Medicare Wellness Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-1860
Sponsor: Rep. Levin, Sander M. [D-MI-12]
Introduced: 2003-04-29 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Accident prevention
Accidents
Agriculture and Food
Ambulatory care
Cardiovascular diseases
Cervical cancer
Cholesterol
Coinsurance
Colon cancer
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer education
Cost effectiveness
Department of Health and Human Services
Diabetes
Drug abuse
Drug abuse treatment
Drug utilization
Economics and Public Finance
Executive reorganization
Eye care
Eye diseases
Federal aid to research
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publications
Government publicity
Health counseling
Health education
Health insurance
Health maintenance organizations
Hormones
Hypertension
Influenza
Mammography
Managed care
Medical economics
Medical fees
Medical research
Medical screening
Medical tests
Medicare
Menopause
Mental depression
Mental health services
Nutrition
Osteoporosis
Ovarian cancer
Physical examinations
Pneumonia
Preventive medicine
Prostate cancer
Quality of life
Research grants
Science, Technology, Communications
Smokeless tobacco
Smoking
Social Welfare
Stroke
Vaccination
Vaccines
Women
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2003-04-29
text: Medicare Wellness Act of 2003 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services a Working Group on Disease Self-Management and Health Promotion (Working Group) to establish policies and criteria for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to approved applicants to study specified approaches to further health promotion and disease prevention among beneficiaries under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA).
Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to promote disease self-management for conditions identified by the Working Group for target individuals.
Amends SSA title XVIII to outline Medicare coverage of various specified preventive services, including: (1) therapy and counseling for cessation of tobacco use, and counseling for post-menopausal women; (2) screening for diminished visual acuity, and screening for depression; and (3) medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, or a renal disease.
Provides for: (1) expansion of eligibility for bone mass measurement; and (2) inclusion of the office visit associated with the screening colonoscopy in the screening colonoscopy benefit.
Directs the Secretary to integrate supplemental preventive health services with existing program integrity measures.
Permits waiver of 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.
Provides for coverage of initial preventive physical examination.
Directs the Secretary to take specified informational actions to promote the use by Medicare beneficiaries of preventive health benefits.
Directs the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct a national falls prevention and awareness campaign among Medicare beneficiaries.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-05-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-04-29
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-04-29
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-04-29
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-04-29
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-04-29
text: Introduced in House