zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Community Pharmacy Fairness Act of 2007 - Entitles independent pharmacies negotiating contract terms with a health plan for the provision of health care items or services to the same treatment under the antitrust laws as the treatment to which bargaining units recognized under the National Labor Relations Act are entitled. Treats such a pharmacy as an employee engaged in concerted activities in connection with such negotiations. Exempts actions taken in good faith reliance on this Act from being subject under the antitrust laws to criminal sanctions or civil penalties beyond actual damages incurred. Confers no new right to participate in any collective cessation of service to patients not already permitted by existing law. Prohibits: (1) exempting from the antitrust laws any agreement or otherwise unlawful conspiracy that excludes, limits the participation or reimbursement of, or otherwise limits the scope of services to be provided by any independent pharmacy or group of independent pharmacies with respect to the performance of services that are within their scope of practice as defined or permitted by relevant law or regulation; and (2) applying this Act to negotiations between independent pharmacies and health plans pertaining to federal health benefits.

Date: 2007-03-14
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Law
Health Care Safety Net Act of 2008 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.Requires the Comptroller General to study the economic costs and benefits of school-based health centers and their impact on the health of students, including an analysis of: (1) the impact that federal funding could have on the operation of such centers; (2) any cost savings to other federal programs derived from providing health services in such centers; and (3) the impact of such centers in rural or underserved areas.Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to submit a report to the relevant congressional committees that describes efforts to expand and accelerate quality improvement activities in community health centers.Requires the Administrator to establish a mechanism for the dissemination of initiatives, best practices, and other information that may assist health care quality improvement efforts in community health centers.Directs the Comptroller General to study integrated health system models for the delivery of health care services to medically underserved populations.(Sec. 3) Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for: (1) the National Health Service Corps program; and (2) the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.Repeals provisions requiring each center or clinic designated as having a health manpower shortage to demonstrate every six years that it meets the applicable requirements of the definition of a health professional shortage area. Revises requirements for assigning members of the Corps to a health professional shortage area to require that the Secretary determine that an entity demonstrates willingness to support or facilitate mentorship, professional development, and training opportunities for Corps members.Requires the Secretary to assist Corps members in establishing and maintaining professional relationships and developmental opportunities.(Sec. 4) Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for grants for expanded delivery of health care services in rural areas, for the planning and implementation of integrated health care networks in rural areas, and for the planning and implementation of small health care provider quality improvement activities.

Date: 2007-03-15
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Community Health Centers Investment Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2015 for: (1) primary health care centers for underserved populations; and (2) the National Health Service Corps. Establishes priorities for the use of such funds and the assignment of Corps personnel.Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase amounts available for the National Health Corps Scholarship program (including scholarships to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds).Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit limitations on the per visit payment amount, or a component of such amount, for federally qualified health centers.

Date: 2007-03-20
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Medicare Residency Program Technical Correction Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to payments to hospitals for the direct graduate medical education (DGME) costs of inpatient hospital services, particularly the redistribution among qualifying hospitals of unused resident positions which figure in the calculation of DGME costs.Requires a specified adjustment to the reduction of Medicare resident positions where that reduction was based on a cost report subsequently settled, whether as a result of an appeal or otherwise, if the reference resident level under such settled cost report is higher than the resident level used for the reduction.

Date: 2007-03-21
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Universal Health Care Choice and Access Act - Provides for health promotion and disease prevention activities, including requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene an interagency coordinating committee to develop a national strategic plan for prevention.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow participants in high deductible health care insurance plans an increased tax deduction for contributions to a health savings account; and (2) allow individual taxpayers a refundable tax credit for health insurance costs paid.Requires states to establish and operate a qualified high risk pool or a state-designated alternative that ensures access to private health insurance for medically uninsurable individuals.Health Care Choice Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply the laws of the primary state (as designated by the health insurance issuer) to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any secondary state if certain requirements are met. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize the Secretary to adjust the amount of the Medicare Part B premium for participation in certain healthy behaviors.Establishes in the Treasury a Medical Retirement Account Fund to distribute retirement benefits to individuals who renounce eligibility for Medicare.Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to establish a Medicaid Advantage program to provide individuals a medical home where they receive a seamless continuum of medical care and care management that meets certain requirements.Allows the Secretary to award grants to states for administrative health care tribunals for the resolution of disputes concerning injuries allegedly caused by health care providers.Amends SSA title XI to create safe harbors from civil and criminal penalties in current anti-kickback laws for providing certain health information technology and training services.

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Effective Care for the Armed Forces and Veterans Act of 2007 - Prohibits the Secretary of Defense, during a period of a U.S. major military conflict, from: (1) subjecting work performed by an employee of a Department of Defense (DOD) medical facility or an employee of a private contractor of such facility to public-private competition; or (2) converting such employee or the work performed to private contractor performance. Allows an exception to prevent a negative impact on the provision of services. Requires a study by the Comptroller General on competitive outsourcing activities at DOD medical facilities. Provides: (1) a minimum budget for DOD medical services during periods of major military conflicts; and (2) a limitation on the implementation of a recommendation for the closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Requires the Secretary to: (1) assign at least one case manager for every 20 recovering servicemembers; (2) screen every servicemember returning from deployment in Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom for traumatic brain injury (requiring two related studies); and (3) require DOD medical records management systems to communicate with such systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assess the VA's ability to meet the long-term care needs of veterans over the next 50 years.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay travel expenses for veterans receiving treatment at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities at the rate 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 remote rural areas; (3) carry out demonstration projects to examine alternatives for expanding care for veterans in rural areas; and (4) report annually to Congress on matters related to VA care for veterans residing in rural areas.

Date: 2007-04-18
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
State-Based Health Care Reform Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Health Care Coverage Task Force to: (1) approve state, local, or tribal applications for a health care coverage grant; (2) submit a legislative proposal concerning such approvals and recommendations on the level of funding required; and (3) establish minimum performance measures with respect to coverage, quality, and cost of state health care programs.Prohibits the Task Force from approving an application that: (1) proposes to adopt more restrictive criteria for eligibility determinations for any federal, state, or local health care program; or (2) would result in making individuals enrolled in federal health programs ineligible.Requires states seeking a matching grant to submit to the Task Force a state health care plan that: (1) designates the lead state entity that will be responsible for administering the program; (2) describes the benefits that will be provided to all covered individuals; (3) describes the number and percentage of currently uninsured individuals who will achieve coverage; (4) describes how the state will ensure that an increased number of individuals residing within the state will have expanded access to health care coverage; (5) includes provisions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health care in the state; and (6) complies with premium and cost sharing limitations.Sets forth procedures for congressional consideration of legislative proposals and recommendations.Authorizes appropriations for the grant program and specifies offsetting savings and fee provisions. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for the reduction in the Medicare part B premium subsidy based on income.

Date: 2007-04-19
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Countdown to Coverage Act of 2007 - Provides that if legislation ensuring accessible, affordable, and meaningful health insurance for all Americans is not enacted before the adjournment sine die of the 111th Congress: (1) federal contributions under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program for Members of Congress shall be prohibited; and (2) Members shall pay 100% of all premiums for such Programs. Requires the Institute of Medicine to notify the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Secretary of the Senate, and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House of Representatives: (1) that such legislation has not been enacted, if it has not been; and (2) the dates and adjustments required to take effect under this Act. Requires, upon receipt of such notice, OPM, the Secretary, and the CAO to make such adjustments.

Date: 2007-04-25
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Healthy Businesses, Healthy Workers Reinsurance Act of 2007 - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title XXII (Federal Reinsurance Program for Catastrophic Health Care Costs).Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services an Office of Federal Reinsurance, which shall in turn establish a Federal Reinsurance Program for Catastrophic Health Care Costs to make reinsurance payments to eligible health plans experiencing catastrophic health care costs during a year with respect to a covered individual.Establishes in the Treasury the Federal Reinsurance for Catastrophic Health Care Costs Trust Fund.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Healthy Lifestyles and Prevention America Act or the HeLP America Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a task force on childhood obesity.Provides for: (1) healthy school nutrition environment incentive grants; (2) the establishment of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative to certify a hospital as a baby friendly hospital/center for breastfeeding excellence; and (3) programs to prevent youth problem behaviors.Healthy Workforce Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a wellness program credit for employers; and (2) exclude from an employee's income the fees paid by an employer to an athletic or fitness facility on the employee's behalf.Requires the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Committee on Community Sports Programs for Individuals with Disabilities. Provides incentives for states to ensure the safety and convenience of all users of a transportation system, including pedestrians and bicyclists. Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to require employers to provide lactation periods and lactation facilities to permit employees to breastfeed eligible children. Promoting Lifelong Active Communities Every Day Act or the PLAY Every Day Act - Provides for the development of a tool to measure community barriers to participating in physical activity and provides for grants to plan model communities of play.Requires certain restaurants and vending machines to provide nutritional information about each food offered, including the number of calories.Directs the Secretary to: (1) impose penalties on the tobacco industry for failure to achieve specified goals to reduce youth cigarette use; and (2) encourage a state program to recognize school-based health centers as a model of delivery for primary care for children eligible for federal medical assistance. Establishes the HeLP (Healthy Lifestyles and Prevention) America Trust Fund to fund smoking cessation drugs and other programs required by this Act.Provides for research on obesity, physical activity in schools, and dietary sodium intake.

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Health Information Technology Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to award grants to eligible health care entities to offset costs related to clinical health care informatics systems and services designed to improve quality in health care and patient safety, including costs for the purchase, lease, or installation of computer software and hardware. Requires the Secretary to conduct studies to: (1) evaluate the use of clinical health care informatics systems and services to measure and report quality data; and (2) assess the impact of such systems and services on improving patient care, reducing costs, and increasing efficiencies. Directs the Secretary to establish a methodology for making adjustments in Medicare payment amounts for providers of services and suppliers who use health information technology and technology services with patient-specific applications that improve the quality and accuracy of clinical decision-making, compliance, health care delivery, and efficiency. Requires the Secretary to provide for the development and adoption of national data and communication health information technology standards that promote the efficient exchange of data between varieties of provider health information technology systems. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an eligible entity to elect to expense qualified health care informatics system expenditures.

Date: 2007-05-16
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Quality Reform Expansion and Savings Act of 2007 - 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 experimentation 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: 2007-05-22
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
National Health Information Technology and Privacy Advancement Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) provide federal governmental assistance to the planning and development of, and provide for the implementation of, a national program for the establishment and operation of a national health information technology and privacy system; (2) ensure that timely arrangements are made under which there can be national participation in the establishment and use of the system; and (3) provide for incentives for physicians to engage in electronic patient-provider interactions.Establishes the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.Authorizes the establishment of a nonprofit national health information technology and privacy corporation to: (1) plan, initiate, construct, own, manage, and operate a national health information technology and privacy system; (2) furnish access to individuals and to authorized providers and payers of health care services; and (3) specify rules for allowing access to non-identifiable health care data for public health and research purposes.

Date: 2007-05-23
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Improved Medical Decision Incentive Act of 2007 - Allows a state health department to approve best practices in a course of, or as a means of treatment for, a particular condition, illness, or procedure, as the qualifying standard of care for the state in order to take advantage of the differential rates of payment implemented under the Social Security Act and the private insurance incentive under this Act. Requires a state health department, among other conditions for state approval, to allow any duly constituted state medical society or medical speciality group to file with the state health department a course or means of treatment representing best practices for a particular condition, illness, or procedure. Requires any interstate health insurer providing health care coverage within a state with approved qualifying best practices to pay all provider charges for any service provided in accordance with such practices. Authorizes any such provider or specialty group to bring a civil action in an appropriate U.S. district court to enjoin efforts by any health insurer to challenge or delay payment for services provided by the provider or a member of the specialty group in accordance with such best practices. Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to provide for implementation of differential rates of payment for covered items and services that favor treatment consistent with qualifying best practices under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to review annually and report to Congress on the efficacy of all qualifying best practices approved pursuant to this Act and, if applicable, any national best practices adopted pursuant to this Act. Requires the Secretary also to host an annual conference on best practices for all state health directors, any state medical societies and medical specialty groups that have filed best practices for state approval, and any health insurers and advocacy groups that have participated in any administrative proceeding to approve best practices.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Fair and Reliable Medical Justice Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award up to ten demonstration grants to states for the development, implementation, and evaluation of alternatives to current tort litigation for resolving disputes over injuries allegedly caused by health care providers or health care organizations. Requires such states to: (1) develop such an alternative to current tort litigation; and (2) promote a reduction of health care errors by allowing for patient safety data related to such disputes to be collected and analyzed by organizations that engage in efforts to improve patient safety and the quality of health care.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Access to Medicare Data Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to: (1) enter into data release agreements on an annual basis with specified agencies to provide access to relevant data (excluding negotiated price concessions) submitted by prescription drug (PD) plans and MedicareAdvantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans under part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and linked to hospital, physician, and other relevant medical claims, utilization, and diagnostic Medicare and Medicaid (SSA title XIX) data; and (2) permit such agencies to link data provided under this Act with other relevant health data as needed by the agency in order to accomplish its research objectives. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into data use agreements with specified research centers and organizations to provide access to same kind of data; (2) permit them to link it with other relevant health data for research purposes; and (3) prepare the linked sets of data for release by July 1, 2008.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Medicare Quality Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) to provide for the development of reports, based on Medicare and private data that is publicly available or is provided by the entity requesting the report, concerning national, regional, and service provider- and supplier-specific performance, which may be in a provider- or supplier-identifiable format. Requires specified reporting procedures to provide for secure disclosure of Medicare data to Medicare Quality Reporting Organizations meeting certain requirements under contract with the Secretary of Health and Human Services.Directs the Secretary to establish a Quality Advisory Board to: (1) coordinate existing collaborative efforts identifying quality and efficiency health care measures; (2) provide the Secretary with recommendations for development of model quality health care measures; (3) request Medicare Quality Reporting Organizations for reports on existing recommended model quality and efficiency health care measures; and (4) examine how clinical registries can be linked to Medicare data in order to develop reports on the quality and efficiency of service providers and suppliers.Directs the Secretary to permit researchers that meet existing criteria for appropriate release of Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services data to: (1) have access to all Medicare data; and (2) report on the performance of service providers and suppliers.

Date: 2007-06-05
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity Elimination Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop an Internet Clearinghouse within the Office of Minority Health; (2) provide for programs of excellence in health professions education for underrepresented minorities; and (3) support demonstration projects designed to improve the health and health care of racial and ethnic minority groups through improved access to health care, patient navigators, primary prevention activities, health promotion and disease prevention activities, and health literacy education and services.Provides for grants to: (1) promote positive health behaviors; (2) implement culturally and linguistically appropriate, evidence-based, and community-driven sustainable strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic health and health care disparities; (3) implement systems of primary care practices to eliminate disparities in the delivery of health care and improve the health care provided to all patients; and (4) address long-standing unmet health needs in the Mississippi Delta. Requires the Secretary to establish the Health Action Zone Initiative demonstration program to support comprehensive state, tribal, or local initiatives to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority groups.Provides for research to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority groups.Requires the Secretary to ensure the collection of data from federally conducted or supported health programs by race, ethnicity, geographic location, socioeconomic position, primary language, and, when practicable, health literacy.Sets forth duties for the Office of Minority Health. Requires the Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee on Minority Health.

Date: 2007-06-07
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act of 2007 - 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; (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) Medicare home health care planning; (11) rural health clinics; (12) community health center collaborative access; (13) the temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area; (14) increased Medicare payments for rural ground ambulance services; and (15) 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.

Date: 2007-06-13
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act or the CLASS Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a national, voluntary disability insurance program (CLASS program) under which: (1) all employees are automatically enrolled, but are allowed to waive enrollment; (2) payroll deductions pay monthly premiums; and (3) two-tiered benefits are provided, based on the level of disability, to purchase nonmedical services and supports that the beneficiary needs to maintain independence. Establishes the Independence Fund within the Treasury. Requires the CLASS program to be treated for tax purposes in the same manner as a qualified long-term care insurance contract. Amends the Social Security Act to require each state to: (1) assess the extent to which personal care services providers are serving or able to serve as fiscal agents, employers, and providers of employment-related benefits for personal care attendant workers, who provide personal care services to individuals receiving benefits under this Act; (2) designate or create entities to serve such purposes; and (3) ensure that such entities will not negatively alter or impede existing programs, models, methods, or administration of service delivery that provide for consumer controlled or self-directed home and community services, impede the ability of individuals to direct and control their home and community services, or inhibit individuals from relying on family members for such services. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Personal Care Attendants Workforce Advisory Panel to examine and advise the Secretary and Congress on workforce issues related to personal care attendant workers. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a deduction for premiums paid for the CLASS program; (2) a credit CLASS program enrollees with low income; and (3) a credit for employers for the cost incurred to automatically enroll employees and withhold monthly premiums.

Date: 2007-07-10
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America Act - Directs states to implement mechanisms to automatically enroll uninsured individuals in health coverage.Requires each health insurance issuer in a state to offer a certified qualified core plan that provides coverage required by the state with a standard premium.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals a standard deduction or a refundable tax credit for health insurance.Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS Secretary) to provide for the establishment in each state of a single market for all health plans offered in the state.Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require the Secretary of Labor to promulgate regulations governing small business health plans.Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the HHS Secretary to establish the Health Insurance Consensus Standards Board to develop recommendations that harmonize inconsistent state health insurance laws.Wired for Health Care Quality Act - Establishes: (1) the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology; (2) a public-private Partnership for Health Care Improvement; and (3) the American Health Information Community.Requires the HHS Secretary to: (1) provide for the development and use of health care quality measures; and (2) develop a Health Information Technology Resource Center.Authorizes the HHS Secretary to make grants for medical residency training programs or new residency positions.Requires the HHS Secretary to develop websites to provide information on advance directives and to store and access such directives.Fair and Reliable Medical Justice Act - Authorizes the HHS Secretary to award demonstration grants to states to develop, implement, and evaluate alternatives to current tort litigation for resolving disputes over injuries allegedly caused by health care providers or organizations.

Date: 2007-07-12
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
South Texas Veterans Access to Care Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to determine, and notify Congress, whether the needs of veterans for acute inpatient hospital care in 24 counties comprising Far South Texas should be met through: (1) a public-private venture to provide such services and long-term care to veterans in an existing facility in Far South Texas; (2) a project for construction of a new full-service, 50-bed hospital with a 125-bed nursing home in Far South Texas; or (3) a sharing agreement with a military treatment facility in Far South Texas. Requires the Secretary to take appropriate action depending on the option selected.

Date: 2007-07-19
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Meth Mouth Prevention and Community Recovery Act - Requires the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention to make grants to enable public and private nonprofit entities to determine whether educating youth about meth mouth (oral decay that is commonly associated with methamphetamine use) is an effective strategy for preventing or reducing methamphetamine use. Reserves a portion of appropriated funds for Indian tribes and tribal organizations.Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify the clinical research, health services research, and public health research on associations between substance use disorders, oral health, and the provision of dental care.Requires the Secretary to study the effect methamphetamine use has on the demand for, and provision of, dental care.Directs the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support training and offer technical assistance to ensure that dentists and allied dental personnel are prepared to: (1) recognize signs of alcohol or drug addiction; (2) discuss the nature of substance abuse as it relates to their area of expertise; (3) understand how certain dental therapies can affect the relapse potential of substance dependent patients; and (4) help those affected by a substance use disorder find appropriate treatment for their conditions.Authorizes the Administrator to collaborate with professional accrediting bodies to develop and support substance abuse training courses for oral health professionals.

Date: 2007-07-31
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Medicare Equity and Accessibility Act of 2007 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to certain factors and indices in geographic adjustments to the fee schedule for determination of payments for physicians' services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase the practice expense geographic index to 1.0 for any location for which the practice expense geographic index is less than 1.0. Repeals the current termination date in order to extend permanently the 1.0 floor for the work expense geographic index.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Nurse Training and Retention Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a partnership grant program to award grants to eligible entities to carry out comprehensive programs to provide education to nurses and create a pipeline to nursing for incumbent ancillary healthcare workers who wish to advance their careers.Includes as eligible to receive a grant: (1) a healthcare entity that is jointly administered by a healthcare employer and a labor union representing its employees and that carries out activities using labor management training funds; (2) an entity that operates a training program that is jointly administered by one or more healthcare providers or facilities, or a trade association of healthcare providers, and one or more organizations that represent the interests of direct care healthcare workers or staff nurses who have direct input as to the organization's leadership; or (3) a state training partnership program that consists of nonprofit organizations that include equal participation from industry and labor organizations including joint labor-management training programs.Requires a healthcare employer, to be eligible for a grant, to demonstrate that it: (1) has an established program within its facility to encourage the retention of existing nurses; (2) provides wages and benefits to its nurses that are competitive for its market or that have been collectively bargained with a labor organization; and (3) provides support for programs funded under this Act through specified mechanisms.Sets forth requirements for matching funds, collaboration with nursing schools, types of programs funded, types to be provided preference, and program evaluations.

Date: 2007-09-18
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Community Coalitions for Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to assist in developing integrated health care delivery systems to serve defined communities to: (1) improve efficiency and coordination among providers; (2) assist local communities in developing programs targeted toward preventing and managing chronic diseases; and (3) expand and enhance services provided.Requires eligible entities to represent a balanced consortium whose principal purpose is to assure sustained capacity for the provision of a broad range of coordinated services for all residents, including at least one of each of the following providers that serve the community (with exceptions): (1) a federally qualified health center; (2) rural health clinics and rural health networks; (3) a hospital with a low-income utilization rate greater than 25% or a critical access hospital; (4) a public health department; and (5) an interested public or private sector health care provider or organization that has traditionally served medically uninsured and low-income individuals.Authorizes the Secretary, in awarding grants, to provide priority to applicants that demonstrate the greatest unmet need for a more coordinated system of care.Requires a grantee to use amounts provided only for: (1) direct expenses associated with achieving greater integration of a health care delivery system to directly provide or ensure the provision of a broad range of culturally competent services; and (2) direct patient care and service expansions to fill identified or documented gaps within an integrated delivery system.Requires entities to report annually to the Secretary. Conditions grant renewal on demonstrable progress in meeting goals.

Date: 2007-09-18
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Federal Health Care Board Act of 2007 - Establishes the Federal Health Care Board as an independent agency in the executive branch.Requires the Board to: (1) ensure that Americans have access to health insurance and are provided certain basic facts about health care services prior to receiving care; (2) ensure that providers are delivering safe, evidence-based, high quality care and are transparent about pricing through disclosure of actual costs; (3) demand transparency for disclosure of actual costs and pricing from providers and payers through an information clearinghouse; (4) establish a national standard for a basic health insurance plan (including a basic minimum policy and the regional cost for such policy), a national protocol and standard for secure, universal, and individual electronic medical records, a national standard for public health services (including safety net providers), loan forgiveness and scholarship programs for health care providers who serve in underserved areas, and model dispute resolution procedures for malpractice claims that states may adopt; and (5) monitor progress toward those objectives.Directs the Board's Board of Governors to establish 12 regions of the United States. Establishes in each region a Regional Board, based in a major city, to provide the Board of Governors with considerations that are relevant to their region's population.

Date: 2007-09-27
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Health Care Safety Net Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for: (1) health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations; (2) the National Health Service Corps; and (3) rural health care programs.Requires studies or reports on: (1) school-based health centers; (2) community health centers; and (3) integrated health system models for the delivery of health care services to medically underserved populations.

Date: 2007-11-08
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
National Health Literacy Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to establish within the Agency a Health Literacy Implementation Center to enhance efforts to eliminate low health literacy by improving measurements, research, development, and information dissemination. Defines "health literacy" as an individual's ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health care decisions.Directs the Center to: (1) make health literacy resources available to researchers, health care providers, and the public; (2) sponsor demonstration and evaluation projects; (3) develop the next generation of health literacy interventions and tools; (4) identify and fill research gaps relating to health literacy that have direct applicability to quality improvement; (5) assist federal agencies in establishing specific objectives and strategies for carrying out the Center's purpose and in monitoring programs; (6) enter into implementation partnerships to promote adoption of literacy interventions and tools; and (7) enter into an interagency agreement to facilitate coordination of health literacy activities within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Education.Requires: (1) the Center to convene at least one annual public meeting to help raise awareness about the problem of health literacy and federal and state efforts to address the issue; (2) the Director of the Center to award grants to states to provide for the establishment of a network of state or regional health literacy resource centers; (3) a state health literacy resource center to meet at least annually to share a model of best practices; and (4) the HHS Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to identify opportunities within HHS to improve the public's health literacy through the Medicare and Medicaid programs and at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Date: 2007-12-06
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for a Medicare Advantage benchmark adjustment for certain local areas with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and for certain contiguous areas.

Date: 2008-01-23
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Delays until April 1, 2009, implementation of proposed changes to payment rules under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act for case management and targeted case management services.Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, before such date, from taking any action to restrict coverage or payment under Medicaid if such action is more restrictive than the administrative action, policy, or practice that applies to coverage of, or payment for, such services under Medicaid on December 3, 2007.Makes null and void any such action taken by the Secretary between December 4, 2007, and March 31, 2009, that is based in whole or in part on such interim final rule.

Date: 2008-01-30
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Provides that, if the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) determined under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act without regard to this Act for a state for FY2008 is less than the FMAP as so determined for FY2007, the FY2007 FMAP shall be substituted for the FMAP for the third and fourth calendar quarters of FY2008, before the application of this Act. Provides that, if the FMAP determined without regard to this Act for a state for FY2009 is less than the FMAP as so determined for FY2008, the FY2008 FMAP shall be substituted for the FMAP for the first, second, and third calendar quarters of FY2009, before the application of this Act. Provides that, for each eligible state for the third and fourth calendar quarters of FY2008, and for the first, second, and third calendar quarters of FY2009, the FMAP shall be increased by 2.95 percentage points. Provides for an increase in the cap on Medicaid payments to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.

Date: 2008-02-08
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2008 - 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) permit rebasing for sole community hospitals; (4) revise the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals; (5) eliminate temporarily the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment cap; and (6) 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: (1) the treatment of rural sole community hospitals and Medicare dependent, small rural hospitals under the PPS for HOPD services; (2) the treatment of Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospital patients in certain rural areas; and (3) payment for clinical laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals.Extends the Medicare incentive payment program for physician scarcity areas.Revises the work geographic adjustment and 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.Makes hospital-based renal dialysis centers (including satellites) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) originating sites for payment of telehealth services.Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to set $92 as the maximum rate of payment per visit in 2009 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: 2008-03-13
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Health
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of using community-based organizations to ensure that veterans receive needed care and benefits by: (1) increasing the coordination of providers of health care and benefits for veterans to assist veterans transitioning from military service to civilian life; (2) increasing the availability of high-quality medical and mental health services to transitioning veterans; and (3) providing assistance to families to help them adjust to such veterans in their transition.

Date: 2008-04-02
Topic: Health (Health Care Reform)
Subject: Armed forces and national security