jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Bill 114-HR-2948 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2015

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand telehealth coverage in three phases.

Extends the term "originating site," for telehealth service payment purposes, to additional sites, including any federally qualified health center and any rural health clinic, at which the eligible telehealth individual is located at the time the service is furnished via a telecommunications system.

Prohibits application of the originating site facility fee to the additional sites.

Authorizes additional telehealth providers, including a certified diabetes educator or licensed respiratory therapist, audiologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, or speech language pathologist.

Authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop payment methods to apply in the case of anyone who would be an eligible telehealth individual except that the telehealth services are furnished at a site other than an originating site.

Extends Medicare coverage to remote patient management services for certain chronic health conditions.

Authorizes home telehealth sites as additional originating sites.

 Requires the monthly fee or other basis of payment for physicians' services to individuals with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to allow for a patient-specific waiver process to permit a physician, clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant to request a waiver of face-to-face visit requirements for home dialysis of ESRD patients.

Requires all ESRD patients receiving home dialysis to receive a face-to-face examination at least once every three consecutive months and, in the intervening months, to receive a monthly clinical assessment which may be furnished, if the patient so chooses, via remote monitoring by a physician, clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant.

Directs HHS, in determining the component of a physician's fee corresponding to practice expense relative value units for diagnostic tests provided remotely, to include in direct costs of supplies and equipment the costs of the diagnostic device, clinical systems (including hardware and software), information transmission, and device delivery and installation. Directs the Government Accountability Office to study the effectiveness of using specified telehealth services between therapy providers and patients, any associated savings, and the potential for greater use of telehealth services for other forms of therapy.
Bill 114-HR-3081 — Health / General
Subject: Health

TELEmedicine for MEDicare Act of 2015 or the TELE-MED Act of 2015

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow a Medicare provider to provide telemedicine services to a Medicare beneficiary who is in a different state from the one in which the provider is licensed or authorized to provide health care services. The licensing or authorizing state has jurisdiction to enforce its licensure or other legal authorization requirements with regard to such a provision of service.
Bill 114-HR-3251 — Health / General
Subject: Health

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude from Medicare coverage advanced planning services, with the exception of certain hospice-related services that may include advising on end-of-life or advanced care planning.
Bill 114-HR-3309 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Further Flexibility in HIT Reporting and Advancing Interoperability Act or the Flex-IT 2 Act

This bill amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to modify Medicare and Medicaid program requirements related to electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use programs, which establish incentives to promote EHR meaningful use and the adoption of health information technology (HIT).

Specifically, the bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid to establish and apply a linear scale to determine meaningful or "partial meaningful" EHR use. In accordance with this linear scale, eligible professionals and hospitals that are partial meaningful EHR users shall: (1) receive certain incentive payments currently available only to meaningful EHR users, and (2) be partially exempt from certain negative payment adjustments.

In addition, the bill: (1) establishes three-month reporting periods for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive payment programs; (2) modifies provisions regarding quality reporting on meaningful EHR use; (3) expands the hardship exception to Medicare EHR payment adjustments; and (4) limits, with respect to timing and frequency, the adoption of more stringent measures of EHR meaningful use under Medicaid and Medicare.

The bill also amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to pause rulemaking related to EHR meaningful use, unless and until specified conditions are met; and (2) prohibit HHS from proposing the adoption of certain untested standards regarding HIT.
Bill 114-HR-3883 — Health / General
Subject: Armed forces and national security

Veteran's Choice Accountability Act

This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to:

 evaluate VA programs that furnish hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to ensure that the most intensively used specialized care programs are maintained as centers of excellence; and submit to Congress an evaluation of the VA's implementation of the VA Budget and Choice Improvement Act.
Bill 114-HR-3978 — Health / General
Subject: Armed forces and national security

Ensuring Fair Access to Veterans Healthcare Act

This bill establishes in the Veterans Health Administration an Office of the Ombudsman, which shall:

 investigate and resolve complaints made by or on behalf of patients receiving medical care or hospital services at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility (covered patients) that relate to action, inaction, or decisions made by VA employees that may adversely affect such patients; assist covered patients in finding patient advocates, veterans service organizations, or other similar entities to advocate for their health, safety, welfare, and rights; ensure that covered patients have regular and timely access to Office services; administer the reporting system provided for by this Act; and provide training to local ombudsmen and volunteers. The Office shall establish a reporting system to collect and analyze complaint data in order to determine how to resolve significant VA medical facility problems.

Each VA medical facility shall have a local ombudsman responsible for carrying out the duties of the Office at such location.
Bill 114-HR-4059 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish an Advance Directive Certification Program. Under the program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall grant accreditation to advance directive vendors that meet specified accreditation criteria.

CMS shall establish procedures for an eligible beneficiary to register the adoption of a certified advance directive under the program. Beneficiary registration in the program shall be optional, but each eligible beneficiary who adopts and registers a certified advance directive shall receive a one-time incentive payment.

CMS shall provide for related education and outreach.
Bill 114-HR-4437 — Health / General
Subject: Armed forces and national security

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.)

(Sec. 1) This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to extend the deadline for the Commission on Care's final report to June 30, 2016. (The Commission is charged with examining veterans' access to Department of Veterans Affairs health care and to examine how best to organize the Veterans Health Administration, locate health resources, and deliver health care to veterans during the next 20 years.)
Bill 114-HR-4447 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act

This bill provides FY2016 supplemental appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address heroin and opioid drug abuse. The funds are designated as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules.

For DOJ, the bill provides funds for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) programs.

For HHS, the bill provides funds for:

 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund.
Bill 114-HR-4591 — Health / General
Subject: Armed forces and national security

Department of Veterans Affairs Purchased Health Care Streamlining and Modernization Act

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in addition to furnishing hospital care, medical services, or extended care at VA facilities or under contracts or sharing agreements, to furnish such care and services to eligible veterans through the use of Veterans Care Agreements with eligible providers.

An eligible provider is:

 a provider whose income in the year preceding the year of entering into an agreement did not exceed $11 million; a provider who does not otherwise provide such care or services pursuant to a federal contract; and a physician or provider of Medicaid or Medicare services, an Aging and Disability Resource Center, an area agency on aging, or a center for independent living. The VA shall: (1) establish a certifying process for providers, (2) review agreements at least once every two years, and (3) use the quality of care standards set forth or used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The VA may enter into an agreement using non-competitive procedures.
Bill 114-HR-5021 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Better Accounting for Medicaid Costs Act of 2016

This bill amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to follow rulemaking procedures with respect to certain Medicaid subregulatory policies.

Before issuing a Medicaid subregulatory policy, CMS must determine the extent to which the policy is projected, with respect to each year in a 10-year period, to increase state or federal expenditures under the Medicaid program. If the policy is projected to increase expenditures by an amount exceeding a specified threshold, CMS may implement the policy only through notice and comment rulemaking.
Bill 114-HR-5044 — Health / General
Subject: Health

This bill provides FY2016 emergency supplemental appropriations to the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases.

The bill specifies permissible uses for the funds and designates the funds as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits.

The bill provides appropriations to HHS for:

 the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit Project BioShield to be used to support the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from any infectious disease that may pose a threat to the public health. (Under current law, Project BioShield supports only countermeasures against specific chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorist threats.)

The bill temporarily increases from 55% to 65% the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage in the territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands).

The bill provides appropriations to the Department of State for:

 the Administration of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bilateral Economic Assistance, International Security Assistance, and Multilateral Assistance. Unobligated balances of specified funds provided for the Ebola virus may be used to respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases.
Bill 114-HR-5562 — Health / General
Subject: Health

This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to modify requirements related to the appointment of, and application of ethics rules to, members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.
Bill 114-HR-5958 — Health / General
Subject: Health

This bill provides FY2016 supplemental appropriations to the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and State to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Zika virus.

The bill specifies permissible uses for the funds and designates the funds as an emergency requirement. The emergency funding is exempt from discretionary spending limits and is only available if the President subsequently designates the funds as an emergency requirement.

The bill provides appropriations to HHS for:

 the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund within the Office of the Secretary. For the State Department, the bill provides appropriations for:

 the Administration of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Bilateral Economic Assistance, International Security Assistance, and Multilateral Assistance. The bill sets forth congressional notification and reporting requirements that apply to the funds. It also provides funds to the Government Accountability Office for the oversight of activities funded by this bill.

 The bill also rescinds specified unobligated balances of funds that were previously provided to USAID to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Ebola virus.
Bill 114-HR-6462 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Prioritizing the Most Vulnerable Medicaid Patients

This bill amend title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in approving Medicaid demonstration projects, to:

 prioritize projects that have been proven effective in improving care and outcomes with respect to uninsured, Medicaid-eligible, or low-income individuals; require participating states to make publicly available data regarding the health outcomes for individuals to be served; ensure that projects are not duplicative of any federal program or funding opportunity; and require participating states to make publicly available an analysis of the degree to which such projects preclude private and charitable sector efforts to improve care and outcomes with respect to uninsured, Medicaid-eligible, or low-income individuals.
Bill 114-S-42 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Stopping Illegal Obamacare Subsidies Act 

 Prohibits American Health Benefit Exchanges from providing for automatic enrollment in health plans until the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) verifies that each state exchange and the federal exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) have resolved the inconsistencies outlined in the June 14 IG report.

Directs the Secretary of HHS to make public the steps that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the federal exchange will take to clear any inconsistencies that arose on or before the enactment of this Act and to ensure that the systems used by the CMS to determine or assess eligibility for premium tax credits, cost-sharing reductions, Medicaid under title XIX of the Social Security Act (SSAct), and the State Children's Health Insurance Program under SSAct title XXI can resolve such inconsistencies within 30 days after enactment of this Act.

Directs the Secretary to make public the methods that the CMS use to monitor, track, and measure the progress of the federal and state exchanges in resolving inconsistencies.

Suspends for plan year 2015 the availability of premium assistance tax credits and the reduced cost-sharing program under PPACA; and allows them to resume only after the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration declares affirmatively that all inconsistencies related to invalid Social Security numbers have been resolved, and the IG determines that this is so.

Directs the Secretary to request additional information from any applicant for a qualified health plan on a state or federal exchange whose information contains inconsistencies. Requires the applicant to: (1) be withdrawn from the premium assistance credit and reduced cost-sharing programs if the additional information is not provided within 90 days, and (2) re-enroll in a qualified health plan with appropriate and accurate information during the next open enrollment period.
Bill 114-S-118 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Stopping Illegal Obamacare Subsidies Act 

 Prohibits American Health Benefit Exchanges from providing for automatic enrollment in health plans until the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) verifies that each state exchange and the federal exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) have resolved the inconsistencies outlined in the June 14 IG report.

Directs the Secretary of HHS to make public the steps that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the federal exchange will take to clear any inconsistencies that arose on or before the enactment of this Act and to ensure that the systems used by the CMS to determine or assess eligibility for premium tax credits, cost-sharing reductions, Medicaid under title XIX of the Social Security Act (SSAct), and the State Children's Health Insurance Program under SSAct title XXI can resolve such inconsistencies within 30 days after enactment of this Act.

Directs the Secretary to make public the methods that the CMS use to monitor, track, and measure the progress of the federal and state exchanges in resolving inconsistencies.

Suspends for plan year 2015 the availability of premium assistance tax credits and the reduced cost-sharing program under PPACA; and allows them to resume only after the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration declares affirmatively that all inconsistencies related to invalid Social Security numbers have been resolved, and the IG determines that this is so.

Directs the Secretary to request additional information from any applicant for a qualified health plan on a state or federal exchange whose information contains inconsistencies. Requires the applicant to: (1) be withdrawn from the premium assistance credit and reduced cost-sharing programs if the additional information is not provided within 90 days, and (2) re-enroll in a qualified health plan with appropriate and accurate information during the next open enrollment period.
Bill 114-S-584 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Better Efficiency and Administrative Simplification Act of 2015 

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow individuals the option to receive the Medicare Summary Notice (explanation of benefits) electronically.

Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) apply a similar option to other Medicare statements and notifications, and (2) provide such Medicare Summary Notice and any other such statements and notifications on a more frequent basis than is otherwise required under Medicare.

Extends from at least once every 5 years to at least once every 10 years the application of competitive procedures when the contract of a Medicare administrative contractor comes up for renewal.

Directs the Secretary, to the extent possible without compromising the process for entering into and renewing contracts with Medicare administrative contractors (MACs), to make available to the public the performance of each MAC with respect to requirements and measurement standards.
Bill 114-S-763 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize trauma care programs through FY2020.

Grants for pilot projects of innovative models of emergency care and trauma systems can be allocated up to half of the remaining funds for trauma care after allocations for improvement of emergency medical services in rural areas and administrative purposes.

State plans for emergency medical services are required to include the national standards and requirements of the American Burn Association for verified burn centers.

The Department of Health and Human Services must update the model plan for designation of trauma centers and for triage, transfer, and transportation policies, taking into account standards from the American Burn Association.
Bill 114-S-833 — Health / General
Subject: Armed forces and national security

Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Earthquake Protection and Improvement Act

(Sec. 2) This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out the following major medical facility projects (in an amount for each project not to exceed specified limits):

 construction of a community living center, outpatient clinic, and renovated domiciliary facility, and the renovation of existing buildings in Canandaigua, New York; seismic corrections to the mental health and community living center in Long Beach, California; seismic corrections to 12 buildings in West Los Angeles, California; and construction of a spinal cord injury building and seismic corrections in San Diego, California. The VA shall report to Congress on efforts, including those relating to building standards and disaster preparedness plans, to protect VA facilities in areas that are at a high-risk for tsunamis and volcanic activity, including areas in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, and American Samoa.
Bill 114-S-1427 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Quality Measure Alignment Act of 2015

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to a contract with a consensus-based entity regarding performance measurement, to require the entity to facilitate increased coordination and alignment between the public and private sector with respect to quality and efficiency measures.
Bill 114-S-1514 — Health / General
Subject: Health

Medicare Secondary Payer and Worker's Compensation Settlement Agreements Act of 2015

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) create an exception to Medicare secondary payer requirements for certain workers' compensation settlement agreements, and (2) provide for the satisfaction of such requirements through use of qualified Medicare set-asides under such agreements.