lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-06-04 00:00:00

American Health Care Reform Act of 2015

This bill repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective January 1, 2016. Provisions amended by repealed provisions are restored.

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax standard deduction for health insurance.

Provisions regarding health savings accounts (HSAs) are revised, including to raise contribution limits and to expand the products and services that may be paid for using an HSA.

Group health plans may vary premiums and cost-sharing based on participation in a wellness program.

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to states for high risk health insurance pools.

Individual health insurance coverage is governed by the laws of the state designated by the health insurance issuer.

This bill amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act to require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to publish Medicare claims and payment data.

This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for association health plans, which are group health plans sponsored by certain business associations.

Veterans with certain service-related disabilities or who have been awarded a medal of honor must be provided access to medical services though specified entities other than the Department of Veterans Affairs.

HHS must publish clinical practice guidelines. Independent medical review panels must review health care lawsuits in which the defendant alleges adherence to clinical practice guidelines.

Federal courts have jurisdiction over health care lawsuits.

This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to revise non-security discretionary spending limits.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-06-04 00:00:00

Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude services rendered by bona-fide volunteers providing firefighting and prevention services, emergency medical services, or ambulance services to a state or local government or a tax-exempt charitable organization from the category of services usually rendered by an employee of an applicable large employer subject to the mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), thus exempting such employers from PPACA requirements with respect to such volunteers.

The bill defines "bona fide volunteer" as an employee of any government entity and any tax-exempt charitable organization whose only compensation is in the form of: (1) reimbursement for (or reasonable allowance for) reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of volunteer services, or (2) reasonable benefits (including length-of-service awards) and nominal fees customarily paid by similar entities for the services of volunteers.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-06-09 00:00:00

Prevention of Bureaucratic Workarounds Act

This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from entering into a contract with a state or awarding assistance to a state to provide the state with technology from the federal health insurance exchange.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-06-10 00:00:00

No Subsidies Without Verification Act of 2015

This bill disallows the health plan premium assistance tax credit or cost-sharing reduction under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act before an individual's eligibility and the accurate amount of the credit or reduction is verified. Verification requires a review of the information provided by an applicant and resolution of any inconsistency between the information and the records of the Departments of the Treasury or Homeland Security or the Social Security Administration.

Individuals are exempt from the penalty for not maintaining minimum essential coverage for any month for which a premium tax credit is being claimed and that begins before verification is completed.

The premium tax credit and reduced cost-sharing are suspended for an individual for whom a subsidy was allowed before enactment of this Act until the individual's eligibility is verified. A special enrollment period is provided for an individual who terminated enrollment in a qualified plan during the period of suspension.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-06-10 00:00:00

21st Century Care for Military and Veterans Act

Permits the use of a telecommunications system to provide an item or service to current and former members of the uniformed services and their dependents under the TRICARE plan of health care benefits administered by the Department of Defense and to veterans receiving health care benefits under plans administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-06-18 00:00:00

Premium Reduction and Insurance Market Reform Act of 2015

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise requirements for private health insurance plans in a state with a federal health insurance exchange. Specifically, it exempts health plans from the requirement to cover preventive services without cost-sharing and the requirement to comply with annual out-of-pocket spending limits. It also exempts health plans in the individual and small group markets from the requirement to cover essential health benefits and the requirement to limit age-related premium variation.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-06-18 00:00:00

Free Market Healthcare Restoration and Coverage Act of 2015

This bill repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective May 31, 2017. Provisions amended by the repealed provisions are restored.

PPACA and the Internal Revenue Code are amended to repeal the requirements for individuals to maintain minimum essential coverage and for large employers to pay penalties if a full-time employee: (1) must wait longer than 60 days to enroll in an employer-sponsored health plan, or (2) receives a premium assistance tax credit or reduced cost-sharing. Coverage reporting requirements for providers and large employers are also repealed. These amendments are applied as if the repealed provisions had not been enacted.

Individuals enrolled in a health plan purchased through the federal health insurance exchange at the time of enactment of this Act who are ineligible for a premium assistance tax credit solely as a result of a determination by the Supreme Court in King v. Burwell are eligible for the tax credit. This applies to coverage months beginning after December 2013.

Group health coverage in which an individual was enrolled for any period after enactment of PPACA (March 23, 2010) is a grandfathered health plan under PPACA and is exempt from some coverage requirements.

Essential health benefits are defined by states. This amendment takes effect as if included in PPACA.

The budgetary effects of this bill must not be entered on the PAYGO scorecards maintained by the Office of Management and Budget.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-06-24 00:00:00

Local and Municipal Health Care Choice Act of 2015

Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize a local government in a secondary state to provide group health coverage to its officers, employees, or retirees (and their dependents) through a local government employee health benefits pool or program authorized under the laws of a primary state.

Defines: (1) "primary state" to mean the state designated by a local government employee health benefits pool or program as the state whose covered laws shall govern the pool or program in the issuance of group health coverage, and (2) "secondary state" to mean any state that is not the primary state.

Makes a local government employee health benefits pool or program eligible to offer group health coverage to officials, employees, and retirees (and their dependents) of a local government located in a secondary state through an interlocal agreement with such local government, or as approved by an applicable state authority in such secondary state, unless objections are made within a specified time frame by the municipal league or association or county association located in the secondary state.

Requires the covered laws of the primary state to apply to group health coverage offered by a local government employee health benefits pool or program in the primary state and in any secondary state, but only if the coverage and the pool or program comply with conditions set forth in this Act with respect to the offering of coverage in any secondary state.

Defines "covered laws" as the laws, rules, regulations, agreements, and orders pertaining to:

 group health coverage issued by a local government employee health benefits pool or program; the offer, sale, rating, renewal, and issuance of group health coverage to local government officials, employees, and retirees or their dependents; the management, operations, and investment activities of such a pool or program; loss control and claims administration for such a pool or program with respect to liability for which the pool or program provides coverage; or the payment of applicable premium and other taxes that are levied on health insurance issuers, brokers, or policyholders under the laws of the state. Excludes from such term any law, rule, regulation, agreement, or order governing the use of care or cost management techniques.

Exempts a local government pool or program that offers group health coverage in a secondary state to the officers, employees, or retirees of a local government located in such secondary state from any covered laws of the secondary state. Permits a secondary state to require such a pool or program to register with an applicable authority in such state and to comply with any state law regarding fraud and abuse or unfair claims settlement practices.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-06-24 00:00:00

Small Business Job Protection Act of 2015

Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to redefine "applicable large employer," for purposes of the mandate requiring employers to provide health insurance for their employees, to mean an employer with at least 100 full-time employees (currently, 50).
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-06-25 00:00:00

SCOTUScare Act of 2015

This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to limit the health plans the federal government may make available to Supreme Court Justices and Supreme Court employees to those that are created under PPACA or offered through a health insurance exchange.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-07-23 00:00:00

Veterans Health Care Freedom Act

This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Choice Program permanent.

Eligibility requirements under the Program are revised.

The VA shall submit an annual report to Congress that includes the following: (1) any increase or decrease in the number of veterans seeking hospital care or medical services at each VA medical facility, and (2) facility budget recommendations based upon such increase or decrease.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-07-27 00:00:00

Medicare Common Access Card Act of 2015

This bill establishes a pilot program under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for the purpose of utilizing smart card technology for Medicare beneficiary identification cards. A “smart card” is a secure, electronic, machine readable, fraud-resistant, tamper-resistant card that includes an embedded integrated circuit chip with a secure micro-controller.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must conduct the pilot program in at least three areas in which there is a high risk for waste and abuse, and must give priority in the provision of cards to Medicare beneficiaries who self-identify as individuals whose personal identity and health information has previously been compromised.

In designing the program, CMS must include, among other provisions: (1) regular monitoring and review of Medicare billings and records in order to identify and address inaccurate changes and instances of waste, fraud, or abuse; and (2) reporting mechanisms for measuring Medicare cost savings attributable to the pilot program.

CMS must report to Congress on issues and recommendations related the pilot program within two years of program implementation.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-07-27 00:00:00

Save Rural Hospitals Act

This bill amends titles XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to increase payments to, and modify various requirements regarding, rural health care providers under the Medicare program. Among other provisions, the bill: (1) reverses cuts to reimbursement of bad debt for critical access hospitals (CAHs) and rural hospitals, as well as alters certain requirements with regard to CAHs; (2) extends payment levels for low-volume hospitals and Medicare-dependent hospitals (MDHs); (3) reinstates revised diagnosis-related group payments to MDHs and sole community hospitals (SCHs), as well as reinstates hold harmless treatment for hospital outpatient services for SCHs; (4) delays the application of penalties for a rural hospital's failure to become a meaningful electronic health record user; (5) makes permanent increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services in rural areas; (6) alters certain supervision requirements for therapeutic hospital outpatient services; (7) modifies requirements related to the use and payment of recovery audit contractors; and (8) establishes a program under which rural hospitals meeting specified requirements may be eligible for enhanced payment for qualified outpatient services.

In addition, the bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to eliminate Medicare sequestration for rural hospitals.

The bill also amends title XIX (Medicaid) of SSAct to extend Medicaid primary care payments.

With respect to both the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the bill eliminates disproportionate share hospital payment reductions for rural hospitals.

The bill also amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize several competitive grant programs to assist eligible rural hospitals.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-07-28 00:00:00

State-Based Universal Health Care Act of 2015

This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to allow states to apply for waivers to health benefits coverage requirements in order to implement a universal health care plan. The state universal health care plan must be at least as comprehensive and affordable as coverage under federal health programs and cover substantially all state residents.

States may apply to waive requirements for:

 health insurance exchanges, plans sold on exchanges, and the program to support nonprofit insurance issuers; reduced cost-sharing for individuals meeting income criteria; health insurance premium subsidies, employer shared responsibility payments, and minimum essential coverage; health benefits under titles XI (General Provisions), XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act; federal employee health benefits; health benefits for members of the military; and health insurance under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must pay a state that assumes responsibility for health coverage currently provided under a federal health program the amount that would otherwise have been spent under the program.

HHS, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Departments of the Treasury, Defense, and Labor must coordinate and consolidate this state waiver process with existing waiver processes to ensure consistency and avoid duplication of effort.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Economics and public finance
Date: 2015-10-01 00:00:00

This bill amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office, upon receiving a request from Congress, to determine if legislation would reduce spending outside of the 10-year budget window through the use of preventive health and preventive health services.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-10-08 00:00:00

Helping our Rural Veterans Receive Health Care Act

This bill amends the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 to make permanent and expand the pilot program to provide, through qualifying non-VA health care providers, VA-authorized hospital care or medical, rehabilitative, or preventive health services to veterans in highly rural areas.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-11-03 00:00:00

Veterans Health and Accountability Act

This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to revise the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Choice Program eligibility requirements.

The VA may: (1) remove or demote a VA employee based on performance or misconduct, and (2) also remove an individual from the civil service or demote the individual through a reduction in grade or annual pay rate.

An employee may appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board within seven days of removal or demotion.

Between the date on which an individual appeals a removal from the civil service and the date on which the administrative judge issues a final decision, the individual may not receive any pay, awards, bonuses, or other specified benefits.

A demoted individual: (1) shall be paid at the demoted rate as of the date of demotion, (2) may not be placed on administrative leave or any other category of paid leave while an appeal is ongoing, and (3) may only receive pay and other benefits if the individual reports for duty.

The VA may not remove or demote an employee during the pendency of a whistle blower complaint made to the VA Office of Special Counsel or to the central whistle blower office until a final decision has been made.

An individual's appointment to a permanent position within the competitive service or as a career appointee within the Senior Executive Service (SES) shall become final after an 18-month probationary period, which the VA may extend. Final appointment shall be made by the employee's supervisor.

An additional method is established for filing whistle blower complaints in which a VA employee may file such complaints with his or her immediate and next-level supervisors, and ultimately with the VA after having properly filed a complaint at each supervisory level.

The VA may not exempt any employee from such whistle blower coverage.

The VA shall carry out specified adverse actions against a supervisor who commits a prohibited personnel action relating to a whistle blower complaint.

 A supervisor who commits a prohibited personnel action shall not be paid any award or bonus for a one-year period, and any award or bonus paid during that period shall be recouped.

The performance appraisal system for SES employees is revised, including by providing for five annual performance level ratings for SES employees as follows: outstanding, exceeds fully successful, fully successful, minimally satisfactory, and unsatisfactory.

The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 is amended to reduce to $300 million the aggregate amount of awards and bonuses that may be paid by the VA in each of FY2016-FY2018.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-11-05 00:00:00

This bill establishes in the Veterans Health Administration an Office of Health Care Quality to oversee the implementation and dissemination of best practices, quality improvements, corrective actions, and Inspector General recommendations across all Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities.

The Office shall be headed by a Director who shall be an expert in health care quality or administration.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-12-02 00:00:00

Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act of 2015

This bill amends titles XI (General Provisions) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish: (1) a telehealth service model, and (2) Medicare payment rules with respect to certain services tested under the model.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall test Medicare coverage of expanded telehealth services, as defined by the bill, in conjunction with existing models that test the use of accountable care organizations, bundled payments, and other coordinated care models under Medicare. CMS must: (1) establish a methodology for determining the amounts of payment for such services, and (2) provide for evaluations of the service model by an independent entity.

CMS shall expand the application of a service tested under the model if: (1) the required evaluation demonstrates that the service either reduced Medicare spending without reducing the quality of care or improved the quality of care without increasing spending, and (2) the Chief Actuary of CMS certifies that such expansion would reduce net program spending. A service that meets these requirements is defined by the bill as a "certified enhanced telehealth service."

Medicare payment for a certified enhanced telehealth service shall equal 80% of the lesser of: (1) the actual charge for the service, or (2) the amount determined using the payment methodology established under the test model.

CMS shall pay for such services without regard to a Medicare beneficiary's location or area of residence.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-12-16 00:00:00

Transparency and Accountability of Failed Exchanges Act

This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to require the Department of Health and Human Services, for certain states awarded a grant to establish a health insurance exchange, to report on how awarded amounts were used and rescind unobligated amounts. This applies to any state that terminates operation of its exchange or transfers operation to another entity. Such a state must provide to the General Services Administration any property acquired through the grant and refer matters involving fraud, waste, and abuse of funds issued pursuant to PPACA to the Department of Justice. Funds rescinded must be retained for federal budget deficit reduction.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-12-18 00:00:00

Synchronization & Nonadherence Correction (SYNC) Act of 2015

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to research and test methods for improving medication adherence. "Medication adherence" refers to the taking of medications according to their prescribed dosage, time, frequency, and direction.

Research activities shall include the development of annual statistics related to medication adherence for patients with chronic diseases and mental health conditions treated under Medicare, Medicaid, and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.

HHS shall implement innovative health care delivery models to test: (1) the efficacy of "synchronization," which refers to the coordination of medication refills such that a patient's medications are refilled according to the same schedule; and (2) 90-day fills at retail pharmacies for the first prescription of maintenance drugs that treat chronic diseases and mental health conditions.