Medicare Wellness Act of 2000

Summary

Medicare Wellness Act of 2000 - Title I: Healthy Seniors Promotion Program - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a Healthy Seniors Working Group to establish policies and criteria for the HHS Secretary to make grants to approved applicants to study specified approaches to further health promotion and disease prevention among the elderly. (Sec. 101) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 102) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) should encourage inclusion of preventive health measures in all Medicare treatments; (2) HCFA should expand the study of the most promising behavioral modification of risk factors associated with health promotion and disease prevention for all Medicare beneficiaries; and (3) the National Library of Medicine should establish a Medicare health promotion and disease prevention intervention clearinghouse. Title II: Medicare Coverage of Preventive Services - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to outline Medicare coverage of various specified preventive services, including: (1) counseling for cessation of tobacco use; (2) screening for hypertension; (3) counseling for hormone replacement therapy; (4) screening for glaucoma and for diminished visual acuity; and (5) screening and counseling for osteoporosis. (Sec. 209) Extends Medicare coverage to medical nutrition therapy services for Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes, a cardiovascular disease, or a renal disease. (Sec. 210) Waives coinsurance and deductibles for certain preventive services, such as: (1) diabetes outpatient self-management training services; (2) colorectal and prostate cancer screening tests; and (3) bone mass measurement. (Sec. 211) Directs the Secretary to conduct a national falls prevention and awareness campaign to reduce fall-related injuries among Medicare beneficiaries and to integrate specified preventive benefits added by this Act with existing program integrity measures. Title III: Medicare Health Education and Risk Appraisal Program - Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the HHS Secretary to: (1) establish a health education and risk appraisal program to inform certain target individuals, including Medicare beneficiaries, of specified major behavioral risk factors through self-assessment; and (2) conduct periodic followups. Title IV: Disease Self-Management Demonstration Projects - Establishes in HHS a Disease Self-Management Working Group. Directs the HHS Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to promote disease self-management for conditions identified by the Group for described target individuals. Provides funding. Title V: Studies and Reports Advancing Original Research in the Field of Disease Prevention and the Elderly - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise reporting requirements for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. (Sec. 502) Directs the Director of the National Institute on Aging to conduct one or more studies, for associated reports to the HHS Secretary and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, that focus on ways to: (1) improve quality of life for the elderly; (2) develop better ways to prevent or delay the onset of age-related functional decline and disease and disability among the elderly; and (3) develop means of assessing the long-term development of cost-effective benefits and cost-saving benefits for health promotion and disease prevention among the elderly. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 503) Directs the HHS Secretary to contract with the Institute to study and report to the President and Congress on health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 504) Provides for fast-track consideration of prevention benefit legislation in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 9 March 2000

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 9 March 2000

   Introduced

   Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1400-1401)

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 9 March 2000

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

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Versions

• Introduced in Senate · 9 March 2000 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 9 March 2000

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 9 March 2000

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 9 March 2000

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Sen. Graham, Bob [D-FL] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Jeffords, James M. [R-VT-At Large] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Bryan, Richard H. [D-NV] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Chafee, Lincoln [R-RI] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Moynihan, Daniel Patrick [D-NY] · D · Sponsor
• Patty Murray · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN] · R · Sponsor
• Rep. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME-2] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Robb, Charles S. [D-VA] · D · Cosponsor
• Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] · D · Cosponsor
• Sen. Mikulski, Barbara A. [D-MD] · D · Cosponsor
• Richard Durbin · D · Cosponsor
• Sen. Hollings, Ernest F. [D-SC] · D · Cosponsor
• · ssfi00 · Standing

Related records

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