USPSTF Transparency and Accountability Act of 2017

Bill: 115-hr-539
Sponsor: Rep. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN-7]
Introduced: 2017-01-13 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Congressional oversight
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government information and archives
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health information and medical records
Health promotion and preventive care
Health technology, devices, supplies
Medical research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2017-01-13
text: 

USPSTF Transparency and Accountability Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the scope and responsibilities of the United States Preventive Services Task Force to require it to: (1) publish research plans to guide its review of scientific evidence relating to the effectiveness of preventive services; (2) make evidence reports and recommendations available for public comment; (3) establish a system for grading preventive care (Grades A, B, C, and D and a Grade I for insufficient information); and (4) convene a preventive services stakeholders board to provide feedback on task force activities and recommend preventive services and scientific evidence for the task force to review. Members of the task force and the preventive services stakeholders board must disclose conflicts of interest.
 
The Government Accountability Office must report on: (1) current recommendations of the task force; (2) task force recommendations and recommendations of other federal health agencies, national medical professional societies, and patient and disease advocacy organizations; and (3) the impact of task force recommendations on insurance coverage, access, and outcomes, including the impact on morbidity and mortality.
 
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise HHS's authority to modify coverage of preventive services. HHS may modify such coverage only based on a task force grade or recommendation that was developed or updated in accordance with this bill.
 Medicare quality measures related to a recommendation of the task force may only be applied if the recommendation was developed or updated in accordance with this bill.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-02-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2017-01-13
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: 2017-01-13
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: 2017-01-13
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: 2017-01-13
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2017-01-13
text: Introduced in House