BETTER Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-3417
Sponsor: Rep. Neal, Richard E. [D-MA-1]
Introduced: 2019-06-21 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Aging
Congressional oversight
Department of Health and Human Services
Disability assistance
Education programs funding
Executive agency funding and structure
Government trust funds
Health care costs and insurance
Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Health technology, devices, supplies
Home and outpatient care
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medical education
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Medicare
Mental health
Nursing
Performance measurement
Poverty and welfare assistance
Prescription drugs
Public contracts and procurement
Public-private cooperation
State and local finance
State and local government operations
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2019-06-21
text: 

Beneficiary Education Tools, Telehealth, and Extenders Reauthorization Act of 2019 or the BETTER Act of 2019

 
This bill extends funding for, and makes a series of changes to, Medicare enrollment, payment, and prescription drug programs.
 
Among other things, the bill
 
 
extends funding through FY2022 for state health insurance programs, area agencies on aging, aging and disability resource centers, technical assistance related to outreach and enrollment, and certain quality-measurement activities; 
 
provides statutory authority for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services transition program under the Medicare prescription drug benefit for limited-income, newly eligible individuals (i.e., individuals who are eligible for subsidies and have not yet enrolled in, or whose coverage has not yet taken effect under, a Medicare or Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan); 
 
revises payment rules for graduate medical education costs with respect to a hospital that establishes a new medical residency training program; and
 
authorizes additional quality measures for the skilled nursing facility (SNF) value-based purchasing program, which provides incentive payments to SNFs based on their quality of care.
 

action_date: 2020-12-24
text: 

Beneficiary Education Tools, Telehealth, and Extenders Reauthorization Act of 2019 or the BETTER Act of 2019

 
This bill extends funding for, and makes a series of changes to, Medicare enrollment, payment, and prescription drug programs.
 
Among other things, the bill
 
 
extends funding through FY2022 for state health insurance programs, area agencies on aging, aging and disability resource centers, technical assistance related to outreach and enrollment, and certain quality-measurement activities; 
 
provides statutory authority for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services transition program under the Medicare prescription drug benefit for limited-income, newly eligible individuals (i.e., individuals who are eligible for subsidies and have not yet enrolled in, or whose coverage has not yet taken effect under, a Medicare or Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan); 
 
revises payment rules for graduate medical education costs with respect to a hospital that establishes a new medical residency training program; and
 
authorizes additional quality measures for the skilled nursing facility (SNF) value-based purchasing program, which provides incentive payments to SNFs based on their quality of care.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-12-24
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 574.
action_date: 2020-12-24
text: Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
action_date: 2020-12-24
text: Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
action_date: 2020-12-24
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 116-691, Part I.
action_date: 2020-12-24
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 116-691, Part I.
action_date: 2019-06-26
text: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 41 - 0.
action_date: 2019-06-26
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2019-06-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2019-06-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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: 2019-06-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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: 2019-06-21
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-06-21
text: Introduced in House