lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-07-08 00:00:00

Four Rationers Repeal Act of 2015

This bill repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) related to the establishment of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (also known as the Independent Medicare Advisory Board), effective as of enactment of PPACA. (The purpose of the board is to develop proposals to reduce the growth rate of Medicare spending without restricting benefits or modifying eligibility.) Provisions amended by the repealed provisions are restored.

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act and title XI, title XVIII (Medicare), and title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. (The purpose of the center is to test innovative payment and service delivery models to reduce expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care.)

Group health plans and health insurers are no longer required to cover, without cost-sharing, certain items and services recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is no longer required to convene the USPSTF.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force is eliminated. (This task force developed recommendations regarding community preventive interventions based on scientific evidence.)

The Department of Health and Human Services may not use comparative effectiveness research to deny or delay coverage of an item or service under a federal health care program. Comparative effectiveness research conducted or supported by the federal government must account for factors contributing to differences in the treatment response and treatment preferences of patients.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-07-15 00:00:00

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.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-08-05 00:00:00

Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), if unable to furnish hospital care, medical services, or extended care at VA facilities or under other authorized contracts or sharing agreements, to enter into a Veterans Care Agreement with an eligible provider to furnish such care and services.

The VA shall review Agreements exceeding $1 million annually at least once every two years.

The VA shall establish a process for the certification of eligible providers.

An eligible provider is:

 a physician or provider of services that has entered into a provider agreement under the Social Security Act; a provider of items and services receiving payments under a state Medicaid plan; an aging and disability resource center, an area agency on aging, or a center for independent living; or any other health care provider the VA considers appropriate. The VA shall establish a system or systems to monitor the quality of care and services furnished to veterans, which shall be used in assessing whether to renew an Agreement.

An Agreement may be made with a health care provider to provide veterans with nursing home care.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-10-08 00:00:00

Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support Act of 2015 or VETS Act of 2015

Allows a health care professional who is authorized to provide health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs and who is licensed, registered, or certified in a state to practice his or her profession at any location in any state, regardless of where the professional or patient is located, if the professional is using telemedicine to provide treatment.

Allows such treatment regardless of whether the professional or patient is located in a federally-owned facility.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-10-08 00:00:00

Veteran Care Agreements Rule Enhancement Act or Veteran CARE Act

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), if unable to furnish hospital care, medical services, or extended care at VA facilities or under other authorized contracts or sharing agreements, to enter into a Veterans Care Agreement with an eligible provider to furnish such care and services.

The VA shall review agreements exceeding $1 million annually at least once every two years.

The VA shall establish a process for the certification of eligible providers.

An eligible provider is:

 a physician or provider of services that has entered into a provider agreement under the Social Security Act; a provider of items and services receiving payments under a state Medicaid plan; an aging and disability resource center, an area agency on aging, or a center for independent living; or any other health care provider the VA considers appropriate. The VA shall establish a system or systems to monitor the quality of care and services furnished to veterans, which shall be used in assessing whether to renew an agreement.

An agreement may be made with a health care provider to provide veterans with nursing home care.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-11-10 00:00:00

Rural Veterans Improvement Act of 2015 

 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall provide mental health care to a veteran who:

 has a mental health issue resulting from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or other health condition incurred or aggravated on active duty; and lives in a rural or highly rural area. Such care may be provided by contracting with or providing payments to mental health care providers that are not VA-affiliated.

 Care shall be provided if:

 a VA-affiliated mental health care provider is not available at the nearest VA medical facility and in-person and telehealth VA mental health care services are not available, or travel to a regional VA medical center is impractical or severely detrimental to the veteran's health; and a VA-affiliated mental health care provider has recommended a complementary and alternative therapy to a veteran who is a member of an Indian tribe or a Native Hawaiian who requests a healing method that is part of his or her cultural tradition. The VA may:

 award grants to state veterans agencies, veterans service organizations, and tribal organizations to provide transportation to and from medical centers to veterans in rural and highly rural areas who would otherwise be eligible for payment of travel expenses by the VA; and carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility of providing a housing allowance to health care providers who become VA employees and accept assignment at rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinics. The VA shall establish a program to train health care professionals for assignment at community-based outpatient clinics that predominantly serve veterans who live in rural and highly rural areas.

The VA and the Department of Defense shall jointly establish a program to encourage members of the Armed Forces with a health care-related military occupational specialty to seek post-service employment with the Veterans Health Administration.

 The VA shall:

 periodically assess rural community-based outpatient clinics to determine whether their expansion and improvement are feasible or advisable, and report on the feasibility of establishing a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site in each area in which the nearest such center or site is more than 300 miles away.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-01-12 00:00:00

Medicaid and Chip Quality Improvement Act of 2016

This bill amends titles XI (General Provisions) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to expand reporting requirements with respect to the quality of care provided under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Current law requires a state that contracts with a Medicaid managed organization to develop and implement a quality assessment and improvement strategy. The bill extends this requirement to state contracts with providers of comparable primary care case management services and other health care services under Medicaid.

With respect to adults eligible for Medicaid and children enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, a state must report annually on quality measures identified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Such reporting shall be stratified by service delivery system.

CMS shall establish a Medicaid Quality Performance Bonus fund to award states for high attainment and improvement on a core set of quality measures. A state must designate at least 75% of any bonus funds for the development and operation of quality-related initiatives that will directly benefit providers or managed care entities participating in, or under a waiver of, the state plan for medical assistance. A state may use the remainder of such funds for activities related to the goals and purposes of the state plan.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-02-02 00:00:00

Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act or the CONNECT for Health Act

This bill amends titles XI (General Provisions) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand and modify the use of telehealth and remote patient monitoring services under Medicare.

The bill establishes a telehealth and remote patient monitoring services "bridge" demonstration waiver program, through which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall waive certain limitations as a condition of Medicare payment to eligible providers of telehealth services.

CMS shall also waive such limitations as a condition of Medicare payment for telehealth services with respect to providers participating in qualifying alternative payment models. 

With regard to individuals with certain chronic conditions, telehealth services shall be covered under Medicare as medical and other health services, rural health clinic services, or federally qualified health center (FQHC) services, as the case may be.

A Medicare beneficiary determined to have end stage renal disease (ESRD) and receiving home dialysis may elect to receive certain required monthly ESRD-related visits via telehealth if the beneficiary receives an in-person examination at least once every three months.

For purposes of Medicare payment for telehealth services: (1) a rural health clinic or FQHC may serve as a distant site whose clinician furnishes such services, and (2) certain requirements for originating sites shall not apply with respect to specified stroke-related services or to specified Native American health service facilities.

A Medicare Advantage (MA) plan may use telehealth services to provide benefits under the original Medicare fee-for-service program option. Specified limitations are waived with regard to such services furnished under an MA plan.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-02-04 00:00:00

Medicare Program Linking Uncoordinated Services (PLUS) Act

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a pilot program to demonstrate improvements in patient care and cost savings for the highest-cost Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries through enrollment of such beneficiaries with participating organizations. The program shall be designed to provide comprehensive and integrated care management and services through a network of health care providers to meet the specialized needs of such beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must design the program in such a manner as to preserve the operation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

A participating organization must meet the same requirements that apply to a Medicare Advantage (MA) organization. CMS must develop quality performance standards and, using an integrated care model, care management requirements for participating organizations.

For each individual enrolled under the program, CMS shall make a monthly capitated payment to the participating organization as would be made for an individual enrolled in an MA plan (excluding MA prescription drug plans), except that the amount of payment shall: (1) equal 98% of the projected cost under the Medicare FFS program for the highest-cost Medicare FFS beneficiaries; and (2) be adjusted to account for differences in costs among different geographic areas and among high-cost Medicare FFS beneficiaries, including outlier costs.

CMS must report to Congress on the performance of the program within two years of initial enrollment.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-04-07 00:00:00

Recovering Erroneous Credits from Outlaws and Unlawful Persons Act of 2016 or the RECOUP Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the full recapture of advance payments of refundable tax credits for health coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, if the payments were made to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States or are incarcerated. The bill also specifies that the premiums of certain incarcerated individuals for whom a taxpayer is allowed a deduction for a personal exemption (including the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or dependents) must be excluded from calculations of premium assistance credit amounts.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-05-26 00:00:00

Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act of 2016

This bill amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to modify provisions related to coverage and payment for certain breakthrough medical devices under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Specifically, with respect to such devices, the bill: (1) provides for transitional coverage; (2) establishes accelerated processes for determining regular coverage and payment; and (3) modifies provisions related to specified payment adjustments, cost thresholds, and classification.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-06-14 00:00:00

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

Department of Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and administer a dental insurance plan for veterans enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment under federal veterans' benefits provisions and for veterans' survivors and dependents who are eligible for medical care under such provisions. The VA shall contract with a dental insurer to administer the plan. Benefits shall include diagnostic services, preventative services, endodontics and other restorative services, surgical services, and emergency services.

Enrollment shall be voluntary. The VA shall: (1) prescribe the minimum enrollment period, and (2) prescribe and annually adjust the premiums necessary to cover costs associated with carrying out the plan. Each individual covered by the plan shall pay the entire premium and the full cost of any copayments.

The VA shall permit voluntary disenrollment within 30 days after initial enrollment and under other specified circumstances the VA shall prescribe to the extent that such disenrollment does not jeopardize the fiscal integrity of the plan.

This bill's provisions terminate on December 31, 2021.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-06-15 00:00:00

Small Business Health Care Relief Act of 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and other laws to exempt qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) from certain requirements that apply to group health plans.

A qualified small employer HRA is offered by employers that have fewer than 50 full-time employees and do not offer group health plans to any of their employees. A qualified small employer HRA must:

 be provided on the same terms to all eligible employees of the employer; be funded solely by the employer without salary reduction contributions; provide, after an employee provides proof of coverage, for the payment or reimbursement of medical expenses of the employee and family members; and limit annual payments and reimbursements to specified dollar amounts. HRAs that meet these requirements are not considered group health plans and are exempt from various requirements that apply to group health plans, including coverage and cost-sharing requirements. (Under current law, employers that sponsor group health plans that do not meet specified requirements are subject to an excise tax.)

Coverage and payments under a qualified HRA are excluded from gross income, unless the employee does not have minimum essential coverage for the month in which the medical care was provided.

Employers offering a qualified HRA must notify employees in advance regarding permitted benefits and report benefit information on W-2 forms and to health exchanges.

The bill sets forth requirements for determining whether an employee covered under an HRA is also eligible for premium subsidies under PPACA.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-06-29 00:00:00

Seniors Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to extend, through 2018, the rule that permits individuals who are 65 and older to deduct certain medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income. (Under current law, the rule that reduces the 10% threshold for the medical expense deduction to 7.5% if a taxpayer or a taxpayer's spouse is 65 or older expires at the end of 2016.)

The bill also expresses the sense of the Senate that the reduction in revenues resulting from this bill should be offset by an appropriate amendment to the IRC.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-07-13 00:00:00

Connecting Rural Americans to Care Act of 2016

This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to publish an interim final rule to revise certain Medicaid transportation regulations to allow states to reimburse drivers for costs attributable to providing no-load volunteer travel services to Medicaid-eligible individuals who require transportation to receive non-emergency medical treatment.

The Department of Transportation may prioritize and carry out projects within the Rural Transportation Assistance Program to increase access to health care services in rural areas.

The bill establishes the Interagency Task Force on Rural Health Information Technology to coordinate delivery of financial and technical assistance to rural providers and provide leadership and recommendations on best practices to increase internet access in rural areas.

The bill also requires the Federal Communications Commission to simplify the process for submitting a request for services under the Healthcare Connect Fund, which expands access to broadband services for health care providers in rural areas.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-07-13 00:00:00

Rural Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 2016

This bill amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to:

 establish certain health care quality measures with respect to rural providers; include such measures within specified Medicare payment models;  revise certain requirements related to specified Medicare grants for rural emergency medical services and critical access hospitals; require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test a hospital readmissions reduction program for rural hospitals, a model for incentivizing rural providers to submit data on applicable quality measures, and value-based payment models for services furnished by rural providers; and require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to allow rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to participate in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus test model.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification Act of 2016 or the BENES Act of 2016

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to:

 establish requirements for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to notify individuals of their potential eligibility for Medicare; require the Internal Revenue Service to disclose to CMS specified taxpayer information for the purpose of establishing individuals' potential Medicare eligibility; restructure Medicare enrollment periods; and expand Medicare beneficiaries' rights to appeal certain enrollment errors.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Responsible Additions and Increases to Sustain Employee Health Benefits Act of 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exclusion for distributions from health flexible spending arrangements provided under a cafeteria plan, to: (1) increase the annual limit on employee salary reduction contributions to $5,000, with an additional $500 for each additional employee dependent above two dependents that has not been taken into account by another person for the year; (2) revise the adjustment for inflation after 2017; and (3) allow a carryforward into the next year for unused amounts in such plans.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Relief from Obamacare Mandate Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to exempt individuals with certain premium increases from the requirement under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to maintain minimum essential health coverage.

The exemption applies to any individual for any month during a year that the individual resides in a state in which the average premium for self-only or family coverage under the second lowest cost silver plans within the state has increased by more than 10% from the prior year.

The bill also requires the cost of annual deductibles to be taken into account in applying the exemption for individuals who cannot afford coverage.

The bill repeals provisions added to the IRC by PPACA that: (1) restrict payments from health savings accounts (HSAs), Archer medical savings accounts (MSAs), and health flexible spending and reimbursement arrangements for medications to prescription drugs and insulin only (thus allowing payments for over-the-counter medications); (2) impose a $2,500 limitation on salary reduction contributions to a health flexible spending arrangement under a cafeteria plan; and (3) impose an additional tax on HSA and Archer MSA distributions not used for qualified medical expenses.
Topic: Health — Health Care Reform
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-09-07 00:00:00

Protection from ObamaCare Monopolies Act 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the requirement to maintain minimum essential health coverage any individual residing in a county with fewer than two health insurance issuers offering qualified health plans on an exchange.