lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-11-05 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-11-18 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-02-02 00:00:00

(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.)
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-02-03 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-02-23 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-04-21 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-04-25 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-06-22 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-09-08 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-12-07 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-01-07 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-02-26 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-03-17 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-23 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-05-21 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-06-04 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-09-17 00:00:00

Medical Countermeasure Innovation Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure the issuance of timely and accurate guidelines regarding the use of medical products for countering public health emergencies or material threats. HHS must report on funding for procurement of medical countermeasures when available funds are below a specified amount.

(Sec. 3) The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority's (BARDA's) contracting authority for procurement of medical countermeasures under Project BioShield is codified.

(Sec. 4) The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response must annually publish its budget plan for medical countermeasures.

(Sec. 5) BARDA may enter an agreement with an independent, nongovernmental nonprofit to foster and accelerate the development and innovation of medical countermeasures and related technologies. BARDA must direct and oversee the nonprofit's work and ensure transparency and accountability.

(Sec. 6) BARDA's procurement of medical countermeasures no longer requires Presidential approval or an agreement between HHS and the Department of Homeland Security.

(Sec. 7) This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to award, upon approval, a priority review voucher to the sponsor of a drug or biological product that: (1) is a significant improvement in the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a serious condition; and (2) can be used as a medical countermeasure to a material threat. The transferable voucher entitles the holder to have an application for a new medication acted upon by the FDA within six months.

The sponsor of a medication that is subject to a voucher must pay a user fee based on the FDA's cost for the priority review process.

The FDA must publish a notice each time it issues a voucher or a voucher is used.

(Sec. 8) The Government Accountability Office must report on the effectiveness of this priority review voucher program in providing incentives for the development of material threat medical countermeasures.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-12-18 00:00:00

Obamacare Tax Transparency Act

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require health insurers to disclose to individuals and employers who pay health insurance premiums the portion of premiums attributable to the annual fee imposed on health insurers.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-03-02 00:00:00

Medicaid Directory of Caregivers Act or the Medicaid DOC Act

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 — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-03-03 00:00:00

One Health Act of 2016

This bill requires the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) to coordinate and support a One Health Program to: (1) address infectious diseases in animals and the environment, and (2) help prevent the transmission of infectious diseases between animal populations and human populations.

The Office of Science and Technology Policy, in cooperation with the NSTC, must develop a framework for federal activities under the program. The framework must:

 describe the activities of federal agencies and departments under the program, establish goals and priorities for advancing scientific understanding and for workforce development and describe activities to achieve these goals and priorities, identify and expand partnerships among federal agencies and others to develop new approaches for reducing hazards to human health from animal and environmental sources and to promote an integrated approach to addressing public health threats in a manner that prevents duplication, and provide recommendations for additional action or legislation to assist in establishing the program. The program must establish an initiative to coordinate and implement federal research and field activities. Program members must support activities described in the framework, including by awarding grants to establish national centers of excellence to carry out those activities.

The President must direct representatives of the United States to advocate that international bodies adopt approaches consistent with the initiative, provide technical assistance to governments to remove unnecessary barriers to investment in similar programs, and use certain targets to measure the effectiveness of such initiatives.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-03-10 00:00:00

Veterans Health Administration Spending Transparency and Oversight Act of 2016

This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to make an ongoing evaluation, including under contract with a federally funded research and development center, of the costs of VA hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care as compared to the costs of the same care or services furnished in the private sector.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-03-16 00:00:00

Integrating Behavioral Health Through Technology Act of 2016

This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)to establish a pilot program in up to five states under which incentive payments may be provided to clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, and behavioral health facilities for the adoption and use of certified electronic health records technology.

SAMHSA must give priority to states that have implemented a health information exchange that includes behavioral health data.
Topic: Health — General
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-05-16 00:00:00

Veterans Acquiring Community Care Expect Safe Services Act of 2016 or the Veterans ACCESS Act

This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to deny or revoke a health care provider's eligibility to provide non-VA health care services to veterans if such provider: (1) was removed from VA employment for violating VA policy, (2) violated medical license requirements, (3) had a VA certification revoked, or (4) violated a law for which a prison term of more than one year may be imposed.

The VA may deny, revoke, or suspend a health care provider's eligibility to provide non-VA health care services if the VA has reasonable belief that such action is necessary to protect the health or safety of veterans and: (1) the provider is under investigation by the medical board of a state in which the provider is licensed or practices, (2) the provider has entered into a settlement agreement for a medical-related disciplinary charge, or (3) the VA otherwise determines that such action is appropriate.

The VA shall suspend a health care provider's eligibility to provide non-VA health care services to veterans if such provider is suspended from VA service.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2007-02-05 00:00:00

Great Lakes Invasive Species Control Act - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to apply requirements directing vessels equipped with ballast water tanks to carry out exchange of ballast water or alternative ballast water management methods prior to entry into any port within the Great Lakes to vessels that are not carrying ballast water. Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to conduct a study of the effectiveness of alternative ballast water management methods in reducing the threat of invasive species to the Great Lakes.
Topic: Environment — Conservation
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2007-02-16 00:00:00

Open Space Preservation Promotion Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow installment sales treatment for land sold to a governmental unit or tax-exempt charitable organization for conservation purposes even though the purchase funds for such sale are held in a sinking or similar fund, as required by state law.