zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Medicaid Physician Self-Referral Act of 2014 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to physician self-referral limitations to repeal the prohibition against payment of federal funds to a state for medical assistance expenditures for a designated health service furnished to an individual on the basis of a referral (self-referral) that would result in denial of payment under SSA title XVIII (Medicare).

Requires a state plan for medical assistance to prohibit payment for a Medicaid designated health service furnished to an individual on the basis of a physician's referral if the physician (or an immediate family member) has an ownership or investment interest or a compensation arrangement with the entity furnishing the service that would not comply with Medicare requirements.

Requires application of certain reporting requirements and sanctions to a provider of a Medicaid designated health service the same way they apply under Medicare.

Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) apply the False Claims Act to violations of the self-referral prohibition, and (2) declare the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue regulations under Medicaid limited to the application of self-referral limitations to state plan requirements.

Directs the Secretary to establish a protocol consistent with the Medicare self-referral disclosure protocol required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that enables health care providers to disclose an actual or potential violation of Medicare self-referral limitations as applied to Medicaid.

Date: 2014-05-19
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Veterans TRICARE Choice Act - Allows an individual who is eligible to participate in the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed health care program) to: (1) elect to be ineligible to enroll in such program, (2) make tax deductible contributions to a health savings account during the period such individual elects to be ineligible for TRICARE coverage, and (3) enroll in the TRICARE program at a later date during a special enrollment period.

Date: 2014-05-20
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Medal of Honor Priority Care Act - Increases, from third to first, the priority for enrollment in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system given to medal of honor recipients, regardless of the date on which the medal is awarded.

Date: 2014-05-22
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Health Savings Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to health savings accounts (HSAs), to: (1) allow an additional tax deduction for amounts paid to the HSA of a taxpayer's child or grandchild; (2) allow a rollover of HSA funds to the child, parent, or grandparent of an account holder; (3) increase the maximum HSA contribution limit; (4) allow mandatory distributions from an individual retirement account (IRA) to be paid into an HSA; (5) exempt HSAs from creditor claims in bankruptcy; and (6) expand the definition of an HSA compatible plan to include bronze, silver, and catastrophic plans on an insurance exchange.

Date: 2014-05-30
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Taxation
Keeping Well by Using Your Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Plan- Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct outreach efforts to provide specified health information to: (1) individuals enrolled in qualified health plans offered through an Exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and (2) individuals enrolled in state plans (or under a waiver of such a plan) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.

Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on: (1) the median cost-sharing responsibility of health services under qualified health plans offered through an Exchange in each state, and (2) the best method for making such information public.

Date: 2014-06-02
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
No Subsidies Without Verification Act of 2014 - Disallows the health plan premium assistance tax credit or cost-sharing reduction under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act before the first date of the first coverage month beginning on or after the date on which the process to verify an individual's household income and coverage requirements of such individual for purposes of determining eligibility for, and the accurate amount of, the credit or reduction, respectively, has been completed.

Requires for such verification: (1) completion of a manual or electronic review of the information required of an applicant for enrollment in a plan, and (2) resolution of any inconsistency of such information with records of the Departments of the Treasury or Homeland Security (DHS) or the Social Security Administration.

Exempts individuals from the penalty for not maintaining minimum essential coverage for any month with respect to which a premium tax credit is being claimed and that begins before the date on which the verification process has been completed.

Suspends, until the coverage month beginning after eligibility verification has been completed, the premium tax credit and reduced cost-sharing in the case of individuals for whom the subsidy was allowed before enactment of this Act. Provides a special enrollment period for an individual who terminated enrollment in a qualified plan during the period of suspension.

Date: 2014-06-05
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Family Coverage Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury have the administrative authority, within their respective jurisdictions, to apply the affordability provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act so as to expand access to affordable health insurance coverage for working families without further legislation.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the affordability requirement for the tax credit for health care premium assistance to provide that an employee is eligible for premium assistance if his or her required contribution to an employer-sponsored health care plan does not exceed 9.5% of family household income.

Date: 2014-06-12
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Taxation
Access to Veteran-Centered Community Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) determine that a VA facility is not capable of furnishing the care or services required if a veteran has been waiting for 14 days or longer for an appointment to receive hospital care or medical services, including primary care, in such a facility; and (2) ensure that such care or services are provided to such a veteran at a non-VA facility under contract with the VA.

Requires: (1) any referral of a veteran who, in the course of receiving hospital care or medical services in a non-VA facility, is referred to another non-VA facility for specialty care, to be submitted to the Secretary; and (2) the Secretary, if he or she does not reject such referral during the 72-hour period following its submittal, to ensure that such specialty care is provided to the veteran at a non-VA facility under contract with the VA.

Date: 2014-06-18
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act of 2014 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require a Medicare Advantage (MA) organization to remove a service provider or a supplier from a plan network only for cause, subject to completion of a fair notice and appeals process.

Lists as cause for removal: (1) medical negligence, (2) violation of any legal or contractual requirement for the provider or supplier acting within the lawful scope of practice, or (3) unfitness to furnish items and services in accordance with Medicare requirements.

Requires an MA organization offering an MA plan to include information on the measures used to establish or modify the plan's provider network: (1) in the annual bid information submitted about the MA plan, and (2) on the plan's Internet Web.

Subjects to certain sanctions MA organizations with contracts which fail to meet these information requirements.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) seek input from patient advocacy groups and others in applying network access adequacy standards, and (2) take necessary measures to ensure that the Medicare Advantage Compare Tool takes into account the preferences and utilization needs of such individuals.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Continuing Care for Veterans Act of 2014 - Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) from altering the health care available to a veteran who is enrolled in the VA health care system or the amount of time that veteran has to wait for an appointment for such care based solely on the length of time since he or she last received health care from the VA.

Date: 2014-07-09
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Mom and Pop SHOP Act of 2014 or the Mom and Mom SHOP Act of 2014 or the Pop and Pop SHOP Act of 2014 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make an individual (and his or her spouse or domestic partner) who owns, or is a partner in, a business that has no employees eligible for the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP Exchange).

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Protecting Insurance Coverage for Sick Americans Act of 2014 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to maintain, upon repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, restrictions on health insurers rescinding or cancelling an enrollee's coverage.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Guaranteed Health Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions Act of 2014 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to maintain, upon repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, the requirements that: (1) health insurance includes coverage for preexisting conditions; and (2) health insurers accept every employer and every individual in a group that applies for coverage in the group market and every individual that applies for coverage in the individual market.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Securing Health Care for Young Americans Act of 2014 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to maintain, upon repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, the requirement that health insurers provide coverage to dependents over 18 years of age until the dependent turns 26, marries, or no longer resides at home.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Permits a health insurance issuer that has in effect health insurance coverage in the group market on any date during 2013 to continue offering such coverage for sale through 2016 outside of a health care exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Treats such coverage as a grandfathered health plan for purposes of an individual meeting the requirement to maintain minimum essential health coverage.

Date: 2014-09-11
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention, and Reform Act of 2014 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the ambulance fee schedule to: (1) increase the conversion factor for ground ambulance services in the formula for determining the appropriate fee, and (2) increase the mileage rate for such services.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study how the conversion factor should be modified, if at all, to take into account the cost of providing ambulance services in urban, rural, and super-rural areas.

Directs the Secretary to establish a process to determine, in advance of furnishing end stage renal disease (ESRD) ambulance services, whether payment for them may not be made because they are not covered or because they are excluded from coverage. Prohibits any payment unless the Secretary determines, pursuant to this process, that the service meets coverage requirements.

Directs the Secretary to develop a data collection system for providers and suppliers of ambulance services to collect cost, revenue, utilization, and other appropriate information.

Date: 2014-09-11
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Middle Class Family Savings Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to health savings accounts (HSAs), to: (1) increase the maximum deductible amount for such accounts, and (2) allow payments from such accounts for the medical expenses of children of the account holder who have not attained age 27.

Date: 2014-09-15
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to revise requirements permitting multiemployer plans to adopt alternative rules for computing the payment of an employer's withdrawal liability to include a plan in critical status whose plan sponsor determines it cannot be expected to emerge from that status by the end of the rehabilitation period.

Requires any such rule to become effective 90 days after adoption unless the corporation disapproves it before the end of the 90-day period (subject to tolling while a request by the corporation for additional information is pending).

Authorizes a corporation to disapprove a rule only if it creates an unreasonable risk of loss to plan participants and beneficiaries or to the corporation.

Date: 2014-12-04
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Labor and employment
Small Business Healthcare Relief Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat employer payments for employee health care premiums and for amounts paid on behalf of an employee to a health reimbursement arrangement as medical expenses under an accident or health plan and thus excludible from gross income for income tax purposes.

Date: 2014-12-11
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Taxation
American Liberty Restoration Act - Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that require individuals to maintain minimum essential health care coverage. Applies the Internal Revenue Code as if such provisions had never been enacted.

Date: 2013-01-22
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Veterans Health Equity Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, with respect to each of the 48 contiguous states, to ensure that veterans who are eligible for hospital care and medical services through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have access to: (1) at least one full-service VA medical center in the state, or (2) hospital care and medical services comparable to that provided in full-service VA medical centers through contract with other health providers in the state.

Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on compliance with such requirement, including its effect on improving the quality and standards of veterans' care.

Date: 2013-01-22
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Preventing the Offering of Elective Coverage of Taxpayer-Funded-Abortion Act of 2013 or PROTECT Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in entering into contracts with health insurance issuers, to ensure that no multi-state qualified health plan offered in a health benefit exchange provides coverage of abortion. Excepts from such limitation: (1) a pregnancy that results from rape or incest; or (2) a case where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would place the her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.

Preempts any state law requiring coverage of or funding for abortions in multi-state qualified health plans.

Date: 2013-01-24
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Medicare Patient Empowerment Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow any Medicare beneficiary to enter into a contract with a non-participating (as well as with a participating) physician or practitioner for any item or service covered by Medicare. Allows such beneficiaries to submit a claim for Medicare payment in the amount that would otherwise apply if the claim had been filed by a participating physician or practitioner in the payment area where the physician or practitioner covered by the contract resides.

Requires a Medicare beneficiary to agree in writing in such a contract to: (1) pay the physician or practitioner for a Medicare-covered item or service; and (2) submit (in lieu of the physician or practitioner) a claim for Medicare payment. Allows a beneficiary, however, to negotiate, as a term of the contract, for the physician or practitioner to file such claims on the beneficiary's behalf.

Preempts state laws from limiting the amount of charges for physician and practitioner services for which Medicare payment is made.

Date: 2013-02-07
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act of 2013 - Amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001 to require a program under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs provides chiropractic care and services to veterans through Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and clinics to be carried out at: (1) no fewer than 75 medical centers by December 31, 2014, and (2) all medical centers by December 31, 2016.

Includes chiropractic examinations and services within required VA medical, rehabilitative, and preventive health care services.

Date: 2013-02-28
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2013 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and to Congress on whether or not the expansion of the definition of targeted beneficiary, with respect to medication therapy management, would, if implemented, reduce spending under Medicare. Requires the report to include a certification of any determination by the Chief Actuary that such expansion would reduce such spending.

Specifies such an expansion as targeted beneficiaries with a single chronic disease that accounts for high Medicare spending, including diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, dyslipidemia, respiratory disease (such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or chronic lung disorders), bone disease-arthritis (such as osteoporosis or osteoarthritis), rheumatoid arthritis, and mental health (such as depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder). (Currently a targeted beneficiary must have multiple chronic diseases.)

Requires such an expansion to take place if the report contains the certification indicated.

Date: 2013-03-13
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Jobs and Premium Protection Act - Repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that imposes an annual fee on each entity that provides health insurance for any U.S. health risk based on net premium income.

Date: 2013-03-19
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Taxation
Social Security Number Protection Act of 2011[sic] - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and begin to implement procedures to eliminate the unnecessary collection, use, and display of Social Security account numbers of Medicare beneficiaries on Medicare identification cards and communications.

Prohibits a Social Security card also from storing a Social Security account number electronically.

Allows the display of a Social Security number on written or electronic communications only if the Secretary determines that its inclusion on such communications is essential for the operation of the Medicare program.

Date: 2013-03-19
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to payments for physician services, to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from applying a multiple procedure payment reduction policy to the professional component of imaging services until the Secretary publishes in the Federal Register: (1) an analysis of the information used in the final rule to implement the physician fee schedule in 2013 to determine what, if any, efficiences exist within the professional component of imaging services when two or more studies are performed on the same patient on the same day; and (2) detailed information on which activities in the vignettes in such rule were assigned specified reduction percentages, how such percentage reductions for the pre-, intra-, and post-service work were determined and calculated, and the clinical aspects that went into those decisions.

Date: 2013-03-20
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Access to Independent Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative cost calculations for purposes of calculating the medical-loss ratio of a health insurance plan.

Defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under the laws of the particular state to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance.

Date: 2013-03-21
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Patients Right to Know Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require health plans to disclose in writing to consumers: (1) the annual fee on health insurance providers under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (2) the annual fees imposed on health insurance policies, (3) required contributions by health plans to the reinsurance program, (4) user fees on health plans participating in health insurance exchanges, (5) payments by health plans whose costs are lower than the target amount (premiums collected minus administrative costs), and (6) charges assessed by states on health plans whose enrollees have a lower actuarial risk than the average actuarial risk of all enrollees in a state. Allows such costs to be calculated separately for individual, small group, or large group markets.

Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to study the methods of calculating the impact on average premium costs associated with: (1) guaranteed issuance of coverage and community rated premiums, (2) limitations on age rating, (3) required coverage of preventive services, and (4) the requirement that plans cover at least 60% of the actuarial value of essential health benefits.

Requires Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make the disclosures under this Act and the GAO study available to the general public through an Internet website.

Date: 2013-04-18
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Veterans' Health Promotion Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to designate and operate at least one center of innovation for complementary and alternative medicine in health research, education, and clinical activities in each of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks.

Directs the Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of establishing complementary and alternative medicine centers within current VA medical centers in order to promote the use and integration of such services for veterans' mental health diagnoses and pain management. Requires the establishment of at least 15 such centers in 15 different VA medical centers.

Requires the Secretary to establish a three-year pilot program for the award of grants to public or private nonprofit entities to assess the feasibility and advisability of using wellness programs to complement the provision of mental health care to veterans and family members eligible for VA counseling services.

Directs the Secretary to carry out a two-year pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of promoting health through the payment of fitness center membership for veterans determined to be overweight or obese and who reside more than 15 minutes' driving distance from a VA fitness facility.

Requires the Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability, through the establishment of VA fitness facilities, of promoting the achievement of a healthy weight in veterans enrolled in the VA system of annual patient enrollment. Prohibits the assessment of a user fee for program participants using such facilities.

Directs the Secretary to conduct a comprehensive study of barriers encountered by veterans in receiving complementary and alternative medicine from the VA.

Date: 2013-04-25
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Medical FSA Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow amounts in a flexible spending arrangement (FSA) that are not spent for medical care to be distributed to the FSA participant as taxable income after the close of a plan year (currently, such unspent amounts are forfeited). Includes such FSAs in the definition of tax-exempt cafeteria plans.

Date: 2013-05-15
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 to direct the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to ensure that each beneficiary other than an active-duty beneficiary who is enrolled in TRICARE Prime (a DOD managed health care program) as of September 30, 2013, may make a one-time election to continue such enrollment, notwithstanding that an existing TRICARE contract does not allow for such enrollment based on the location in which the beneficiary resides. Allows the beneficiary to continue in such enrollment while residing in the same ZIP Code in which the beneficiary resided at the time of election.

Allows such a beneficiary to elect, at any time, to instead enroll in TRICARE Standard.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Exchange Sunset Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make inapplicable provisions concerning Health Benefit Exchanges if one or more Exchanges fail to accept applications for enrollment in qualified health plans beginning on October 1, 2013.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the requirement that individuals maintain minimum essential coverage upon such a determination by the Secretary of the Treasury.

Date: 2013-06-12
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Medicare Fair Share Act of 2013 - Amends part B (Supplemental Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to adjustments to Medicare parts B and D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) premiums for high income beneficiaries to reduce from $80,000 to $50,000 the threshold amount for 2015 and subsequent years for determining the monthly amount of the premium subsidy (for high-income beneficiaries) applicable to Medicare parts B and D premiums.

Requires reduction of the monthly amount of the Medicare parts B and D premium subsidies (and corresponding increase in the monthly premium amount) for individuals whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds the threshold amount by specified applicable percentages for modified adjusted gross incomes in certain ranges starting at $50,000 (40%) and ending at $196,000 (90%).

Extends the temporary adjustment to income thresholds from December 31, 2019 through December 31, 2023.

Date: 2013-06-20
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay implementation of Round 2 of the Medicare DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies) competitive acquisition program (for the furnishing to Medicare beneficiaries of competitively priced items and services) for competitive acquisition areas in Tennessee.

Terminates contracts already awarded with respect to such areas in Tennessee, and prohibits any payments based on such a contract. Requires any damages resulting from contract terminations to be paid from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a rebid of the competition for such round in such areas as soon as possible in accordance with the requirements of this Act, including the requirement that suppliers meet state licensing requirements.

Requires the Secretary, in the case of any such new competition, to impose a civil monetary penalty of $10,000 on the entity contracted to implement the competitive bidding program for each instance in which information that entity supplies is incorrect and results in the award of a contract to a supplier in such an area to a supplier not licensed by the state of Tennessee.

Date: 2013-06-27
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Exchange Sunset Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make inapplicable provisions concerning Health Benefit Exchanges if one or more Exchanges fail to accept applications for enrollment in qualified health plans beginning on October 1, 2013.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the requirement that individuals maintain minimum essential coverage upon such a determination by the Secretary of the Treasury.

Date: 2013-07-10
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Expedited Disability Insurance Payments for Terminally Ill Individuals Act of 2013 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to prescribe formulae for payment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits over a period of 24 consecutive calendar months for individuals determined to be under a disability upon submission of a diagnosis of a terminal illness.

Date: 2013-07-17
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Social welfare
Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians Act or HELLPP Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.

Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to revise requirements for coverage of therapeutic shoes for individuals with diabetes regarding the processes of: (1) documentation by a physician of, and certification of a comprehensive plan of care related to, the diabetic condition; (2) prescription by a podiatrist or other qualified physician upon a finding of the medical necessity for the therapeutic shoes, including findings communicated to a certifying doctor of medicine or osteopathy of certain related foot conditions; and (3) fitting and supplying the shoes.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject to the continuing levy upon property and property rights, for collection of unpaid taxes, any payments made to a Medicaid provider or supplier.

Date: 2013-07-18
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Healthy Competition for Small Business Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to allow qualified employers under such Act to offer their employees enrollment in a health benefits plan under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program when fewer than two qualified health plans are offered through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP Exchange) and no multi-state qualified health plan is available under such Act.

Date: 2013-07-18
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Health Care Coverage for Displaced Workers Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for the health insurance coverage costs of certain taxpayers (i.e., Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation [PBGC] pension and trade adjustment assistance [TAA] recipients) and their dependents, to: (1) increase the rate of such credit from 72.5% to 80%, and (2) make such credit permanent.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Taxation
Exchange Verification of Eligibility to Receive Income-Related Funds for Individuals or the Requiring E-VERIFI Act - Declares that no premium tax credits or reductions in cost-sharing for the purchase of qualified health benefit plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) shall be permitted until the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) certifies to Congress that there is in place a program that successfully and consistently verifies, consistent with PPACA requirements, the household income and coverage requirements of individuals applying for such credits and cost-sharing reductions.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Taxation
Congressional Health Care for Seniors Act of 2013 - Allows access to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) beginning in 2015 for persons who would have been entitled to, or could have enrolled in part A (Hospital Insurance) Medicare benefits, or who could have enrolled in part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) Medicare.

States that a covered individual who elects to enroll in such program shall enroll as an individual and not as self and family.

Bases monthly premiums on adjusted gross income.

Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish procedures to ensure that health benefits plans coordinate with state Medicaid programs regarding cost-sharing and other medical assistance for covered individuals enrolled in health benefit plans who are also eligible for medical assistance and enrolled in a state Medicaid program.

Requires OPM, at the end of each contract year, to identify high risk individuals and pay to a carrier contracting to provide a health benefits plan to a high risk individual 90% of the benefits paid by the carrier for such individual.

Defines "high risk individual" as an enrolled individual who, of all individuals enrolled in a health benefits plan for the contract year, is in the highest 5% in terms of benefits paid by a carrier for the contract year.

Exempts health benefits plans from specified insurance requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Amends the Social Security Act to incrementally increase the Medicare qualifying age from 65 years to 70 years, by 2034, plus the number of months in a specified age increase factor.

Sunsets Medicare, on January 1, 2014, with a transition to FEHBP coverage. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make available to states recommendations with respect to specified requirements for health care entities and individuals under Medicare that will no longer apply but that should be considered on the state level.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Long-Term Care Insurance Consumer Right-to-Know Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to issue a white paper with its results from the following activities: (1) review and describe disclosure requirements for long-term care insurance policies under the long-term care insurance model regulation and model act promulgated by NAIC (as adopted as of October 2000 and December 2006), (2) review and describe disclosure requirements for long-term care insurance policies under state laws, (3) review and describe differences in long-term care services among states and develop a standardized definition of long-term care services, and (4) identify and describe key issues to consider in the development of a proposed model form for marketing long-term care insurance policies.

Directs the Secretary to request NAIC to: (1) establish a Working Group to develop and issue a model disclosure form for marketing long-term care insurance policies, and (2) amend the model regulation and model act to require the use of such form.

Requires the Secretaries of the Treasury and HHS to promulgate regulations requiring issuers of a qualified long-term care insurance contract under certain tax-qualified or Medicaid Partnership policies to use the model form for marketing such contracts.

Directs each state to require any issuer of a long-term care insurance policy to use the model form for marketing a policy.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Long Term Care Insurance Integrity Act of 2013 - Requires an insurance issuer that offers a long-term care insurance plan to implement claims dispute resolution procedures that: (1) are designed to expeditiously resolve disputes; (2) provide for alternative means of dispute resolution involving independent third-party review by entities that are mutually acceptable to the issuer and the enrollee, with the reviewer's decision being binding on the issuer; and (3) ensure that an enrollee is eligible to obtain claims review only to the extent and in the manner provided for in the applicable insurance contract. Allows an enrollee to appeal the decision of an independent reviewer to an appropriate state court as provided for under state law.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Union Bailout Prevention Act of 2013 - Declares that no refundable premium assistance tax credits (subsidies) for coverage under a qualified health plan under the Internal Revenue Code, or reductions in cost-sharing under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), shall be permitted with respect to an individual for health insurance coverage provided pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement involving one or more employers (Taft-Hartley plan).

Amends PPACA to exclude Taft-Hartley plans from the meaning of "qualified health plan."

Date: 2013-09-09
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Taxation
Fairness for American Families Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), to delay until 2015 the requirement that individuals maintain minimal essential health care coverage.

Authority for Mandate Delay Act - Amends PPACA to delay until 2015 enforcement of requirements that large employers offer their full-time employees the opportunity to enroll in minimum essential coverage. Delays the effective date of related reporting requirements for such employers and for providers of minimum essential coverage.

Date: 2013-09-09
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Expands eligibility for reimbursement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for emergency medical treatment furnished in a non-VA facility to include veterans that were unable to receive care from the VA within the 24-month period preceding such treatment because of a waiting period imposed by the VA with respect to a new patient examination.

Date: 2013-10-28
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Exchange Information Disclosure Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to expand reporting requirements related to health care exchanges. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish reports weekly through March 31, 2015, on: (1) consumer interactions with healthcare.gov or subsequent sites and any efforts undertaken to remedy problems that impact taxpayers and consumers, (2) calls to the federal customer service call center, including the number of calls received by the call center, problems identified by users, and referrals of those calls; (3) all navigators and certified application counselors that have been trained and certified by health care exchanges; and (4) all agents and brokers who have been trained and certified by the federal health care exchange.

Date: 2013-10-28
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Veterans Health Care Eligibility Expansion and Enhancement Act of 2013 - Modifies provisions relating to health care services for veterans to: (1) require (currently, authorize) the Secretary of the Veterans Administration (VA) to furnish health care services to veterans who do not qualify under existing VA programs for veterans with a service-connected disability or other impairment; (2) require the enrollment in VA health care programs by December 31, 2014, of veterans who do not have a service-connected disability rating; (3) extend the period of the eligibility of veterans with certain combat service to enroll in VA health care programs; (4) limit requirements for providing hospital care, nursing home care, extended care services, and prescription medications to veterans based upon the amount provided in advance in appropriation Acts; and (5) revise criteria for treating veterans as low-income families based upon location and income factors for purposes of enrollment in VA health care programs.

Directs the VA Secretary to: (1) use the VA capitation-based resource allocation model (provides for the allocation of health care services based on factors such as population, patient age and sex, and financial need) in entering into contracts for furnishing health care services; (2) afford priority for entry into contracts for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Community Health Centers; and (3) modify guidance for VA health care services contracts to incorporate best practices in such contracts.

Date: 2013-10-29
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Keeping the Affordable Care Act Promise Act - Permits individuals to continue their individual health insurance coverage in which they are enrolled on December 31, 2013, if they meet requirements applied to such coverage, unless the health insurance issuer cancels all coverage offered in the individual market and ceases operations as a health insurance issuer. Deems such coverage: (1) as a grandfathered health plan under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and (2) to be minimum essential health coverage.

Amends PPACA to require health insurance issuers in the individual market annually, at the time of enrollment and renewal, to provide enrollees with a notice that states: (1) the reasons that such coverage, if applicable, does not meet the requirements under PPACA for a qualified health plan, including citations to the requirements involved; (2) that the enrollee has the right to continue to enroll in such coverage; and (3) that the enrollee has the right to enroll in a qualified health plan offered through a health care exchange and instructions on how to access the exchange.

Requires a health insurance issuer's cancellation notice for individual health insurance coverage to contain a statement of the reasons for the cancellation, including a reference to any provision of PPACA that the issuer relied upon in making the determination to cancel. Exempts from this notice requirement a health plan that has provided, before enactment of this Act, a notification of cancellation that has not yet taken effect. Allows an enrollee to continue coverage under the plan if the issuer continues to offer it, and the issuer shall provide a subsequent notification to the enrollee that states: (1) that such plan will remain in effect at the enrollee's option, and (2) the reasons that the plan does not otherwise meet PPACA requirements for a qualified health plan.

Date: 2013-11-04
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Provider Tax Administrative Simplification Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to approve a waiver of the uniform tax requirement (whether or not the tax is broad based), regardless of whether the state concerned satisfies certain requirements, for any state with a provider tax that does not apply to continuing care retirement communities or life care communities that: (1) have no beds certified to provide medical assistance under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, or (2) do not provide services for which Medicaid payment may be made.

Date: 2013-11-06
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
ACA Enrollment Extension Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to revise the initial open enrollment period provided by a health care exchange so that the period closes on a date that is the later of: (1) May 31, 2014, or (2) a later date determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) after considering the progress made on improving the functionality of the federally-facilitated health insurance marketplace and related factors.

Provides similar terms for initial or special enrollment periods applicable to other health insurance coverage in the individual market.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt individuals, for taxable year 2014, from the penalty for not maintaining minimum essential coverage for any month ending prior to the enrollment period closing date determined by the Secretary under this Act.

Date: 2013-11-13
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Continuous Coverage Act - Provides that, notwithstanding any provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010:

 a health insurance issuer shall offer an individual the opportunity to renew enrollment in coverage offered in the individual market if the individual was enrolled in such coverage on September 30, 2013, and continues to meet the requirements of eligibility for such coverage; an individual may renew enrollment in such coverage for plan years through December 31, 2015; the coverage shall not be required to meet PPACA essential health benefits requirements; and the coverage shall be deemed to meet the Internal Revenue Code minimum essential coverage requirement (thus not subjecting the taxpayer to a penalty).

Date: 2013-11-13
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
State Health Care Choice Act - Authorizes a state to limit the application of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) with respect to health insurance coverage within that state by enacting a law that: (1) expresses the intent of the state to opt out of one or more of the provisions of PPACA, (2) contains a list of the provisions that will not apply to the state, and (3) either expresses the state's intent to continue to administer health coverage-related laws as in effect in the state on March 23, 2010, or provides for the implementation of related state laws enacted after such date.

Sets forth provisions that may be made inapplicable within a state, including provisions related to health coverage, essential health benefits, health insurance exchanges, alternative health plans established by states, individual and employer health coverage requirements, interoperable protocols for enrollment in federal and state health and human service programs, and expansion of Medicaid coverage.

Date: 2013-11-14
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act - Repeals the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and administer a program of risk corridors for calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016 under which a qualified health plan offered in the individual or small group market is required to participate in a payment adjustment system based on the ratio of the allowable costs of the plan to the plan's aggregate premiums.

Date: 2013-11-19
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health
Expanded Consumer Choice Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide a new "copper" level of coverage under qualified health plans, designed to provide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to 50% of the full actuarial value of the benefits provided under the plan. Requires cost-sharing under such a plan to exceed the amount applicable to a plan at the bronze level.

Requires the Secretary of Health Human Services (HHS) to promulgate regulations providing for annual limits on deductibles and cost-sharing for copper-level plans to ensure that the limits are reasonable for every marketplace and to consider the feasibility of the relative plan design in each local insurance marketplace.

Allows qualification of copper-level plans as multi-state plans.

Date: 2013-11-19
Topic: Health (Insurance)
Subject: Health