zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Kidney Care Quality and Education Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish demonstration projects to: (1) increase public awareness about the factors that lead to chronic kidney disease, how to prevent it, how to treat it, and how to avoid kidney failure, as well as enhance surveillance systems and expand research to better assess the prevalence and incidence of kidney disease; and (2) enable individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) to develop self-management skills. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for Medicare coverage of kidney disease patient education services. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish blood flow monitoring demonstration projects; and (2) arrange with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the barriers to increasing the number of individuals with ESRD who elect to receive home dialysis services or other treatment modalities under Medicare. Sets forth required training for patient care dialysis technicians.Directs the Secretary to establish an independent, multidisciplinary, nonpartisan End-Stage Renal Disease Advisory Committee. Establishes the annual update framework for the Medicare ESRD composite rate. Directs the Secretary to establish a three-year continuous quality improvement initiative under which quality payments are provided to renal dialysis facilities, providers of services, and physicians that: (1) provide items and services to individuals with ESRD enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); and (2) meet quality benchmarks and demonstrate quality improvements. Requires the Secretary to make quality incentive payments to facilities and providers whose services to individuals with ESRD have substantially improved or exceeded a certain threshold. Extends Medicare as secondary payer with respect to individuals with ESRD.

Date: 2007-02-27
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Equity and Fairness in Fee-for-Service Reimbursement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a system for making adjustments to the amount of payment made to providers of services and health care professionals for services provided under the original Medicare fee-for-service program, with specified formulae for states whose average per beneficiary amount is: (1) greater than 100% of the national average; or (2) less than 100% of the national average. Provides for a three year phase-in of such rates.

Date: 2007-02-27
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide funds to States to enable them to increase the wages paid to targeted direct support professionals in providing services to individuals with disabilities under the Medicaid program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, to audit a sample from among the States in order to assess the effectiveness of progress made in reducing or eliminating the wage gap between targeted and reference direct support professionals through funds under this Act.Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the wage equalization and recruitment and retention of direct support professionals who are providing services and supports to individuals with disabilities.

Date: 2007-03-01
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medigap Access Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for guaranteed issue of replacement Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policies for beneficiaries under age 65 upon first enrolling under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of Medicare.

Date: 2007-03-01
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to limitations on payments for physicians' imaging services. Renames the imaging services concerned advanced diagnostic imaging services. Eliminates X-ray and ultrasound (including echocardiography) services from payment limitations for such services. Confines existing payment limitations to diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET) (all specified under current law), plus nuclear cardiology procedures. Imposes a two-year moratorium, however, on the application of existing payment limitations for such services. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on patient access and service issues relating to the availability and quality of advanced diagnostic imaging services in physician offices and freestanding clinics that would have resulted (but for the moratorium declared by this Act) from payment changes made under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.

Date: 2007-03-01
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Advanced Laboratory Diagnostics Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) correction of erroneous determinations and other changes in fee schedule and national limitation amounts for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests; (2) issuance of regulations on gap-filling methodology in determining the Medicare fee schedule for such tests; (3) increased transparency of the process for determining fee schedule amounts for new tests; and (4) mandatory advance notice of clinical diagnostic laboratory test amounts being considered for adjustment under inherent reasonableness authority. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a demonstration project to evaluate new approaches to coding and payment under the Medicare program for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests; and (2) appoint a standing panel to determine tests to be included in the project and make recommendations derived from project results to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Date: 2007-03-05
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act - 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 medical centers and clinics to be carried out at: (1) no fewer than 75 medical centers by December 31, 2009; and (2) all medical centers by December 31, 2011.

Date: 2007-03-12
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Fair and Speedy Treatment (FAST) of Medicare Prescription Drug Claims Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require prompt payment of clean claims to pharmacies by prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PD Plans). Defines "prompt payment" as within 14 calendar days from submission for claims submitted electronically, and within 30 calendar days for claims submitted otherwise. Requires payment of interest, also, if a payment is not issued, mailed, or otherwise transmitted within the applicable number of calendar days.Makes it unlawful for a PDP sponsor to display on any explanatory prescription drug information and enrollee cards the name, brand, or trademark (co-branding) of any pharmacy.

Date: 2007-03-12
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and federal civil service law relating to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to cover qualified acupuncturist services.

Date: 2007-03-12
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize qualified physical therapists to provide services for Medicare beneficiaries without the requirement of a physician referral. Provides for treatment of outpatient speech-language pathology services separately from outpatient physical therapy services.

Date: 2007-03-15
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Rural Health Services Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require Medicare Advantage organizations to provide for a payment rate for critical access hospital services and rural health clinic services that is: (1) at least the applicable payment rate established under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for such services; or (2) 103% of the otherwise applicable payment rate, if the critical access hospital or the rural health clinic determines appropriate.

Date: 2007-03-19
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.

Date: 2007-03-22
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Amends part D (Miscellaneous) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to define outpatient speech-language pathology services.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Alzheimer's Family Assistance Act of 2007- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a phased-in tax credit ($1,000 in 2007 increasing by $500 each year until allowing $3,000 in 2011) for family caregivers of spouses and dependents who have long-term care needs; (2) allow a tax deduction for long-term care insurance premiums; and (3) apply certain consumer protection standards to long-term care insurance contracts.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Taxation
Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) on a reasonable cost basis for anesthesia services furnished by a physician who is an anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payment is made for anesthesia services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals.

Date: 2007-04-17
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Post-Prostate Cancer Treatment Equity Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to require a group health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits with respect to prostate cancer treatment to provide coverage for: (1) all stages of reconstructive prosthetic urology surgery; and (2) prostheses and physical complications of prostatectomy. Requires plans to provide notice of the coverage.Prohibits a group health plan from: (1) denying to a patient eligibility or continued eligibility solely to avoid the requirements of this Act; or (2) penalizing or otherwise reducing or limiting the reimbursement of a provider or providing incentives to induce such provider to provide care to a participant or beneficiary in a manner inconsistent with this Act.Applies such requirements to coverage offered in the individual market.

Date: 2007-04-17
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Hearing Enhancement and Auditory Rehabilitation (HEAR) Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services under the Medicare program.

Date: 2007-04-18
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Optometric Equity in Medicaid Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require Medicaid coverage of medical and surgical services of optometrists that are otherwise covered when furnished by a physician.

Date: 2007-04-20
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Contact Lens Consumer Health Protection Act - Amends the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act to require the seller to provide the prescriber with a toll-free telephone number and email address for questions relating to a contact lens prescription verification request. Revises the verification event in which a prescription is verified if the prescriber fails to communicate with the seller within eight business hours, or a similar time as defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), after receiving required patient and prescription information from the seller to provide that, if a prescriber communicates a question or concern to a seller through such toll-free telephone service or dedicated email address before such eight-hour period has ended, the seller must obtain affirmative confirmation of the accuracy of the prescription from the prescriber before the prescription is considered verified. Authorizes a prescriber to make a written request to a seller that all contact lens prescription verification requests be communicated by a preferred method of communication, including telephone, facsimile, or email. Prohibits any seller of contact lenses from overfilling a prescription. Authorizes fines for violations of this Act in amount up to $100,000 per violation.

Date: 2007-04-24
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Commerce
Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to place limitations on mandatory overtime for nurses, prohibit retaliation against them in any manner with respect to any aspect of employment, and establish civil money penalties for violations of this Act.Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on standards to establish for the maximum number of hours that a nurse may work without compromising the safety of patients.Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to study and report to Congress on the extent to which federally operated medical facilities have in effect practices and policies for overtime requirements for nurses that are inconsistent with the requirements added by this Act.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Rural Health Services Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require Medicare Advantage organizations to provide for a payment rate for critical access hospital services and rural health clinic services that is: (1) at least the applicable payment rate established under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for such services; or (2) 103% of the otherwise applicable payment rate, if the critical access hospital or the rural health clinic determines appropriate.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Ambulance Payment Extension Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide an additional 5% increase in Medicare payments for ground ambulance services furnished on or after January 1, 2008, and before January 1, 2010.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable income tax credit of up to $500 for the purchase of a qualified hearing aid for an individual who is either: (1) age 55 or older; or (2) is claimed as a dependent of the taxpayer.

Date: 2007-05-15
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Taxation
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to create an exception to the 60-day limit on Medicare reciprocal billing arrangements in the case of arrangements between two physicians over a longer continuous period during all of which one of them is ordered to active duty as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces.Applies this exception to medical services provided before January 1, 2008.

Date: 2007-05-22
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Essential Oral Health Care Act of 2007 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to up to six entities to participate as pilot sites for the Community Dental Health Coordinator model developed as a new mid-level allied dental professional who will work in underserved communities where residents have no or limited access to oral health care. Requires the Secretary also to award grants to eligible entities to: (1) purchase portable or mobile dental equipment; and (2) pay for appropriate operational costs for the provision of free dental services to underserved populations. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) and title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)) to provide for an increase in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for states implementing requirements that ensure that children enrolled in the state Medicaid plan and/or SCHIP have access to oral health care services to the same extent as such services are available to the pediatric population of the state. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the donation of qualified dental services to qualified low income individuals.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish new separate fee schedule areas for physicians' services in states with multiple fee schedule areas to improve Medicare physician geographic payment accuracy.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of certain medical mobility devices approved as a class III medical device pursuant to a premarket approval application under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Secondary Payer and Workers' Compensation Settlement Agreements Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) create an exception to Medicare secondary payer requirements for certain workers' compensation settlement agreements; and (2) provide for the satisfaction of such requirements through use of qualified Medicare set-asides under workers' compensation settlement agreements.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to the formula for calculating payments for physicians' services. Resets to 2007 the base year for application of the sustainable growth rate formula, which shall be eliminated in 2010. Extends the current quality reporting system. Amends the Medicare Improvement and Extension Act of 2006 to extend and increase transitional bonus incentive payments. Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a new physician quality incentive system; and (2) create standards for health information technology (HIT) payment incentives. Amends SSA title XI to create safe harbors to antikickback and civil and criminal penalties for provision of HIT and training services. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the impact of such safe harbors. Amends SSA title XVIII to create an exception to the limitation on certain physician referrals for the provision of HIT and training services to health care professionals. Directs the Secretary to report annually to: (1) each physician information on the physician's total Medicare billings; and (2) each individual entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) on the amount of Medicare payments made to or on behalf of the individual during the year involved. Directs the Secretary to collect data on annual savings in expenditures in the Medicare program due to physicians' services that resulted in hospital or in-patient diversion. Requires the Board of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to monitor and examine the extent to which the different funding mechanisms under Medicare parts A, B, and D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) provide an appropriate alignment with the program goals of the respective parts. Directs the Secretary to arrange for a study of price inputs and relative values for physicians' services recommended by the AMA/Speciality Society Relative Value Unit Scale Update Committee process. Requires the Secretary to provide for a study of, and report to Congress on, health care disparities in high-risk health condition areas and minority communities with respect to the impact reporting requirements may have on physician penetration in such communities. Amends SSA title XVIII to accelerate the deadline for nationwide implementation of the recovery audit contractor element of the Medicare Integrity Program.

Date: 2007-06-06
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from collecting a copayment from a veteran being furnished inpatient or outpatient hospice care by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Date: 2007-06-07
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
District of Columbia Loan Repayment Equity Technical Amendment of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include the District of Columbia as an eligible jurisdiction under a grant program for states to provide educational loan repayment to health professionals in exchange for the provision of primary health services in health professional shortage areas.

Date: 2007-06-07
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Dietary Supplement Tax Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat amounts paid for foods for special dietary use, dietary supplements, and medical foods as medical expenses for purposes of the medical expense tax deduction.

Date: 2007-06-14
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Taxation
HIV Emergency Local Partnership Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities located in communities in which racial or ethnic minorities comprise a majority of the population to provide comprehensive HIV/AIDS service to racial and ethnic minorities in such communities. Directs the Secretary to continue funding grants awarded through the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiatives of the Health Resources and Services Administration until the Secretary begins to provide funds for such initiative through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006. Excludes amounts expended for medical assistance for individuals with HIV/AIDS when calculating the caps for Medicaid payments to territories.

Date: 2007-06-15
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the area wage index for hospitals located in certain rural areas with respect to discharges on or after October 1, 2007, to be not less than the index applicable during FY2007. Requires the area wage index for a home health agency located in an urban area in New Hampshire to be not less than the area wage index for a rural area in such state.

Date: 2007-06-15
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Voluntary Medicare Quality Reporting Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to evaluate the quality reporting system under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act as applied for 2007 before transition to a new voluntary Medicare quality reporting system. Allows eligible professionals to continue to report to the Secretary specified quality measures for covered professional services in order for the Secretary to refine systems for reporting them. Prohibits use of the Physician Assistance and Quality Initiative Fund for quality reporting bonus payments in 2008. Specifies quality measures for covered professional services for the voluntary Medicare quality reporting program. Revises requirements for medical registry-based reporting of quality measures. Directs the Secretary to treat quality measures data as confidential, unavailable to any other party or person. Shields such data from discovery or admission into evidence in any federal or state civil judicial or administrative proceeding.

Date: 2007-06-15
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Reconstructive Surgery Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan that provide coverage for surgery to also cover reconstructive surgery, including medically-necessary treatment for preoperative and postoperative care. Defines "reconstructive surgery" as any medically necessary and appropriate surgery performed to correct or repair abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease to: (1) improve functions; or (2) give the patient a normal appearance. Excludes cosmetic surgery that is performed to alter or reshape normal structures of the body in order to improve appearance. Applies such requirements to health insurance coverage offered in the individual market.

Date: 2007-06-21
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Diabetic Footwear Quality Restoration Act of 2005 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to terminate the reduction in Medicare payment for orthopedic shoes and inserts furnished to individuals with diabetes.

Date: 2007-06-27
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Family Building Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to require a group health plan that provides coverage for obstetrical services to include coverage for non-experimental treatment of infertility that is deemed appropriate by a participant or beneficiary and the treating physician. Requires coverage for assisted reproductive technology only if certain conditions are met. Prohibits a group health plan from taking specified actions to avoid the requirements of this Act.Applies such requirements to health insurance coverage offered in the individual market and coverage offered through Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) plans and Department of Defense health care plans.

Date: 2007-06-27
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Access to Community Health Centers (MATCH) Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the definition of "federally qualified health center services" to include ambulatory services furnished by a federally qualified health center (FQHC) for which payment may otherwise be made under Medicare if such services were furnished by a non-FQHC health care provider or health care professional employed by or under contract with an FQHC. Permits payment for hospital-based services. Provides for a Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for Medicare-covered services provided by FQHCs.

Date: 2007-06-28
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to create an exception to the 60-day limit on Medicare reciprocal billing arrangements in the case of arrangements between two physicians over a longer continuous period during all of which one of them is ordered to active duty as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces.

Date: 2007-07-11
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise physician service fee schedule requirements, particularly the conversion factors in the formula for determining fees. Provides for separate conversion factors for service categories. Establishes specified update service categories and expenditure measurement categories. Prescribes a formula for establishing updates for conversion factors for update service categories. Replaces sustainable growth rates with service category growth rates Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the appropriate congressional committees after the end of any year in which actual expenditures exceeded allowed expenditures for such year and the preceding year for either of the expenditure measurement categories: (1) clinical diagnostic laboratory tests; or (2) drugs, biologicals, and radiopharmaceuticals. Requires an analysis of the reasons for such excess expenditures and recommendations for addressing them in the future.

Date: 2007-07-12
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Dental Health Promotion Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow reimbursement from flexible spending accounts for products used to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent the onset of tooth decay (caries), periodontal diseases, and conditions ailing the teeth, gums, and mouth, or affecting their functioning.

Date: 2007-07-19
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Taxation
Prenatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through either the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to authorize and oversee certain activities relating to Down syndrome or other prenatally diagnosed conditions, including the awarding of grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to: (1) collect, synthesize, and disseminate current scientific information; and (2) coordinate the provision of, and access to, supportive services for patients affected, which shall include a telephone hotline, an information clearinghouse, peer-support programs, and registries of families willing to adopt children affected by such conditions.Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to provide assistance to state and local heath departments to integrate the results of prenatal testing into state-based vital statistics and birth defects surveillance programs.Directs the Secretary to ensure that a provider is only able to participate in activities under this Act if it provides assurances that it will provide a patient receiving a positive result from a prenatal test with certain information, including: (1) up-to-date scientific information concerning the life expectancy, clinical course, and intellectual and functional development and treatment options for a fetus diagnosed with, or a child born with, such conditions; and (2) referrals to supportive service providers. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report to Congress concerning the effectiveness of current health care and family support programs serving as resources for the families of children with disabilities.

Date: 2007-07-19
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Enhanced Methamphetamine Treatment Grants Assistance Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to award grants for wraparound services, including medical services, job training service, housing assistance, and training in parenting, for methamphetamine infected individuals who: (1) resided in a residential treatment facility for the treatment of methamphetamine abuse or addiction; or (2) received treatment for methamphetamine abuse or addiction from an intensive outpatient treatment facility. Changes the program for substance abuse for pregnant and postpartum women to a program for treatment of substance abuse for caregiver parents, including pregnant women. Requires grantees to give priority to programs that provide services to caregiver parents who are pregnant and postpartum women.Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to award grants to assist local jails and detention facilities in providing comprehensive, family-based substance abuse treatment services to pregnant and parenting adults who are considered nonviolent offenders. Sets forth requirements if such a grant is used for a family drug treatment program that is an alternative to incarceration. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to award grants for services in connection with the treatment of methamphetamine use or addiction to underserved populations.Requires the Secretary, through the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, to conduct a study to identify and evaluate methamphetamine use and addiction treatment methodologies.

Date: 2007-07-23
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Safe Needle Disposal Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover as a part D drug any devices approved for home use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the safe and effective removal, decontamination, and disposal of needles and the disposal of needles and syringes through a sharps-by-mail or similar program as medically appropriate based on volume of usage.

Date: 2007-07-31
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Quality Health Care Coalition Act of 2007 - Exempts health care professionals that are negotiating with a health plan regarding contract terms under which the professionals provide health care items or services for which plan benefits are provided from federal antitrust laws in connection with such negotiations. Declares that this Act: (1) applies only to health care professionals excluded from the National Labor Relations Act; and (2) does not apply to such negotiations relating to Medicare or Medicaid programs, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), medical and dental care for members of the uniformed services, veterans' medical care, the federal employees health benefits program, or the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Treat Physicians Fairly Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow medical care providers a tax credit and hospitals a tax deduction for all uncompensated emergency medical care which is not paid within six months after such care is provided.

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Taxation
Catalyst to Better Diabetes Care Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to establish an outreach program to: (1) identify existing efforts to increase awareness of the diabetes and screening benefit among Medicare beneficiaries and providers; and (2) maximize economies of scale, cost-effectiveness, and resource allocation in increasing utilization of the Medicare diabetes screening program. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish an advisory group to examine and recommend best practices of chronic illness employee wellness incentivization and disease management programs. Directs the Secretary to prepare, biennially, a diabetes report card for the nation and for each state that: (1) is adaptable by state and local agencies in order to rate or report local diabetes care, costs, and prevalence; and (2) includes trend analysis in order to track progress in meeting established national goals and objectives and to inform policy and program development. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the collection, analysis, and publication of data on the prevalence and incidence of type 1 and 2 diabetes and of pre-diabetes. Requires such activities to include an assessment of diabetes as a primary or underlying cause of death. Allows the Secretary to promote the addition to death certificates of language to improve the collection of diabetes mortality data. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study of the impact of diabetes on the practice of medicine in the United Sates and the level of diabetes medical education that should be required prior to licensure, board certification, and board recertification.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Catalyst to Better Diabetes Care Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to: (1) review uptake and utilization of the Medicare diabetes screening benefit; (2) establish an outreach program to identify existing efforts to increase awareness of the diabetes screening benefit among Medicare beneficiaries and providers; and (3) maximize economies of scale, cost-effectiveness, and resource allocation in increasing utilization of the diabetes screening benefit. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish an advisory group to examine and recommend best practices of chronic illness employee wellness incentivization and disease management programs. Directs the Secretary to prepare, biennially, a diabetes report card for the nation and for each state. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) promote the education and training of physicians on how to properly complete birth and death certificates and the importance of such data; (2) encourage state adoption of the latest standard revisions of birth and death certificates; and (3) work with states to reengineer their vital statistics systems to provide cost-effective, timely, and vital systems data. Allows the Secretary to promote the addition to death certificates of language to improve the collection of diabetes mortality data. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study of the impact of diabetes on the practice of medicine in the United Sates and the level of diabetes medical education that should be required prior to licensure, board certification, and board recertification.

Date: 2007-09-17
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Vision Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand and intensify programs to increase awareness of vision problems. Directs the Secretary to expand and intensify: (1) activities to establish a solid scientific base of knowledge on the prevention, control, and rehabilitation of vision problems and related disabilities; (2) research within CDC on the prevention and management of vision loss; and (3) programs targeted to prevent vision loss, treat eye and vision conditions, and rehabilitate people of all ages who are blind or partially sighted in underserved and minority communities.Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to authorize appropriations to enable the Secretary to introduce core performance measures on eye health by incorporating vision screening and examination standards into state programs.Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for vision rehabilitation professional development.

Date: 2007-10-04
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover the services of a qualified respiratory therapist performed under the general supervision of a physician.

Date: 2007-10-25
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Provider Accountability Act - Directs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to: (1) take all necessary steps to participate in the Federal Payment Levy Program as soon as possible; and (2) ensure that at least 50% of all payments under parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act are processed through such program within one year of enactment of this Act, and all remaining payments within two years.Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to offset Medicare provider payments by the amount of the provider's delinquent federal debt.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make notice and opportunity for hearing before levy requirements inapplicable if the Secretary of the Treasury has approved a levy on specified (Medicare provider) payments.

Date: 2007-12-05
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the limitiation on actual charges to a beneficiary under Medicare for services by a nonparticipating physician or nonparticipating supplier or other person who does not accept payment on an assignment-related basis for a physician's service. Prohibits a state from imposing a limit on the amount of charges, in relation to recognized payment amounts under any health plan or otherwise, a physician may impose for services furnished. Preempts any such limit.

Date: 2007-12-17
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Wound Therapy Patient Protection Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exempt from the Medicare competitive acquisition program negative pressure wound therapy pumps and related supplies and accessories, until the Secretary can validate, using a panel of wound care clinical experts, the clinical comparability of all such products.

Date: 2007-12-18
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Accountability and Transparency in Medicare Marketing Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to develop standardized marketing requirements for Medicare Advantage organizations with respect to Medicare Advantage plans and prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors with respect to Medicare PDPs. Requires such requirements to prohibit certain activities including the cross-selling of non-Medicare products or services with products or services offered by a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare PDP. Provides for state certification prior to waiver of licensing requirements under the Medicare PDP. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to request NAIC to establish a committee to study and make recommendations to the Secretary and Congress on the establishment of standardized benefit packages for Medicare Advantage plans and for Medicare PDPs and their regulation.

Date: 2007-12-18
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Medicare Wound Therapy Patient Protection Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exempt from the Medicare competitive acquisition program negative pressure wound therapy pumps and related supplies and accessories, until the Secretary can validate, using a panel of wound care clinical experts, the clinical comparability of all such products.

Date: 2008-01-15
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
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: 2008-01-29
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, with respect to Medicare payments for physicians' services through 2009. Revises the update to the single conversion factor in the formula for determination of such payments to make it: (1) 1% for the period between July 1, 2008, and December 31, 2008; and (2) 1.8% for all of 2009.

Date: 2008-02-14
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (the Act), with respect to the formula for calculating payments for physicians' services. Resets to 2007 the base year for application of the sustainable growth rate formula, which shall be eliminated in 2010. Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as amended by the Act, to extend the current transitional bonus payments. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a reporting system for quality measures relating to physicians' services that focus on disease-specific high cost conditions. Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to create standards for health information technology (HIT) payment incentives. Amends SSA title XI to create safe harbors to antikickback and civil and criminal penalties for provision of HIT and training services. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the impact of such safe harbors. Amends SSA title XVIII to create an exception to the limitation on certain physician referrals for the provision of HIT and training services to health care professionals. Directs the Secretary to report annually to: (1) each physician information on the physician's total Medicare billings; and (2) each individual entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) on the amount of Medicare payments made to or on behalf of the individual during the year involved.Directs the Secretary to collect data on annual savings in expenditures in the Medicare program due to physicians' services that resulted in hospital or in-patient diversion.Requires the Board of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to monitor and examine the extent to which the different funding mechanisms under Medicare parts A, B, and D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) provide an appropriate alignment with the program goals of the respective parts.Directs the Secretary to arrange for a study of price inputs and relative values for physicians' services recommended by the AMA/Speciality Society Relative Value Unit Scale Update Committee process. Requires the Secretary to provide for a study of, and report to Congress on, health care disparities in high-risk health condition areas and minority communities with respect to the impact reporting requirements may have on physician penetration in such communities.

Date: 2008-03-06
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health
Make Our Veterans Smile Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, beginning on January 1, 2009, to provide non-service-connected dental services and treatment and related dental appliances to all veterans with a service-connected disability. (Current law requires the Secretary to provide such services and treatment only to veterans with service-connected disabilities rated as total.)

Date: 2008-03-12
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2008 - Amends part A of title XI of the Social Security Act to require quarterly transparency reports to the Secretary of Health and Human Services of payments to physicians or their employers, or to a covered organization in which a physician has a significant professional membership interest, by manufacturers of covered drugs, devices, or medical supplies under titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), or XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)) of the Social Security Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit tax deductions for the advertising, promotion, or marketing by manufacturers of drugs, devices, and medical supplies on whom a penalty is imposed for failing to meet the requirements of this Act.

Date: 2008-03-13
Topic: Health (Insurance Providers)
Subject: Health