zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Special Disability Workload Liability Resolution Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with each state to reach an agreement on the amount of a payment for the state related to the Medicare program liability under title XVIII of the Social Security Act as a result of the Special Disability Workload project. (The special workload was the result of discovering a substantial number of recipients of Supplemental Security Income [SSI] benefits whose disability insured status under the title II [OASDI] Disability Insurance program was not previously recognized.) Prohibits any such payment to a state unless it: (1) waives the right to file a civil action (or to be a party to any action) in federal or state court in which the relief sought includes a payment to the state from the United States related to such Medicare liability; and (2) releases the United States from any further claims for reimbursement of state expenditures as a result of the Special Disability Workload project.

Date: 2009-06-12
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Project 2020: Building on the Promise of Home and Community-Based Services Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a single-entry point system of grants to states for their own single-entry point systems providing information and counseling about public and private long-term services and supports. Directs the Secretary to establish a healthy living program, with grants to state agencies for the federal share of the cost of carrying out evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion programs. Directs the Secretary to establish a diversion program of grants to states for the federal share of the cost of carrying out enhanced nursing home diversion programs enabling individuals ineligible for medical assistance under SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to avoid admission into nursing homes by helping them to obtain alternative home and community-based long-term services and supports.

Date: 2009-06-12
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Kenny Callahan Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to waive the waiting periods for Social Security disability and Medicare (SSA title XVIII) coverage of certain terminally ill individuals.

Date: 2009-06-15
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue, for the duration of any state waiver effective as of December 31, 2008, Medicaid spousal income and resource (impoverishment) protections for spouses of beneficiaries receiving home- and community-based services under such a waiver parallel to protections afforded spouses of nursing home residents.

Date: 2009-06-25
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage of advanced illness care management services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through grants or contracts, to conduct a national public education campaign on planning for care near the end of life, including advance directives. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a national, toll-free information telephone line and a clearinghouse regarding advance directive and end-of-life decisions. Directs the Secretary to establish the Senior Navigation Advisory Board. Requires physicians and nurse practitioners to inform individuals with specified diseases about advance directives and other end-of-life planning tools. Requires a service provider, Medicare Advantage organization, or prepaid or eligible organization to give effect to an advance directive executed outside the state in which such directive is presented (portability). Requires medical providers to honor written orders for medical care. Provides incentive payments to hospitals for accreditation and certification in hospice and palliative care. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pilot program under Medicare to test the use of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services discharge checklist. Directs the Secretary to establish or designate an Office on Medicare/Medicaid Integration. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a website providing information, online training, and instructional materials for entities, including faith-based organizations, on end-of-life issues. Authorizes grants to such entities to develop such training and materials. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to entities to develop and provide services for terminally ill individuals who are receiving hospice care in their own homes. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the storage of advance directives, and the Comptroller General to study and report on the provisions of this Act.

Date: 2009-07-10
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Independent Living Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the in-the-home restriction for Medicare coverage of mobility devices for individuals with expected long-term needs. Deems such devices to be durable medical equipment (DME) if they are used in customary settings for the purpose of normal domestic, vocational, or community activities.

Date: 2009-07-13
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Home Oxygen Therapy Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise Medicare coverage and reimbursement requirements for home oxygen therapy services, providing separate coverage of home oxygen therapy services and payment for such services based on a single bundled payment rate.

Date: 2009-07-15
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare and Medicaid Access Project through Information Technology (MAP IT) Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish at least one two-year project to demonstrate the impact of health information technology on chronic disease management under the Medicare and Medicaid programs under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act.

Date: 2009-07-29
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Tax Relief for Working Caregivers Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase from $15,000 to $75,000 the taxpayer adjusted gross income amount at which the tax credit for household and dependent care expenses is phased down; (2) allow such credit for a physically or mentally incapacitated parent (or an ancestor of such parent) of the taxpayer who is a dependent of such taxpayer; and (3) allow an inflation adjustment after 2010 to the maximum dollar limitation for such credit. Makes permanent the increases in the tax credit for household and dependent care expenses enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA).

Date: 2009-07-30
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Medicare Hospice Reform and Savings Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise payments and coverage for hospice care under the Medicare program. Prescribes conditions for recovery by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) of repayment demands from a hospice program for any accounting year during the four-year period ending on October 31, 2009. Requires the Secretary to issue evidence-based national coverage determinations for life expectancies covering at least each of those terminal medical diagnoses currently covered by Local Coverage Determinations promulgated by Medicare's fiscal intermediaries. Directs the Secretary to restore the application (and reduce the phase out) of the budget neutrality adjustment factor in the Medicare hospice wage index for FY2010-FY2013 in a manner that will result in an aggregate increase in Medicare expenditures equivalent to the aggregate reductions in expenditures resulting from the issuance of the national coverage determinations.

Date: 2009-07-31
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Preserving Equitable Access to Community-based Home Health (PEACH) Act of 2009 - Establishes the PEACH fund from which home health agencies meeting specified criteria shall be paid supplemental amounts in addition to their statutory payment amounts under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA). Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make supplemental payments to certain community-based home health agencies that the Secretary has designated as PEACH agencies for estimated shortfalls due to providing uncompensated care.

Date: 2009-07-31
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Hospice Support Act of 2009 - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to eliminate phase out of the Medicare hospice budget neutralilty adjustment factor.

Date: 2009-10-15
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a five-year pilot program, in five rural states, under which the Secretary trains and then assigns a specific Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) case manager to each veteran diagnosed with traumatic brain injury who is receiving care in a VA facility in that state.

Date: 2009-11-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Benefit Rating Acceleration for Veteran Entitlements Act of 2009 - Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to treat as a disability for OASDI and SSI disability payment purposes any service-connected total disability, as rated and certified by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Applies the same treatment to related child's insurance and widow's and widower's insurance benefits.

Date: 2009-11-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Social welfare
Long-Term Care Insurance Disclosure Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a national model disclosure form for marketing long-term care insurance policies. Sets minimum requirements for such form, including that it: (1) use standard, plain language for purposes of explaining covered services and benefits and restrictions; (2) use standard, consistent definitions for coverage of services and benefits; (3) provide for a standard, consistent disclosure of key provisions, such as monthly premiums, the maximum daily or monthly benefit, and the extent to which benefit amounts will be adjusted for inflation; and (4) have a standard, consistent format with respect to font, color, and type size to allow for easy comparison and not exceed one single-sided page. Requires the Secretaries of the Treasury and HHS to promulgate regulations requiring issuers of qualified long-term care insurance contracts to use such form for marketing such contracts.

Date: 2009-11-16
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Together We Care Act of 2009 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a pilot program to make grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for the training of public housing residents as home health aides and providers of home-based health services to enable them to provide covered home-based health services (i.e., services for which medical assistance is available under a state Medicaid plan or for which financial assistance is available under this Act) to residents of: (1) public housing who are elderly or disabled, or both; and (2) federally-assisted rental housing who are elderly or disabled, or both, subject to criteria that the Secretary may establish.Authorizes the use of grant funds: (1) to establish or maintain and carry out a program to train public housing residents to provide covered home-based health care services to elderly and disabled public housing residents and to elderly and disabled residents of federally-assisted rental housing; (2) for the transportation and child care expenses of public housing residents in training; and (3) for the administrative expenses of carrying out such a program.Provides that for any resident of public housing who is trained as a home health aide or as a provider of home-based health services under the program, any income received for providing covered home-based health services shall apply towards eligibility for benefits under federal housing programs as specified, based on length of time following completion of the training.

Date: 2009-12-08
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Housing and community development
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner; (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law; (3) a certified nurse-midwife; or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.

Date: 2010-04-13
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Commission on Improving Long-Term Care and Community Services Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a commission designed to construct a comprehensive national strategy on how to increase the affordability, accessibility, and effectiveness of long-term care and community services in the United States and its territories. Requires the commission's policy recommendations to address economic, geographic, cultural, social, transportation, workforce, and other factors that limit access to quality home, community, and institutional services.

Date: 2010-04-29
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Caregiver Tax Relief Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow caregivers of family members or dependents with long-term care needs a refundable income-based tax credit of $2,500 for each such family member or dependent.

Date: 2010-06-09
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), to require each Medicare participating hospital to implement a hospital-wide staffing plan for nursing services furnished in the hospital. Requires the plan to require that an appropriate number of registered nurses provide direct patient care in each unit and on each shift of the hospital to ensure staffing levels that: (1) address the unique characteristics of the patients and hospital units; and (2) result in the delivery of safe, quality patient care consistent with specified requirements. Requires each participating hospital to establish a hospital nurse staffing committee which shall implement and oversee such plan. Specifies civil monetary and other penalties for violation of the requirements of this Act. Sets forth whistleblower protections against discrimination and retaliation involving patients or employees of the hospital for their grievances, complaints, or involvement in investigations relating to such plan.

Date: 2010-06-15
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Home Health Care Access Protection Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services and adjustments to it for case mix changes. Requires for years beginning with 2011 that any evaluation of case mix changes and any such adjustment be made using standards developed consistent with specified processes, taking certain criteria into account. Directs the Secretary to convene a Technical Advisory Group to advise on the development of such standards.

Date: 2010-07-21
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
LTC Insurance Reform Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to conduct reviews every five years of the national and state-specific markets for long-term care (LTC) insurance policies. Directs the Secretary to request the NAIC to review and describe in a White Paper: (1) disclosure requirements for LTC insurance policies under the Model Act and regulation as well as under state laws; (2) differences in LTC services with respect to service providers and the settings in which services are provided among states, among other things; and (3) key issues to consider in the development of a proposed form for marketing LTC insurance policies. Directs the Secretary to request the NAIC to establish a Working Group to develop a model disclosure form for marketing LTC insurance policies. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to promulgate regulations requiring any issuer of a qualified LTC insurance contract meeting certain criteria, including Medicaid partnership policies, to use the proposed model disclosure form for marketing such contracts. Requires each state to require any issuer of an LTC insurance policy to use the proposed model disclosure form when marketing it in the state. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to authorize establishment of an Internet directory of information regarding LTC insurance ("Long-Term Care Insurance Compare") that shall include comparison tools to assist consumers in evaluating LTC insurance policies with different benefits and features and that allow consumers to compare the price, long-term premium stability, and carrier financial strength of such policies. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to apply Medicaid partnership required model provisions to all tax-qualified LTC insurance contracts. Outlines a process for secretarial review of 2000 and 2006 model provisions as well as subsequent model provisions with respect to their application to tax-qualified LTC policies and Medicaid partnership policies. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to require the Secretary of HHS to issue biennial reports to states and Congress on Medicaid LTC insurance partnerships and their impact. Outlines additional consumer protections for Medicaid partnerships. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on whether all LTC insurance policies sold after a certain date should provide annual compound inflation protection.

Date: 2010-07-28
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Comprehensive Long-Term Care Support Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction from gross income (available for taxpayers who do not itemize deductions) for the cost of long-term care premiums for the taxpayer and certain family members, including the taxpayer's spouse, ancestors or lineal descendants, and siblings. Phases in the deduction by allowing the deduction of 50 percent of the cost of premiums in 2011, 75 percent in 2012, and 100 percent in 2013 or thereafter. Allows long-term care insurance as a benefit under tax-qualified cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements. Allows a tax credit for caregivers of individuals with long-term health care needs. Phases in a $3,000 credit amount for 2015 or thereafter, beginning with $1,000 in 2011, $1,500 in 2012, $2,000 in 2013, and $2,500 in 2014. Reduces the amount of the credit for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes over $75,000 ($150,000 for joint returns), adjusted for inflation after 2011.

Date: 2010-09-28
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to repeal the outpatient therapy cap.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Autonomy for Psychologists and Social Workers Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to remove the restriction that a clinical psychologist or clinical social worker provide services in a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility to a patient only under the care of a physician.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Empowered at Home Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise the income eligibility level for home and community-based (HCBS) services for elderly and disabled individuals. Gives states the option to provide HCBS services under a waiver to eligible individuals whose income does not exceed 300% of the supplemental security income (SSI) benefit rate. Gives states the option to provide HCBS waiver services to individuals for whom such services are likely to prevent, delay, or decrease the likelihood of an individual's need for institutionalized care. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award assistance grants to states electing to provide HCBS waiver services under Medicaid through the state plan amendment option. Reauthorizes Medicaid transformation grants at increased funding and specifies additional permissible uses to facilitate the provision of HCBS and other long-term care (LTC) services. Directs the Secretary to award grants on a competitive basis to eligible states to conduct an evidence- and community-based health promotion program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax deduction for premiums on qualified LTC insurance contracts; and (2) a tax credit for certain caregivers taking care of individuals with LTC needs. Revises requirements for the model regulation and model Act concerning LTC insurance consumer protections and the excise tax for failing to meet requirements for such protections. Amends SSA title XIX, with respect to treatment of the income and resources of HCBS waiver services recipients who would otherwise be institutionalized, to repeal the state option for (thus requiring) application to such individuals of spousal impoverishment protection requirements. Allows states to elect to exclude up to six months of the average cost of nursing facility services from an individual's assets or resources for purposes of eligibility for HCBS waiver services. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to revise certain data reporting forms and systems to ensure uniform and consistent state reporting under this Act. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on: (1) the provision of home health services under different state Medicaid plans; and (2) the extent to which states offer consumer self-direction of such services, or allow for other consumer-oriented policies with respect to them.

Date: 2009-02-13
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Fostering Independence Through Technology Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct pilot projects under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for the purpose of providing incentives to home health agencies to utilize home monitoring and communications technology.

Date: 2009-02-24
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Midwifery Care Access and Reimbursement Equity Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the coverage of and payment for certified midwife services. (Currently only certified nurse-midwife services are covered.)

Date: 2009-03-19
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act or the CLASS Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a national, voluntary disability insurance program (CLASS program) under which: (1) all employees are automatically enrolled, but are allowed to waive enrollment; (2) payroll deductions pay monthly premiums; and (3) two-tiered benefits are provided, based on the level of disability, to purchase nonmedical services and supports that the beneficiary needs to maintain independence. Establishes the Independence Fund within the Treasury. Requires the CLASS program to be treated for tax purposes in the same manner as a qualified long-term care insurance contract. Amends the Social Security Act to require each state to: (1) assess the extent to which personal care services providers are serving or able to serve as fiscal agents, employers, and providers of employment-related benefits for personal care attendant workers, who provide personal care services to individuals receiving benefits under this Act; (2) designate or create entities to serve such purposes; and (3) ensure that such entities will not negatively alter or impede existing programs, models, methods, or administration of service delivery that provide for consumer controlled or self-directed home and community services, impede the ability of individuals to direct and control their home and community services, or inhibit individuals from relying on family members for such services. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Personal Care Attendants Workforce Advisory Panel to examine and advise the Secretary and Congress on workforce issues related to personal care attendant workers. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a deduction for premiums paid for the CLASS program; (2) a credit CLASS program enrollees with low income; and (3) a credit for employers for the cost incurred to automatically enroll employees and withhold monthly premiums.

Date: 2009-03-25
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Long-Term Care Affordability and Security Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) include long-term care insurance as a benefit under tax-exempt employee benefit cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements; and (2) extend certain consumer protections under the long-term care insurance model regulation promulgated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to all contracts for long-term care insurance.

Date: 2009-03-25
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Medicare Rural Home Health Preservation Act of 2009 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, as amended by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, to require for episodes and visits ending on or after January 1, 2010, and before January 1, 2015, a 5% increase in the rate of payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for home health services furnished in a rural area.

Date: 2009-05-21
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Independent Living Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the in-the-home restriction for Medicare coverage of mobility devices for individuals with expected long-term needs. Deems such devices to be durable medical equipment (DME) if they are used in customary settings for the purpose of normal domestic, vocational, or community activities.

Date: 2009-06-04
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage of advanced illness care management services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through grants or contracts, to conduct a national public education campaign on planning for care near the end of life, including advance directives. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a national, toll-free information telephone line and a clearinghouse regarding advance directive and end-of-life decisions. Directs the Secretary to establish the Senior Navigation Advisory Board. Requires physicians and nurse practitioners to inform individuals with specified diseases about advance directives and other end-of-life planning tools. Requires a service provider, Medicare Advantage organization, or prepaid or eligible organization to give effect to an advance directive executed outside the state in which such directive is presented (portability). Requires medical providers to honor written orders for medical care. Provides incentive payments to hospitals for accreditation and certification in hospice and palliative care. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pilot program under Medicare to test the use of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services discharge checklist. Directs the Secretary to establish or designate an Office on Medicare/Medicaid Integration. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a website providing information, online training, and instructional materials for entities, including faith-based organizations, on end-of-life issues. Authorizes grants to such entities to develop such training and materials. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to entities to develop and provide services for terminally ill individuals who are receiving hospice care in their own homes. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the storage of advance directives, and the Comptroller General to study and report on the provisions of this Act.

Date: 2009-06-11
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Home and Community Balanced Incentives Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security to increase the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a balancing incentive payment state and any other state in which less than 50% of the total FY2009 expenditures for medical assistance for long-term services and supports (LTSS) are for non-institutionally-based (home and community-based) LTSS. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to states to: (1) support the development of a common national set of coding methodologies and databases related to the provision of home and community-based LTSS; and (2) make certain structural changes to the state Medicaid program. Directs the Secretary to develop specifications for standardization of: (1) reporting of assessment data for LTSS for each population served; and (2) outcomes measures that track assessment processes for LTSS for each such population that maintain and enhance individual function, independence, and stability. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to ensure that all states develop service systems that are designed to: (1) allocate resources for services in a manner that is responsive to the changing needs and choices of beneficiaries receiving home and community-based LTSS, and that provides strategies for beneficiaries receiving such services to maximize their independence; (2) provide the support and coordination needed for a beneficiary in need of such services to design an individualized, self-directed, community-supported life; and (3) improve coordination among all providers of such services under federally and state-funded programs. Directs the Secretary to assess, on an ongoing basis and based on measures specified by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the safety, quality, and outcomes of home and community-based LTSS. Changes from 150% of the poverty line to 300% of the supplemental security income (SSI) benefit rate the income eligibility level for providing home and community-based services under the state plan amendment option for elderly and disabled individuals. Authorizes additional state options to provide home and community-based services. Removes the limitation on the scope of services. Creates an eligibility category to provide full Medicaid benefits to individuals receiving home and community-based services under a state plan amendment. Applies spousal impoverishment protections to recipients of home and community-based services. Authorizes states to elect to exclude up to six months of the average cost of nursing facility services from assets or resources for home and community-based services eligibility determinations. Directs the Secretary to create a template to streamline the process of approving, monitoring, evaluating, and renewing state proposals to conduct a program that combines Medicaid waiver authorities into a single program under which the state provides home and community-based services to individuals based on individualized assessments and care plans.

Date: 2009-06-11
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Project 2020: Building on the Promise of Home and Community-Based Services Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a single-entry point system of grants to states for their own single-entry point systems providing information and counseling about public and private long-term services and supports. Directs the Secretary to establish a healthy living program, with grants to state agencies for the federal share of the cost of carrying out evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion programs. Directs the Secretary to establish a diversion program of grants to states for the federal share of the cost of carrying out enhanced nursing home diversion programs enabling individuals ineligible for medical assistance under SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to avoid admission into nursing homes by helping them to obtain alternative home and community-based long-term services and supports.

Date: 2009-06-11
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage of advanced illness care management services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through grants or contracts, to conduct a national public education campaign on planning for care near the end of life, including advance directives. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a national, toll-free information telephone line and a clearinghouse regarding advance directive and end-of-life decisions. Directs the Secretary to establish the Senior Navigation Advisory Board. Requires physicians and nurse practitioners to inform individuals with specified diseases about advance directives and other end-of-life planning tools. Requires a service provider, Medicare Advantage organization, or prepaid or eligible organization to give effect to an advance directive executed outside the state in which such directive is presented (portability). Requires medical providers to honor written orders for medical care. Provides incentive payments to hospitals for accreditation and certification in hospice and palliative care. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pilot program under Medicare to test the use of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services discharge checklist. Directs the Secretary to establish or designate an Office on Medicare/Medicaid Integration. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a website providing information, online training, and instructional materials for entities, including faith-based organizations, on end-of-life issues. Authorizes grants to such entities to develop such training and materials. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to entities to develop and provide services for terminally ill individuals who are receiving hospice care in their own homes. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the storage of advance directives, and the Comptroller General to study and report on the provisions of this Act.

Date: 2009-06-15
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Women's Medical Home Demonstration Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) establish a three-year women's medical home demonstration project to provide enhanced care to women receiving assistance under Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) focusing on specified medical conditions, including premature birth, cervical and breast cancer, menopause, and postpartum depression; (2) establish a Women's Medical Home Advisory Council; and (3) specify standards for certification of certain health care providers as women's medical homes. Defines a "women's medical home" as a physician-led practice, or advanced practice nurse-directed practice, that uses innovations to improve the management and coordination of women's health care and that meets specified standards. Sets forth project goals, including: (1) increasing cost efficiencies of health care delivery, access to appropriate health care services, and patient satisfaction; (2) decreasing inappropriate emergency room utilization, duplication of health care services, and health disparities; and (3) providing appropriate referrals to multidisciplinary services. Authorizes the Secretary to award planning or implementation grants to entities participating in the demonstration project.

Date: 2009-06-18
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Long Term Care Insurance Integrity Act of 2009 - 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: 2009-08-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Long-Term Care Insurance Consumer Right-to-Know Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to review and describe, and report to Congress on: (1) disclosure requirements for long-term care insurance policies under the long-term care insurance model regulation and Act promulgated by NAIC (as adopted as of October 2000 and December 2006); (2) disclosure requirements for long-term care insurance policies under state laws; (3) differences in long-term care services, providers, and settings among states; and (4) 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 Act to require the use of such form. Requires: (1) 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 such form for marketing such contracts; and (2) each state to require any issuer of a long-term care insurance policy to use such form when marketing such a policy in the state.

Date: 2009-08-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Reducing Emergency Department Utilization through Coordination and Empowerment Demonstration Program Act or the REDUCE Demonstration Program - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the REDUCE demonstration program under which the Secretary shall enter into agreements with states to provide for the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative approaches to coordinated care management and increased access to community support services for targeted beneficiaries under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act in order to reduce hospital admissions and the use of emergency health care services.

Date: 2009-10-14
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner; (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law; (3) a certified nurse-midwife; or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.

Date: 2009-11-20
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Caregiver Assistance and Relief Effort Act of 2010 or the CARE Act of 2010 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to increase and extend, through FY2014, the authorization of appropriations for the national family caregiver support program, including caregiver support programs for Native Americans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow caregivers a tax credit for family members with long-term care needs; (2) allow a tax deduction for long-term care insurance premiums; and (3) apply certain consumer protection provisions to long-term care insurance contracts.

Date: 2010-01-27
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Home Health Care Access Protection Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services and adjustments to it for case mix changes. Requires for 2011 and each subsequent year that any evaluation of case mix changes and any such adjustment be made using standards developed consistent with specified processes, taking certain criteria into account. Directs the Secretary to convene a Technical Advisory Group to advise on the development of such standards.

Date: 2010-05-05
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act of 2010 - Permits a home health agency to determine the most appropriate skilled service to make the initial assessment visit for an individual who: (1) is eligible for home health services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; but (2) does not require skilled nursing care as long as that skilled service is included as part of the plan of care for such services. Permits an occupational therapist to make the initial assessment visit in such a case if occupational therapy is included in such plan in the initial physician referral in conjunction with physical therapy or speech language pathology services.

Date: 2010-11-19
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Long-Term Care Insurance Reform Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to: (1) conduct reviews every five years of the national and state-specific markets for long-term care (LTC) insurance policies; (2) issue a white paper on disclosure requirements for LTC insurance policies, standardized definitions for LTC services, and issues related to the development of a proposed form for marketing LTC insurance policies; (3) establish a Working Group to develop a model disclosure form for marketing LTC insurance policies; and (4) incorporate such form into the Model Act and regulation. Sets forth requirements related to the use of the proposed model disclosure form for marketing LTC insurance policies, including requiring states to require issuers to use such forms. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to require the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information to establish an Internet directory of information regarding LTC insurance ("to be known as LTC Insurance Compare). Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require a state Medicaid plan to provide for the annual submission of data relating to functional criteria for the receipt of nursing facility services under the plan. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to apply Medicaid partnership required model provisions to all tax-qualified LTC insurance contracts. Outlines a process for secretarial review of model provisions adopted by NAIC with respect to their application to tax-qualified LTC policies and Medicaid partnership policies to determine if updating such provisions would improve consumer protections for insured individuals. Applies 2006 NAIC model regulations to Medicaid partnerships. (Currently, 2000 NAIC model regulations apply). Sets forth additional requirements applicable to such policies.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2011 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security, for purposes of determining cognitive, behavioral, and physical disability under titles II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to amend specified Listings of Impairments by providing medical and evaluation criteria for Huntington's Disease. Amends SSA title II to waive the 24-month waiting period for coverage under the Medicare program for individuals diagnosed with Hunington's Disease.

Date: 2011-02-15
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Considers military service in Operation New Dawn as service in a theater of operations for purposes of eligibility for veterans' hospital and nursing home care and medical services through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Date: 2011-02-18
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
District of Columbia Fiscal Year 2011 Local Funds Continuation Act - Amends the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 to authorize the District of Columbia to continue to expend local funds for certain programs and activities through FY2011.

Date: 2011-03-02
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2012 - Repeals provisions of the Public Health Service Act enacted under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (entitled the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act or the CLASS Act) which establish a national, voluntary insurance program for purchasing community living assistance services and supports in order to provide individuals with functional limitations with tools that will allow them to maintain their personal and financial independence and live in the community. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to convert funding for the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information from a direct appropriation to an authorization of appropriations.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Veterans' Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative Services' Improvements Act of 2011 - Includes within a program of individualized rehabilitation and reintegration plans for veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI): (1) the goal of maximizing the individual's independence and quality of life, and (2) improving such veterans' behavioral and mental health functioning. Requires the inclusion of rehabilitative services in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) comprehensive program of long-term care for veterans' TBI that has residential, community, and home-based components utilizing interdisciplinary treatment teams.

Date: 2011-05-11
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy and home infusion drugs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit in a manner that ensures that: (1) Medicare beneficiaries have timely and appropriate access to infusion therapy in their homes, and (2) there is rapid and seamless coordination between drug coverage under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and home infusion therapy services coverage under Medicare part B (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI).

Date: 2011-06-15
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner, (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law, (3) a certified nurse-midwife, or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.

Date: 2011-06-21
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health