health Services Act This bill expands access to federal mortgage insurance for hospitals to include mental health care facilities.

Optimizing Postpartum Outcomes Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2022

Optimizing Postpartum Outcomes Act of 2022 This bill requires (1) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to issue guidance to support coverage of prenatal and postpartum pelvic health services under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), (2) the Government Accountability Office to study gaps in Medicaid coverage of these and other services for postpartum women, and (3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate health professionals and postpartum women on pelvic health services.

SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2022

Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services for Cancer Act or the SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 and makes changes to the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. This program provides funding to states for breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic, and treatment services for individuals who have low incomes, are uninsured, or otherwise lack access to such services.

Improving Diagnosis in Medicine Act of 2022

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2022

Improving Diagnosis in Medicine Act of 2022 This bill requires various activities to improve diagnostic safety and quality in health care. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must convene an expert panel to make recommendations about the data needed to accelerate diagnostic safety and quality research. In convening the panel, HHS must coordinate with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and other HHS components. HHS must also establish an interagency council to develop a strategic plan and recommendations to improve diagnosis in health care. In addition, AHRQ must (1) establish a quality improvement program related to diagnostic errors that includes dissemination of evidence-based strategies to improve diagnostic quality, safety, and health-care value; and (2) seek to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study disparities in diagnostic safety and quality. The bill also allows specified grants provided by AHRQ and by the National Institutes of Health to be used for diagnostic safety and quality research.

Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2022

Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act This bill modifies provisions relating to Medicare payment rates for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, including by requiring payment rates for certain widely available clinical diagnostic laboratory tests to be based on a statistical sampling of private sector rates.