jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-07-29 00:00:00

Dental and Optometric Care Access Act or the DOC Access Act

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit group health plans and individual health insurance coverage from setting rates for items and services provided by a doctor of optometry, of dental surgery, or of dental medicine for which the plan or insurer does not pay a substantial amount.

An agreement between a plan or insurer and such a doctor: (1) may only be changed with the doctor's acknowledgement and acceptance, and (2) may not last longer than two years if the agreement is for limited scope dental or vision benefits.

Such a doctor must be allowed to participate in a: (1) plan or coverage without accepting terms for ancillary services or procedures, and (2) provider network without participating in a specific limited scope dental or vision benefit plan.

Plans and insurers may not: (1) directly communicate with an enrolled individual in a manner that interferes with an existing doctor-patient relationship or a state or federal requirement, or (2) restrict such a doctor's choice of laboratories or suppliers.

The bill establishes a private right of action for a person adversely affected by a violation of this Act.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-07-29 00:00:00

State Health Care Options Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Internal Revenue Code to modify the process for state innovation waivers.

(Under current law, the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] and the Department of the Treasury may approve a state's request to waive specific provisions of PPACA if the state proposal provides health care access that is comparable to what would exist without a waiver and does not increase the federal deficit.)

The bill expedites the approval process for:

 a health-flex waiver from requirements for qualified health plans and essential health benefits; and an exchange waiver to assume responsibility for certain functions of the exchanges, including the certification of permissible health plans. If a state submits to HHS a notice of its intent to implement one or both of the waivers, the waivers shall be deemed to be approved and effective. The notice must include the years for which the waiver shall be effective (which may be indefinite), an assurance the state will comply with reporting requirements, and other specified details.

A state may not waive PPACA requirements related to coverage for preexisting conditions and the extension of coverage for adult children.

States with exchange waivers may certify permissible health plans that residents may purchase outside of an exchange, if the plans meet specified requirements regarding benefits, levels of coverage, transparency of premium justifications, and information.

Taxpayers in waiver states that are living at or below 300% of the federal poverty level (400% under current law) may receive health insurance subsidies under PPACA.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-09-17 00:00:00

VA Billing Accountability Act

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to waive the requirement that a veteran make copayments for medications, hospital care, nursing home care, and medical services if:

 an error committed by the VA or a VA employee was the cause of delaying copayment notification to the veteran, and the veteran received such notification later than 120 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services. In requiring a veteran to make a copayment for care or services provided at a VA or a non-VA medical facility the VA shall notify the veteran not later than 120 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services. If the VA does not provide notification by such date it may not collect the payment, including through a third-party entity, unless the veteran is provided with:

 information about applying for a waiver and establishing a payment plan with the VA, and opportunity to make a waiver or establish a payment plan. The VA shall review and improve its copayment billing internal controls and notification procedures.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-09-22 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on July 5, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Halt Tax Increases on the Middle Class and Seniors Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to roll back the increased threshold for determining the amount of the tax deduction for medical expenses. Currently, individual taxpayers under age 65 may only deduct those medical expenses that exceed 10% of their adjusted gross income. This bill reduces that percentage to 7.5% for all taxpayers for tax years beginning after December 31, 2015.  

The threshold percentage remains at 10% for purposes of computing the alternative minimum tax (AMT).
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-09-29 00:00:00

HIV Clinical Services Improvement Act

This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require payment under the Medicaid program for services furnished by recipients of Ryan White Part C grants, which support comprehensive primary care in outpatient settings for individuals living with HIV.

Providers must be paid an amount equivalent to the prior average costs of providing these services. However, a state plan may establish an alternative payment methodology that: (1) is agreed to by the state and the grantee, and (2) results in payment to the grantee that at least equals the amount otherwise required to be paid to the grantee under the bill.

As a condition of receiving payment under the bill, a grantee shall be subject to specified quality management and reporting requirements.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-10-07 00:00:00

Medicare Premium Fairness Act of 2015

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) prevent 2016 increases to Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles for enrollees, and (2) authorize federal funding to offset the corresponding reduction in aggregate monthly premiums.

Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must annually determine the monthly actuarial rate upon which Part B premiums and deductibles are based. The bill temporarily freezes that rate at the 2015 level for enrollees, effectively preventing increases to premiums and deductibles for those enrollees in 2016. (Current law already protects Part B enrollees whose benefits are deducted from their Social Security benefits from premium increases that would result in a smaller Social Security check.)
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-10-09 00:00:00

Access to Marketplace Insurance Act

This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require health insurers to accept, on behalf of individuals enrolled in qualified health plans, payments made by certain third parties, including state and federal government programs, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, and certain tax exempt organizations. (Qualified health plans are eligible for subsidies and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.)
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-10-23 00:00:00

Medicaid Directory of Caregivers Act or the Medicaid DOC Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require a state to publish and annually update a directory of providers that participate in the state plan for medical assistance on a fee-for-service basis or through a primary care case-management system. The directory must include each provider's name, specialty, address, and telephone number. In addition, with respect to a provider that participates in a primary care case-management system, the directory must specify: (1) the provider's language capabilities, and (2) whether the provider is accepting new Medicaid patients.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-10-26 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on December 10, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Securing Fairness in Regulatory Timing Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend from 45 days to 60 days the annual notice period for the announcement of payment rates under Medicare Advantage (MA). MA organizations shall have at least 30 days to comment on proposed changes.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-11-03 00:00:00

Veterans Affairs Transfer of Information and Sharing of Disability Examination Procedures with DOD Doctors Act

This bill declares that:

 if a member of the Armed Forces who is required to receive a physical examination as part of his or her separation from active duty has or is believed to have a medical condition that will or may make the member eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation and benefits, the physical examination shall be performed by a VA-certified health care provider; and if such a condition is discovered during the physical examination and the examining health care provider is not VA-certified, the examination shall be completed by a VA-certified health care provider. An eligibility determination made as part of such physical examination shall be binding on the VA and be used as the basis for assigning the member's disability rating.

The VA and the Department of Defense shall jointly establish a system to share data and maintain the medical and personnel records of members of the Armed Forces and veterans.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-11-05 00:00:00

Camp Lejeune Reservist Parity Act of 2015

This bill makes certain members or former members of an Armed Forces reserve component who received training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs hospital care and medical services.

The Government Accountability Office shall study the access to hospital care and medical services of veterans and family members stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-11-05 00:00:00

Veterans Freedom of Healthcare Act

This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Choice Program permanent. (The program allows the furnishing of hospital care and medical services to eligible veterans through agreements with non-VA entities.)

Program eligibility requirements are revised.

 The VA shall ensure that veterans enrolled in the health care system, particularly those with service-connected disabilities rated 50% or greater, are able to receive:

 health care at VA medical facilities within certain wait-time goals; and the highest degree of care possible, with an emphasis on maintaining the highest degree of quality in treating ailments unique to or prevalent among the veteran population, including mental health services.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-11-18 00:00:00

Obamacare Full Disclosure Act

This bill requires a form provided by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to group health plans and health insurers as a template for a cancellation notice to include specified information under specified circumstances. The form must include a statement that an enrollee's plan or coverage was cancelled because of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) if the plan or coverage was cancelled because it did not meet PPACA requirements or because of financial losses incurred due to PPACA requirements.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-11-19 00:00:00

Health Care Choices for Seniors Act

This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Medicare Alternative Voucher (MAV) Program, under which a voucher may be used as a contribution into a health savings account and for the payment of enrollment premiums under a high-deductible health plan. HHS must establish a procedure under which an individual otherwise entitled to benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the SSAct may waive such entitlement and be automatically enrolled in the MAV Program.

In addition, the bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the amount of the deduction from gross income for health savings accounts by the amount of the MAV that is contributed to an individual's health savings account.

The bill also suspends Medicare late enrollment penalties for an individual between ages 65 and 70.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-11-19 00:00:00

This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the feasibility of entering into covered public-private partnerships to improve the access of veterans to VA medical facilities in densely populated communities and rural communities.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-12-10 00:00:00

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude any amount includible in gross income for converting to a Roth Individual Retirement Account from the calculation of adjusted gross income used to determine eligibility for, and the amount of, the tax credit for health care insurance premium assistance.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-12-10 00:00:00

Medicare Advantage Bill of Rights Act of 2015

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish limits on the removal of Medicare Advantage (MA) providers by MA organizations. Within 60 days before the first day of the annual coordinated election period for an MA plan, an MA organization may remove a provider from the plan only if the provider is: (1) medically negligent, (2) in violation of a legal or contractual requirement, or (3) otherwise unfit to furnish items and services as required.

An MA organization may remove a provider from an MA plan only after the completion of a fair notice and appeal process. Additionally, the MA organization must: (1) provide written notification of the removal to each enrollee receiving items or services from the provider, and (2) ensure that the removal satisfies certain continuity of care requirements.

The bill also establishes network adequacy requirements. Specifically, when establishing a plan network, an MA organization shall consider specified factors related to provider availability and the timely provision of care. Furthermore, an MA organization must annually certify to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that providers in each of its plan networks are able to provide services and meet enrollees' needs as required.

Sanctions for noncompliance with the bill's requirements apply.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-12-16 00:00:00

Medicare Advantage Quality Payment Relief Act of 2015

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid to disregard the application of certain percentage quality increases when calculating the maximum payment that may be made to a Medicare Advantage organization.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-12-18 00:00:00

Patient Opportunity Protection Act of 2015

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from imposing additional conditions on excepted benefits, which are health benefits that are not subject to requirements applicable to group health plans or individual health insurance.

In the individual health insurance market, HHS may not condition the treatment of fixed indemnity insurance as an excepted benefit on the beneficiary satisfying the requirement for minimum essential coverage.

The amendments made by this bill are retroactively effective as if included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-02-04 00:00:00

Health Savings Act of 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the taxation of health savings accounts (HSAs), to:

 rename high deductible health plans as HSA-qualified health plans; allow spouses who have both attained age 55 to make increased catch-up contributions to the same HSA; make Medicare Part A (hospital insurance benefits) beneficiaries eligible to participate in an HSA; allow individuals eligible for hospital care or medical services under a medical care program of the Indian Health Service or of a tribal organization to participate in an HSA; allow individuals eligible to receive medical benefits under certain TRICARE plans to participate in an HSA; allow members of a health care sharing ministry to participate in an HSA; allow individuals who receive primary care services in exchange for a fixed periodic fee or payment, or who receive health care benefits from an onsite medical clinic of an employer, to participate in an HSA; include amounts paid for prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines or drugs as "qualified medical expenses" for which distributions from an HSA or an Archer Medical Savings Account may be used; and allow HSA distributions to be used to purchase health insurance coverage. The bill amends the federal bankruptcy code to exempt HSAs from creditor claims in bankruptcy.

The bill amends the Social Security Act to reauthorize the use of Medicaid health opportunity accounts.

The bill allows a medical care tax deduction for: (1) exercise equipment, physical fitness programs, and membership at a fitness facility; (2) nutritional and dietary supplements; and (3) periodic fees paid to a primary care physician and amounts paid for pre-paid primary care services.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-02-09 00:00:00

Know Before You Go Act of 2016

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit health insurers to include, for plan year accounting purposes, activities related to a transparency tool as activities that improve health care quality. (An insurer must provide a rebate to enrollees if the insurer spends less than a certain percentage of premium revenues on clinical services and activities that improve health care quality.) A transparency tool is a website and telephone support that provides quality of care and cost sharing comparisons among in-network providers.

Such accounting for a plan year is permitted only for insurers that have: (1) significantly increased the percentage of enrollees using a transparency tool compared to the previous year, (2) provided cost sharing estimates for episodes of care upon request, and (3) made available a list of high deductible health plans offered by the insurer to each individual seeking coverage from the insurer.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-02-23 00:00:00

Excellence in Medicare Act 

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare)of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid to disregard the application of certain percentage quality increases when calculating the maximum payment that may be made to a Medicare Advantage organization.

Medical Malpractice Reform Act of 2015

The bill sets conditions for lawsuits arising from health care liability claims regarding health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce.Additionally, the bill sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one-year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions.

The bill revises other provisions related to health care lawsuits including: (1)limiting noneconomic damages, (2)mandating joint and several liability, (3)limiting attorney contingency fees, (4) limiting punitive damages, and (5)denying punitive damages in the case of products approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-03-03 00:00:00

Timely Payment for Veterans' Emergency Care Act

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into contracts with an eligible entity to serve as an administrative contractor with respect to the performance of any or all of the following functions relating to providing medical care and hospital services in non-VA facilities:

 determining and making the payments required to be made to a non-VA facility; providing education and outreach to individuals enrolled in the patient enrollment system; providing consultative services to institutions, agencies, and other persons to enable them to maintain necessary fiscal records; communicating to non-VA facilities any information or instructions furnished to the administrative contractor by the VA; and performing functions relating to non-VA facility education, training, and technical assistance. An administrative contractor that performs such payment-related functions shall implement a contractor-wide information security program.

The VA shall use claims payment error rates or similar methodology of administrative contractors in the processing or reviewing of claims in order to give such contractors an incentive to implement effective education and outreach programs for non-VA facilities.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-03-10 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Protecting Taxpayers by Recovering Improper Obamacare Subsidy Overpayments Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the limitation on the increase in tax imposed upon certain low-income families for advance payments of the tax credit for health insurance premium assistance that exceed the allowable amount of such credit.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-03-16 00:00:00

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay the burial transportation costs of certain deceased veterans to a state- or tribal-owned veterans' cemetery.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-03-22 00:00:00

Health Savings Protection Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the excise tax on excess benefit employer-sponsored health care plans any amounts contributed to an Archer medical savings plan, a tax-exempt health savings account, or a health flexible spending arrangement by an employee or an employer through salary reduction contributions.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-05-17 00:00:00

Medicare Beneficiary Enrollment Improvement Act

The bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to request recommendations from stakeholders on information included in the Welcome to Medicare package and update the information included in the package accordingly.
Topic: Health — Insurance
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-06-08 00:00:00

Health Coverage State Flexibility Act of 2016

This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to revise the grace period that health insurers must provide to recipients of premium subsidies before discontinuing health coverage for nonpayment of premiums. The grace period is shortened from 3 months to 30 days unless state law includes an applicable grace period.