zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) extend Medicare flex grants; (2) revise requirements for the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program; (3) revise the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals; (4) eliminate temporarily the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment cap; and (5) extend and revise the Medicare hold harmless provision under the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department (HOPD) services for certain hospitals. Revises requirements for the treatment of rural sole community hospitals and Medicare dependent, small rural hospitals under the PPS for HOPD services. Provides for recognition of equality of physician work in all geographic areas under the Medicare physician fee schedule. Revises the practice expense geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule. Extends the treatment of certain physician pathology services, and increased Medicare payments for rural ground ambulance services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to set $92 as the maximum rate of payment per visit in 2010 for independent rural health clinics. Requires the Secretary to exempt from competitive acquisition requirements rural areas and small metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with a population of 600,000 or less. Permits physician assistants to order post-hospital extended care services. Recognizes attending physician assistants as attending physicians for the purpose of serving hospice patients.

Date: 2009-01-26
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Healthy Americans Act - Requires each adult individual to have the opportunity to purchase a Healthy Americans Private Insurance Plan (HAPI), which is: (1) a plan offered by a state; or (2) an employer-sponsored health coverage plan. Makes individuals who are not enrolled in another specified health plan and who are not opposed to coverage for religious reasons responsible for enrolling themselves and their dependent children in a HAPI plan offered through their state of residence. Sets forth penalties for failure to enroll. Establishes standardized coverage and state options for HAPI plans. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate guidelines concerning the benefits, items, and services to be covered. Sets forth requirements for setting premiums. Requires the Secretary to establish the Healthy America Advisory Committee to provide annual recommendations concerning modifications to the benefits, items, and services required. Provides for school-based health centers.Authorizes states to establish and operate a State Choices for Long-Term Care Program. Requires the Secretary to establish Chronic Care Education Centers.Requires states to establish or designate a state Health Help Agency to carry out the administration of HAPI plans and to promote prevention and wellness for residents.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require employers and individuals to each make shared responsibility payments for HAPI plan premiums.Sets forth requirements for health insurance issuers offering a HAPI plan.Establishes the Healthy Americans Public Health Trust Fund for the payment of: (1) premium subsidies; and (2) bonuses to states for implementing medical malpractice reform.Terminates federal health benefits coverage, including coverage provided under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Date: 2009-02-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 - Requires, beginning with FY2011, a two-fiscal-year new discretionary budget authority for the following accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): (1) Medical Services; (2) Medical Support and Compliance; and (3) Medical Facilities. Requires the Comptroller General to: (1) conduct a study on the adequacy and accuracy of VA baseline model projections for health care expenditures; and (2) report during 2011-2013 to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the congressional veterans, appropriations, and budget committees on the sufficiency of budget requests for VA health expenditures in relation to the baseline model projections.

Date: 2009-02-12
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Quality Reform Expansion and Savings Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award quality reform grants to eligible entities to enhance, encourage, and expedite implementation of quality reform plans in order to: (1) encourage the coordinated development of local health care quality reforms; (2) fund the development of practices beneficial to the health care system; (3) expand information technology, electronic health records, and interoperable data systems in the health care system; (4) develop reimbursement practices that align financial incentives with health and prevention reforms to identify and encourage best practices; (5) lower the costs of health care delivery; (6) encourage reform initiatives in different U.S. regions; and (7) reward cooperation among local entities engaged in reforming the health care system.Requires the Secretary to establish the Quality Reform Committee, which shall: (1) approve the application of an eligible entity and recommend to the Secretary that a grant be awarded; (2) evaluate and exchange best practices related to activities carried out under the grant; (3) share research and expertise; and (4) study, identify, and report on market failures and anomalies that create economic incentives adverse to achievement of the goals of quality reform, cost reduction, health information technology expansion, and illness prevention.

Date: 2009-02-13
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Enhancing Safety in Medicine Utilizing Leading Advanced Simulation Technologies to Improve Outcomes Now Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to conduct and support research, evaluations, initiatives, and demonstration projects, and provide grants or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements, to enhance the deployment of medical simulation technologies and the incorporation of such technologies and equipment into medical, nursing, allied health, podiatric, osteopathic, and dental education and training protocols.Requires the Director to: (1) establish medical simulation centers of excellence; (2) promote innovation by conducting and supporting research on complex or challenging medical simulation and interdisciplinary simulation technologies and developing an electronic clearinghouse of such technologies; and (3) award grants for purchasing, incorporating, and deploying such technologies for training of physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and qualified students. Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Federal Medical Simulation Coordinating Council. Requires the Director to establish an advisory panel to make recommendations on how to structure programs established by this Act.

Date: 2009-03-17
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay travel expenses for veterans receiving treatment at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities at the rate of 41.5 cents per mile. (Under current law the rate is that provided to federal employees in connection with the performance of official duties.) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and operate at least one and up to five centers of excellence for rural health research, education, and clinical activities; (2) establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in highly rural areas; (3) carry out demonstration projects to examine alternatives for expanding care for veterans in rural areas; (4) establish a program to provide peer support, readjustment, and mental health services to veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (and related services to their family members); (5) assign an Indian Veterans Health Care Coordinator for each of the ten VA facilities that serve communities with the greatest per capita number of Indian veterans; (6) report to Congress jointly with the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the advisability of the joint establishment and operation by the VA's Veterans Health Administration and the Indian Health Service of health clinics to serve populations of Indian reservations, including Indian veterans; and (7) report annually to Congress on matters related to VA care for veterans residing in rural areas.

Date: 2009-03-19
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
American Health Security Act of 2009 - Establishes the State-Based American Health Security Program to provide every U.S. resident who is a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful resident alien with health care services. Requires each participating state to establish a state health security program. Eliminates benefits under: (1) titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act; (2) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; and (3) the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Requires each state health security program to prohibit the sale of health insurance in that state that duplicates benefits provided under the program. Establishes the American Health Security Standards Board to: (1) develop policies, procedures, guidelines and requirements to carry out this Act; (2) establish uniform reporting requirements; (3) provide for an American Health Security Advisory Council and an Advisory Committee on Health Professional Education; and (4) establish a national health security budget specifying the total federal and state expenditures to be made for covered health care services. Establishes the American Health Security Quality Council to: (1) review and evaluate practice guidelines, standards of quality, performance measures, and medical review criteria; and (2) develop minimum competence criteria. Establishes the Office of Primary Care and Prevention Research within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create the American Health Security Trust Fund and appropriates to the Fund specified tax liabilities and current health program receipts.

Date: 2009-03-25
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Rural Medicare Equity Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate the geographic physician work adjustment factor from the geographic indices used to adjust payments under the physician fee schedule. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration grants project designed to provide financial or other incentives to hospitals to attract educators and clinical practitioners so that hospitals that serve Medicare beneficiaries residing in underserved areas may host clinical rotations. Directs the Secretary to establish up to 10 demonstration projects to provide for improvements, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine, in the quality of health care provided to individuals residing in rural areas. Amends SSA title XVIII to require proportional representation of rural area interests on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC). Directs the Secretary to implement the recommendations contained in the March 2005 GAO report 05-119 entitled "Medicare Physician Fees: Geographic Adjustment Indices are Valid in Design, but Data and Methods Need Refinement."

Date: 2009-03-26
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
National Trauma Center Stabilization Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to replace the trauma center grant program that provided for operating expenses for trauma centers incurring substantial uncompensated costs due to violence from illicit trafficking in drugs with a program to provide grants to public, nonprofit, Indian Health Service, Indian tribal, and urban Indian trauma centers to assist in defraying substantial uncompensated care costs, further the core mission of such trauma centers, and provide emergency relief to trauma centers at risk of closing or centers operating in an area where a closing has occurred within their primary service area. Sets forth qualifications for grantees and provisions governing the amount of the grant award. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide funding to states for grants to eligible entities to: (1) improve the availability of trauma services in underserved areas; (2) address trauma center overcrowding; (3) enhance trauma surge capacity; (4) address shortages of trauma surgeons and certain other trauma-related physician subspecialties; and (5) improve trauma service coordination and the appropriate transport of trauma patients to trauma centers. Requires the Secretary to distribute amounts based on a state's population.

Date: 2009-03-26
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Improvement of the National Program of Cancer Registries Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise requirements for statewide cancer registries and require the inclusion in such registries of information on: (1) the highest level of education attained by adults with cancer; (2) sources of payment by individuals for the costs of cancer diagnosis and treatment; and (3) the history of alcohol and tobacco use by individuals with cancer. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) develop standards for collection of data elements for state cancer registries; (2) develop inter-operability and security standards for data exchange and integration between state cancer registries and any cancer registry and another federal registry for non-cancer diseases; and (3) provide a basic electronic collection tool to facilitate standardized data collection. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to facilitate coordination of the National Program of Cancer Registries with other federally-supported registry programs, including infectious disease registries, environmental disease registries, and other non-cancer, chronic disease registries.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
States' Right To Innovate in Health Care Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title XXII (State Comprehensive Health Care and Cost Containment Demonstration Projects). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a state-based Universal Health Care Coverage Commission to participate in the review of state applications for planning and demonstration grants for the development of a cost-effective delivery system of universal, comprehensive health care with simplified administration. Authorizes such grants. Requires a state plan to provide: (1) coverage of all eligible state residents, without regard to employment status, income, health status or preexisting condition, or location of residency within the state; and (2) health benefits that are at least actuarially equivalent to the standard Blue Cross/Blue Shield preferred provider option service benefit plan under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program. Allows one or more contiguous states in a geographic region to file a joint application for such grants. Authorizes Interstate Compacts of states to conduct joint health care programs under a grant.

Date: 2009-04-24
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Public Health Emergency Response Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to activate the coverage of short-term emergency health care services if the Secretary determines that there is a public health emergency. Sets forth factors for the Secretary to consider, including the degree to which the emergency is likely to overwhelm health care providers in the region. Requires the Secretary to establish a medical monitoring program for monitoring and reporting on the health care needs of the affected population over time. Limits eligibility for coverage of emergency health care services to: (1) uninsured or underinsured emergency victims who need health care services due to injuries or disease resulting from the public health emergency; or (2) uninsured individuals residing in the affected area whose ability to access care or medicine is disrupted as a result of the emergency. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a streamlined process for determining eligibility for emergency health care services; (2) report to Congress on the number and adequacy of volunteers enrolled in the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) who will be available to each state in the event of a public health emergency; and (3) conduct an outreach and public education campaign to inform health care providers and the general public about the availability of emergency health care coverage during the period of the emergency.

Date: 2009-05-01
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
National Health Care Quality Act - Establishes within the Executive Office of the President the Office of National Health Care Quality Improvement, headed by a Director of National Health Care Quality. Sets forth the duties of the Director, including: (1) advising the President on the quality of health care in the United States; (2) determining national priorities for improving health care quality; (3) establishing annual benchmarks for federal agencies to achieve national priorities for health care quality improvement; (4) developing an annual report card on the nation's health; and (5) posting on a website public information relating to national priorities for health care quality improvement and other information relating to health care quality. Establishes within the Office the Quality Interagency Coordinating Council to coordinate health care quality improvement efforts across all federal agencies. Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) make the position of Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality a presidential appointment; and (2) require the Agency to incorporate health care quality improvement priorities into research conducted under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), apply health care quality measures to HHS health programs, and conduct a public education campaign to educate health care providers and consumers about health care quality improvement. Establishes a National Quality Resource Center to assist health care providers in understanding and implementing health care quality improvement initiatives. Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to award National Quality Support Extension grants to support and facilitate local health care quality improvement efforts throughout the United States.

Date: 2009-05-04
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Informed Consumer Choices in Health Care Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) develop standards for health insurance issuers in providing information to group health plans, for forms used in connection with group health insurance coverage, for quality assurance, for marketing of group health insurance coverage, and for the accuracy and clarity of coverage for out-of-network providers; (2) undertake activities to promote accountability of health insurance issuers in meeting federal health insurance requirements; (3) provide grants to Departments of Insurance in states to assist in enforcement of federal health insurance requirements governing health insurance issuers operating in such states; (4) undertake activities to promote transparency in costs, market practices, and other factors for health insurance coverage; and (5) establish within HHS an Office of Health Insurance Oversight to promote accountability and transparency in health insurance and provide for assistance to consumers in selecting health care coverage. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and the Treasury to establish standards and accountability and transparency initiatives for group health plans comparable to the standards established by the HHS Secretary under this Act.

Date: 2009-05-14
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Medicare Cost Contract Extension and Refinement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to reasonable cost reimbursement contracts with qualified health maintenance organizations (HMOs) or competitive medical plans for Medicare reimbursement of hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Extends until January 1, 2013, the period during which such reasonable cost reimbursement contracts can remain in the market. Revises conditions for approval of an application for a modification to a reasonable cost contract to expand the contract's service area. Applies to extended or renewed reasonable cost contracts certain requirements under Medicare part C (Medicare Advantage).

Date: 2009-05-19
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Special Disability Workload Liability Resolution Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with each state to reach an agreement on the amount of a payment for the state related to the Medicare program liability under title XVIII of the Social Security Act as a result of the Special Disability Workload project. (The special workload was the result of discovering a substantial number of recipients of Supplemental Security Income [SSI] benefits whose disability insured status under the title II [OASDI] Disability Insurance program was not previously recognized.) Prohibits any such payment to a state unless it: (1) waives the right to file a civil action (or to be a party to any action) in federal or state court in which the relief sought includes a payment to the state from the United States related to such Medicare liability; and (2) releases the United States from any further claims for reimbursement of state expenditures as a result of the Special Disability Workload project.

Date: 2009-05-20
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals; (2) revision of the temporary increase in payments to certain rural hospitals (Medicare hold harmless provision); (3) the definition of low-volume hospital for purposes of the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment (MIHPA); (4) Medicare wage index reclassifications for certain hospitals; (5) Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospitals in certain rural areas; (6) critical access hospitals; (7) the capital infrastructure revolving loan program; (8) the Medicare incentive payment program for physician scarcity areas; (9) the 1.00 floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment to payments for physician services; (10) permission for physician assistants to order post-hospital extended care services or hospice care; (11) Medicare home health care planning; (12) rural health clinics; (13) community health center collaborative access; (14) the temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area; (15) increased Medicare payments for rural ground ambulance services; and (16) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to provide for the extension of treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct pilot projects to provide incentives to home health agencies to utilize remote home monitoring and communications technologies; and (2) facilitate the provision of telehealth services across state lines. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage and payment, on a reasonable cost basis, to anesthesia services furnished by a physician anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payment is made for anesthesia services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals. Establishes the floor at 1.00 on: (1) the practice expense geographic index for services furnished during a specified period in certain rural areas under the Medicare physician fee schedule; and (2) the Medicare hospital area wage index for certain hospitals for discharges during the same period. Revises the standard for designation of sole community hospitals.

Date: 2009-05-21
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Preserving Access to Targeted, Individualized, and Effective New Treatments and Services (PATIENTS) Act of 2009 or the PATIENTS Act of 2009 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from using data obtained from the conduct of comparative effectiveness research, including such research that is conducted or supported using funds appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to deny coverage of an item or service under a federal health care program. Requires the Secretary to ensure that comparative effectiveness research conducted or supported by the federal government accounts for factors contributing to differences in the treatment response and preferences of patients, including patient-reported outcomes, genomics and personalized medicine, the unique needs of health disparity populations, and indirect patient benefits.

Date: 2009-06-15
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Health Care Freedom Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for qualified health insurance costs. Allows a health savings account or an Archer medical savings account to be used to purchase a high deductible health plan. Medical Care Access Protection Act of 2009 or the MCAP Act - Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims related to the provision of health care services, including limiting noneconomic and punitive damages. Health Care Choice Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that the laws of the state designated by a health insurance issuer (primary state) shall apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any other state (secondary state), but only if the coverage and issuer comply with specified conditions. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award block grants to states to provide for the development of innovative models that ensure affordable health insurance coverage for Americans with preexisting health conditions. Sets forth disclosure requirements, including requiring: (1) the provision of price information to Medicare or Medicaid patients; and (2) the provision of allowable payment information to enrollees of group health plans. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from making any payment or obligation under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Provides for collection of revenues relating to such Act. Rescinds any funds available under such Act that have not been obligated and makes such funds available to carry out this Act.

Date: 2009-06-23
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to authorize an automatic increase in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for any eligible state during periods of national economic downturn. Directs the Comptroller General to analyze and report to Congress on previous periods of national economic downturn, including the most recent one, and the past and projected effects of temporary increases in the Medicaid FMAP with respect to them.

Date: 2009-06-25
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital Quality Report Card Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative to report on health care quality in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. Requires the Secretary, at least semiannually, to make available to the public and to submit to the congressional Veterans' Committees reports on the quality of each VA medical center.

Date: 2009-07-09
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Health Care Choice Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that the laws of the state designated by a health insurance issuer (primary state) shall apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any other state (secondary state), but only if the coverage and issuer comply with the conditions of this Act. Exempts issuers from any secondary state's laws that would prohibit or regulate the operation of the issuer in such state, subject to certain restrictions imposed by such state.Specifies the notice that an issuer must provide in any insurance coverage offered in a secondary state and at renewal of the policy. Requires each issuer issuing individual health insurance coverage in both primary and secondary states to submit to the insurance commissioners of such states: (1) a copy of the plan of operation or feasibility study; (2) written notice of any change in its designation of its primary state and of its compliance with all the laws of the primary state; and (3) a quarterly financial statement. Prohibits an issuer from offering, selling, or issuing individual health insurance coverage in a secondary state if the state insurance commissioner does not use a risk-based capital formula for the determination of capital and surplus requirements for all issuers.Gives sole jurisdiction to the primary state to enforce the primary state's covered laws in the primary state and any secondary state. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the effect of this Act on specified health insurance issues.

Date: 2009-07-16
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Better Health in the Arctic Act - Directs the Arctic Research Commission, in collaboration with federal health agencies, to prepare and submit to Congress a two-year study to examine the science base, gaps in knowledge, and strategies for the prevention and treatment of mental, behavioral, and physical health problems faced by populations in the Arctic, with a focus on Alaska. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) in collaboration with other governmental agencies and private and nonprofit entities involved in Arctic health issues, to develop a national Arctic health science policy; and (2) in developing the policy, to review and take into consideration the National Arctic Health Science Policy developed by the American Public Health Association Task Force in 1984. Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a Desk for Arctic Health within the Office of the Director's Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, which shall: (1) work with the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee to ensure adequate health representation from federal agencies; (2) collaborate and consult with governmental entities and U.S. nongovernmental organizations involved in Arctic health issues; and (3) collaborate with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research on indigenous Arctic people health issues. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish a program at CDC's National Center of Environmental Health to foster advances and help provide technical support in the field of Arctic health impact assessments.

Date: 2009-08-03
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Makes it out of order in the Senate to consider legislation that: (1) eliminates or reduces the ability of Americans to keep their health plan or their choice of doctor; or (2) decreases the number of Americans enrolled in private health insurance, while increasing the number of Americans enrolled in government-managed health care. Suspends such point of order upon certification by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that the legislation does not cause such actions. Permits waiver or suspension of such prohibition, or successful appeals from rulings of the Chair, only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths (60) of the Senate.

Date: 2009-08-04
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Congress
Equal Access to Medicare Options Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide all Medicare beneficiaries, regardless of whether they have enrolled in Medicare part B, as well as Medicare Advantage and Medicaid enrollees with the right to guaranteed issue of a supplemental insurance (Medigap) policy. Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of SSA title XVIII to permit enrollment of individuals with end stage renal disease (ESRD) in Medicare Advantage.

Date: 2009-09-15
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Transitional Federal Medical Assistance Percentage Act - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend the increase in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Extends the entire recession adjustment period from December 31, 2010, through June 30, 2011. Provides for adjusted FMAP percentage rates during a transitional assistance period from July 1, 2011, through December 31, 2013. Prescribes formulae for determining the adjusted FMAP through FY2012 and subsequent fiscal year quarters.

Date: 2009-12-03
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Stop Congressional Health Benefits Act - Prohibits a Member of Congress from participating in or being enrolled in any Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plan between July 1, 2010, through the date on which the Comptroller General reports to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Secretary of the Senate, and the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives that health care reform legislation has been enacted. Makes this prohibition inapplicable if the Comptroller General determines by June 30, 2010, that such legislation has been enacted. Requires OPM to provide for a period of open enrollment for Members of Congress beginning on the earliest administratively feasible pay period following the date on which the Comptroller General reports such determination.

Date: 2010-03-16
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Patient Choice Restoration Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the amendments made by that Act.

Date: 2010-03-22
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to repeal a specified exception for certain hospitals to the special rule for FY2010 regarding use of a particular hospital wage index (promulgated in the Federal Register on August 27, 2009) in "Section 508" hospital reclassifications. ("Section 508" refers to Section 508 of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which allows the temporary reclassification of a hospital with a low Medicare area wage index, for reimbursement purposes, to a nearby location with a higher Medicare area wage index, so that the "Section 508 hospital" will receive the higher Medicare reimbursement rate.) Repeals as well PPACA provisions that: (1) grant Medicare coverage to individuals exposed to certain environmental health hazards; (2) increase the Medicare reimbursement for frontier states; and (3) authorize appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for debt service on, or direct construction or renovation of, a health care facility that provides research, inpatient tertiary care, or outpatient clinical services and is critical for the provision of greater access to health care within a state. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to reduce the special adjustment to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for states recovering from a major disaster.

Date: 2010-04-21
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Patients' Freedom to Choose Act - Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 that: (1) restrict payments from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements for medications to prescription drugs and insulin only; and (2) impose a $2,500 limitation on salary reduction contributions to a health flexible spending arrangement under a cafeteria plan.

Date: 2010-07-29
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Public Accountability in Health Care Implementation Act - Sets forth procedures for rules implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Requires a federal official responsible for issuance of a rule under PPACA to promulgate the final rule not later than: (1) 60 days after the termination of any specified comment period for the interim final rule, taking into account any comments received during such period; or (2) 90 days after such an interim final rule is issued if the federal official responsible fails to provide for such comment period, taking into account comments received during a subsequent comment period. Applies this Act to any interim final rule issued under PPACA prior to, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act. Requires the 60-day and the 90-day periods for any interim final rules issued prior to enactment of this Act to commence upon enactment of this Act.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, effective as of its enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Act. Repeals the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of the Act's enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by the Act's health care provisions.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Rescinds any unobligated balance of funds made available for the Health Insurance Reform Implementation Fund under the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Stop the Federal Exchanges from Destroying States Act or the STOP the FEDS Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to authorize a state to elect not to establish any required Exchanges for the state (or to cease the operation of all required Exchanges for the state) if the state enacts a law that provides for such election. Authorizes a state to repeal such a law and provide for the establishment of an Exchange for the state.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Declares that no funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and any amendments made by either such Act.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Acts.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Revoke Excessive Policies that Encroach on American Liberties (REPEAL) Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment.  Restores or revives provisions amended or repealed by such Act or such health care provisions.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Seniors' Health Care Freedom Act of 2010 [sic] - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to remove the affidavit requirement applicable to the use of private contracts with practitioners under Medicare. Declares that no persons otherwise eligible for old-age benefits under Social Security shall be denied such benefits because of their voluntary refusal to participate in any part of the Medicare program.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to deem a hospital or an emergency department and a physician or physician group of such hospital or emergency department to be an employee of the Public Health Service for purposes of any civil action that may arise due to providing emergency and post-stabilization services on or after January 1, 2012.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Public Option Deficit Reduction Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer through Exchanges a health benefits plan (public health insurance option) that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high-quality coverage throughout the United States. Declares that the Secretary's primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care. Sets forth provisions related to the establishment and governance of the public health insurance option, including that such plan: (1) may be made available only through Exchanges; (2) must comply with requirements applicable to other health benefits plans offered through such Exchanges, including requirements related to benefits, benefit levels, provider networks, notices, consumer protections, and cost sharing; and (3) must offer bronze, silver, and gold plan levels. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish an office of the ombudsman for the public health insurance option; (2) collect such data as may be required to establish premiums and payment rates; (3) establish geographically adjusted premiums at a level sufficient to fully finance the costs of the health benefits provided and administrative costs related to the operation of the plan; and (4) establish payment rates and provide for greater payment rates for the first three years. Requires repayment of start-up costs for the public health insurance option. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize innovative payment mechanisms and policies to determine payments for items and services under the public health insurance option.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, except provisions related to the Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization and Extension Act of 2009, and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective in 60 days.  Restores or revives provisions amended or repealed by such Act or such health care provisions.

Date: 2011-01-07
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Medical Liability Procedural Reform Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to states to develop, implement, and evaluate health care tribunals. Defines "health care tribunal" to mean a trial court or administrative tribunal: (1) the sole function of which is to adjudicate disputes over injuries allegedly caused by health care providers; (2) to which all or a portion of such disputes within a jurisdiction are assigned; and (3) the judges for which have health care expertise and render decisions about the standard of care in dispute adjudication, with reliance on independent expert witnesses commissioned by such court or tribunal. Permits the Attorney General to provide technical assistance to states to: (1) develop common definition, formats, and data collection infrastructure for states to use in reporting in order to facilitate aggregation and analysis of data within and between states; and (2) provide guidance about the identification and selection of heath care tribunal judges and independent expert witnesses, compensation of injured patients, and clinical resources relating to the standard of care. Requires the Attorney General to contract with a research organization to evaluate and report on the effectiveness of grants awarded, to include an analysis of the effect of such grants on: (1) the number, nature, and costs of health care liability claims; (2) the liability environment; (3) health care quality; and (4) patient safety.

Date: 2011-01-18
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Law
Health Care Paperwork Reduction and Fraud Prevention Act - Establishes the Commission on Health Care Billing Codes and Forms Simplification which shall make recommendations regarding: (1) standardizing and simplifying credentialing and billing forms for health care claims; (2) reducing and simplifying billing codes; (3) reforming the Medicare regulatory and appeals processes to ensure that the Secretary of Health and Human Services provides appropriate guidance to providers for submitting Medicare claims and does not target inadvertent billing errors; and (4) updating electronic forms of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure simplicity and privacy. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a process under which a physician may request from a carrier written assistance in addressing questionable codes and procedures under the Medicare program. Prohibits the Administrator from implementing any new evaluation and management (E&M) guidelines under the Medicare program unless the Administrator: (1) has provided for an assessment of the proposed guidelines by physicians; (2) has established a plan that contains specific goals, including a schedule for improving participation of physicians in such assessment; (3) has carried out a minimum of four pilot projects in at least four different regions to test E&M guidelines; and (4) finds that specified objectives will be met in the implementation of such guidelines. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) physician participation and pilot program testing requirements and objectives for new E&M guidelines under Medicare; and (2) notice, administrative, and penalty requirements with respect to Medicare overpayments.

Date: 2011-01-18
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Prevent IRS Overreach Act of 2011 - Prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from filling any position, by transfer or any other appointment taking effect on or after the enactment of this Act, if the duties and responsibilities of such position include the enforcement of any provision of, or amendment made by, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Date: 2011-01-19
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to require any employer contribution made on behalf of  the President, Vice President, or any political appointee to be paid only to the issuer of a plan through an American Health Benefit Exchange (a state health insurance exchange created under PPACA), and not through the federal employees health benefit program. (Currently, this requirement applies to Members of Congress and congressional staff.)

Date: 2011-01-20
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Government operations and politics