Patient Protection Act of 2005

Bill: 109-hr-2650
Sponsor: Rep. Norwood, Charles W. [R-GA-9]
Introduced: 2005-05-26 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Armed Forces and National Security
Breast cancer
Cancer
Child health
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil actions and liability
Clinical trials
Commerce
Communication in medicine
Confidential communications
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer complaints
Consumer education
Consumer protection
Delegation of powers
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Labor
Department of the Treasury
Discrimination in insurance
Discrimination in medical care
Drugs
Economics and Public Finance
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Employee health benefits
Families
Federal preemption
Federal-state relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Freedom of speech
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government employees' health insurance
Government publicity
Government trust funds
Grievance procedures
Gynecology
Health insurance
Health insurance continuation
Health maintenance organizations
Indian medical care
Insurance premiums
Labor and Employment
Law
Legislation
Liability (Law)
Licenses
Managed care
Mastectomy
Medicaid
Medical economics
Medical malpractice
Medically uninsured
Medicare
Military medicine
Minorities
Native Americans
Obstetrics
Old age, survivors and disability insurance
Ovarian cancer
Patient satisfaction
Patients' rights
Physician-patient privilege
Physicians
Preventive medicine
Quality of care
Social Welfare
Standards
State laws
Surgery
Telephone
Veterans' medical care
Women
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2005-05-26
text: 
Patient Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to set forth requirements for health plans or issuers of health insurance coverage, including requirements for: (1) utilization review activities; (2) procedures for claims benefits processing, prior authorization determinations, appeals, and internal reviews; and (3) access for an independent, external review.
 
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Health Care Consumer Assistance Fund to award grants to States for consumer assistance activities designed to provide information, assistance, and referrals to consumers of health insurance products.
 
Sets forth requirements for managed care programs and their access to care, including requiring such programs to: (1) offer coverage that allows for non-network coverage through another plan or issuer; (2) provide access to out-of-network emergency care without prior authorization; and (3) provide timely access to specialists.
 
Requires certain annual disclosures from health plans or issuers, including disclosures of covered benefits, cost-sharing requirements, and participating providers.
 
Prohibits a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting a health care professional's ability to advise a patient on the health of an individual or on medical care or treatment for the individual's condition or disease; and (2) operating any physician incentive plan.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-11
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
action_date: 2005-06-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2005-06-15
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2005-05-26
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and 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: 2005-05-26
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and 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: 2005-05-26
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and 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: 2005-05-26
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and 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: 2005-05-26
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-05-26
text: Introduced in House