bill_id,congress,bill_type,bill_number,title,policy_area,introduced_date,latest_action_date,latest_action_text,origin_chamber,sponsor_name,sponsor_state,sponsor_party,sponsor_bioguide_id,cosponsor_count,summary_text,update_date,url
106-s-3284,106,s,3284,Offering People True Insurance Options Nationwide Act of 2000,Health,2000-12-15,2000-12-15,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S11927-11928),Senate,"Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]",IL,D,D000563,0,Offering People True Insurance Options Nationwide Act of 2000 - Directs the Office of Personnel Management to administer a health insurance program that offers Federal employees health benefits plans to individuals who are not Federal employees.,2025-08-20T14:16:52Z,
106-hr-5661,106,hr,5661,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000",Health,2000-12-14,2000-12-14,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health & Environment for a period to be subsubsequently determined by the Chairman..,House,"Rep. Thomas, William M. [R-CA-21]",CA,R,T000188,2,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Medicare Beneficiary Improvements - Subtitle A: Improved Preventive Benefits - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) coverage of biennial screening pap smear and pelvic exams; (2) coverage of screening for glaucoma; (3) coverage of screening colonoscopy for average risk individuals; (4) revision of payments and standards for screening mammography; and (5) coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes or a renal disease.Subtitle B: Other Beneficiary Improvements - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) acceleration of reduction of beneficiary copayment for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services; (2) preservation of coverage of drugs and biologicals under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (3) elimination of time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs; and (4) imposition of certain billing limits on drugs.(Sec. 115) Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Subtitle C: Demonstration Projects and Studies - Outlines: (1) a Health and Human Services (HHS) demonstration project for disease management for severely chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries; (2) HHS demonstration projects for cancer prevention and treatment for ethnic and racial minorities; (3) a National Academy of Sciences study of the addition of coverage of routine thyroid screening using a thyroid stimulating hormone test as a preventive benefit provided to Medicare beneficiaries; (4) a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) study on consumer coalitions in marking Medicare+Choice (SSA title XVIII part C) plans; (5) an HHS study on the effect of limitations on State payment for Medicare cost-sharing on access to services for qualified Medicare beneficiaries; (6) HHS studies on preventive interventions in primary care for older Americans; (7) a MEDPAC study on Medicare coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation therapy services; and (8) the Lifestyle Modification Program Demonstration project.Title II: Rural Health Care Improvements - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVII to: (1) prohibit beneficiary cost-sharing for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals; (2) increase the amount a critical access hospital may elect to be paid for outpatient critical access hospital (OCAH) services with respect to the fee schedule payment for OCAH professional services; (3) exempt critical access hospital swing beds from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS); (4) provide for payment in critical access hospitals for emergency room on-call physicians; and (5) provide for the treatment of ambulance services furnished by certain critical access hospitals.(Sec. 206) Requires the General Accounting Office (GAO) to study certain eligibility requirements for critical access hospitals.Subtitle B: Other Rural Hospitals Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services to provide for: (1) application of a uniform threshold for urban and rural hospitals to be classified as disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2001; (2) adjustment of payment formulas for various specified hospitals, including hospitals that are both sole community hospitals and rural referral centers for discharges occurring during such period; (3) an option to base eligibility for the Medicare dependent, small rural hospital program on discharges during two of the three most recently audited cost reporting periods; and (4) extension of the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals.(Sec. 214) Directs MEDPAC, in its study and report to Congress on rural providers under The Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to analyze the impact of volume on the per unit cost of rural hospitals with psychiatric units, and recommend whether special treatment for such hospitals may be warranted.Subtitle C: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to special payment rules for particular items and services to provide transitional assistance for providers of ambulance services in rural areas.(Sec. 222) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to the use of carriers for administration of benefits concerning payment for certain physician assistant services.(Sec. 223) Amends BBA'97 to: (1) set a time limit for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services; and (2) provide for an expansion of Medicare payment for such services.(Sec. 224) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for expanding access to rural health clinics.(Sec. 225) Directs MEDPAC to study the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare.Title III: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Inpatient Hospital Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for revision of the acute care hospital payment update for 2001 .(Sec. 301) Directs the Secretary, when rebasing and revising the hospital market basket index, to consider the prices of blood and blood products purchased by hospitals and to determine whether those prices are adequately reflected in such index.Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services and updating previous standardized amounts to provide for: (1) an adjustment for inpatient case mix changes; (2) modification of the transition for indirect medical education percentage adjustment for DSHs; and (3) decreases in reductions for DSH payments.(Sec. 304) Provides for a three-year effective period for any decision of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board to reclassify a DSH for purposes of adjusting the diagnosis-related group (DRG) prospective payment rate for hospital wage level area differences for FY 2001 or any fiscal year thereafter. Requires the Secretary to establish procedures under which a DSH hospital may elect to terminate such reclassification before the end of such period.Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a process under which an appropriate statewide entity may apply to have all the geographic areas in a State treated as a single geographic area for purposes of computing and applying the area wage index; and (2) provide for the collection of data every three years on occupational mix for employees of each DSH in the provision of inpatient hospital services in order to construct an occupational mix adjustment in the applicable hospital area wage index.(Sec. 305) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to prospective payment for inpatient rehabilitation hospital services and: (1) assistance with administrative costs associated with completion of patient assessment; as well as (2) a rehabilitation facility election to apply full prospective payment rate without phase-in.(Sec. 306) Provides that, with respect to the inpatient services of psychiatric hospitals and certain psychiatric units, in making incentive payments to such hospitals for cost reporting periods from October 1, 2000, through October 1, 2001, the Secretary shall increase the percent of the target amount used in determining such payments.(Sec. 307) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) increased target amounts and caps for long-term care hospitals before implementation of the PPS required under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 for payment for inpatient hospital services provided in long-term care hospitals; and (2) alternative implementation of such PPS by the Secretary based on the use of existing hospital DRGs that have been modified.Subtitle B: Adjustments to PPS Payments for Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to SNFs for routine service costs to revise updating requirements, among other changes eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility market basket update in 2001.(Sec. 311) Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the adequacy of Medicare payment rates to SNFs and the extent to which Medicare contributes to the financial viability of such facilities.(Sec. 312) Directs the Secretary to increase the nursing component of the case-mix adjusted Federal prospective payment rate specified in the final rule published in the Federal Register by the Health Care Financing Administration on July 31, 2000, effective for services furnished on or after April 1, 2001, and before October 1, 2002.Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an audit for Congress of nursing staffing ratios in a representative sample of Medicare SNFs.(Sec. 313) Amends SSA title XVIII to limit application of the SNF consolidated billing requirement to a period during which the resident is provided Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) covered post-hospital extended care services.Requires the Secretary to monitor payments made under Medicare part B for items and services furnished to SNF residents during a time in which they are not being provided Medicare covered post-hospital extended care services, in order to ensure that there is not duplicate billing for services or excessive services provided.(Sec. 314) Provides that, for purposes of computing payments for certain covered SNF services, the Secretary shall increase the adjusted Federal per diem rate for covered SNF services for specified RUG-III (resource utilization group) rehabilitation groups furnished to an individual during the period in which such individual is classified in such a RUG-III category.Directs the HHS Inspector General to review the Medicare payment structure for services classified within RUGs and report to Congress on whether payment incentives exist for the delivery of inadequate care.(Sec. 315) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a procedure for the geographic reclassification of a SNF for purposes of payment for covered SNF services under the PPS for SNFs for routine service costs.Subtitle C: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for an increase in the payment base for hospice care for FY 2001.(Sec. 322) Requires that the certification regarding an individual's terminal illness be based on the physician's or medical director's clinical judgment regarding the normal course of the illness.(Sec. 323) Directs MEDPAC to study the factors affecting the use of hospice benefits under Medicare program and differences in such use between urban and rural hospice programs and based upon the presenting condition of the patient.Subtitle D: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a reduction in Medicare part A late enrollment premium increases (penalty) for a qualified State or local government retiree group in the case where a State, a local government, or an agency or instrumentality of a State or local government, determines to pay, for the life of each individual in such a group, the monthly premiums due.Title IV: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the PPS for hospital OPD services to provide for: (1) a full market basket increase for such services for 2001; (2) adjustment for service mix changes; (3) use of categories in determining eligibility of a device for pass-through payments; (4) application of OPD PPS transitional corridor payments to certain hospitals that did not submit a 1996 cost report; (5) treatment of children's hospitals under the PPS; and (6) inclusion of temperature monitored cryoablation in transitional pass-through for certain medical devices, drugs, and biologicals under the PPS.(Sec. 404) Provides that, for purposes of making determinations of provider-based status under Medicare on or after October 1, 2000, any facility or organization that is treated as provider-based in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare as of October 1, 2000: (1) shall continue to be treated as provider-based in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare during the two year period beginning on October 1, 2000; and (2) the requirements, limitations, and exclusions specified in appropriate Federal regulations detailing requirements for a determination that a facility or an organization has provider-based status shall not apply to such facility or organization in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital until after the end of such two year period.Prohibits a facility or organization for which a determination of provider-based status in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital is requested during FY 2001 or 2002 from being treated as not having such status in relation to such a hospital for any period before a determination is made with respect to such status pursuant to such request and in making a determination with respect to such status for any facility or organization in relationship to such a hospital on or after October 1, 2000, the facility or organization shall be treated as satisfying any requirements and standards for geographic location in relation to such a hospital if the facility or organization: (1) satisfies appropriate Federal regulations pertaining to location in immediate vicinity or is located not more than 35 miles from the main campus of the hospital or critical access hospital; and (2) is owned and operated by a hospital or critical access hospital that meets specified criteria.Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians' Services - Directs the Comptroller General to study: (1) the appropriateness of furnishing in physicians' offices specialist physicians' services which are ordinarily furnished in hospital outpatient departments; and (2) the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare.(Sec. 412) Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to test and, if proven effective, expand the use of incentives to health care groups participating in Medicare that: (1) encourage coordination of the care furnished to individuals under Medicare parts A and B by institutional and other providers, practitioners, and suppliers of health care items and services; (2) encourage investment in administrative structures and processes to ensure efficient service delivery; and (3) reward physicians for improving health outcomes.(Sec. 413) Directs the Comptroller General to study the current Medicare enrollment process for groups that retain independent contractor physicians with particular emphasis on hospital-based physicians.Subtitle C: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a one-year extension of the moratorium on certain physical therapy services caps.(Sec. 421) Directs the Secretary to study the implications: (1) of eliminating the ""in the room"" supervision requirement for Medicare payment for services of physical therapy assistants supervised by physical therapists; and (2) of such requirement on the cap imposed under Medicare on physical therapy services.(Sec. 422) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to increase the update for dialysis services furnished on or after January 1, 2001.Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect data and develop an ESRD market basket whereby the Secretary can estimate, before the beginning of a year, the percentage by which the costs for the year of the mix of labor and nonlabor goods and services included in the ESRD composite rate will exceed the costs of such mix for the preceding year; and (2) develop a system which includes in such composite rate, to the maximum extent feasible, payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and drugs that are routinely used in furnishing dialysis services to Medicare beneficiaries, but which are currently separately billable by renal dialysis facilities.(Sec. 423) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment for ambulance services to provide for: (1) restoration of the full consumer price index (CPI) increase for 2001; and (2) continued phase-in of the application of the payment rates under the ambulance services fee schedule in an efficient and fair manner; except that when the Secretary implements such fee schedule, such phase-in shall provide for full payment of any national mileage rate for ambulance services provided by suppliers that are paid by carriers in any of the 50 States where payment by a carrier for such services for all such suppliers in such State, before the fee schedule's implementation, did not include a separate amount for all mileage within the county from which the beneficiary is transported.(Sec. 424) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a revised PPS for services of ambulatory surgical facilities before January 1, 2002.Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with respect to the phase-in of the PPS for ambulatory surgical centers to: (1) extend the phase-in to four years; and (2) direct the Secretary, by January 1, 2003, to incorporate data from a 1999 Medicare cost survey or a subsequent cost survey for purposes of implementing or revising such PPS.(Sec. 425) Amends SSA title XVIII, with respect to special payment rules for particular items and services, to provide for: (1) the full update for durable medical equipment, orthotics, and prosthetics in 2001; and (2) addition of special payment provisions and requirements for prosthetics and certain custom fabricated orthotic items.(Sec. 428) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the replacement of, and payment for, prosthetic devices and parts.(Sec. 429) Directs the Comptroller General to study the reimbursement for drugs and biologicals under the current Medicare payment methodology and for related services under Medicare part B, with recommendations for revised payment methodologies. Directs the Secretary to revise such payment methodology based on such recommendations.(Sec. 430) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the PPS for hospital OPD services to direct the Secretary to create additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize contrast agents from those that do not.(Sec. 431) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) to revise the qualifications for community mental health centers under provisions defining partial hospitalization services.(Sec. 432) Directs the Secretary to make payment under Medicare part B to a hospital or an ambulatory clinic that is operated by the Indian Health Service (IHS) or by an Indian tribe or tribal organization for specified services furnished in or at the direction of the hospital or clinic as if such services were furnished in or at the direction of such hospital or clinic that was not operated by the IHS, tribe, or organization. Prohibits payment from being made for such services under Medicare part B to the extent that payment is otherwise made for such services under Medicare.(Sec. 433) Directs the Comptroller General to study the effect on Medicare and on Medicare beneficiaries of coverage of surgical first assisting services of certified registered nurse first assistants.(Sec. 434) Directs MEDPAC to study the appropriateness of: (1) the current Medicare payment rates for services provided by a certified nurse-midwife, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, and a clinical nurse specialist; and (2) Medicare coverage for services provided by a surgical technologist, a marriage counselor, a marriage and family therapist, a pastoral care counselor, and a licensed professional counselor of mental health.(Sec. 436) Directs the Comptroller General to study: (1) the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided; (2) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as such process applies to physicians; and (3) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare.(Sec. 438) Directs MEDPAC to study the barriers to coverage and payment for outpatient interventional pain medicine procedures under Medicare.Title V: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a one-year additional delay in the application of the 15 percent reduction on payment limits for home health services.(Sec. 501) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to delay for an additional year the 15 percent reduction in payment rates for home health services after implementation of the PPS. Requires the Comptroller General, instead of the Secretary (as currently required), to report to Congress an analysis of the need for such a reduction.Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the PPS for home health services concerning the annual update to provide for an adjustment for case mix changes.(Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for restoration of the full home health market basket update for home health services for FY 2001.Establishes a special rule for payment under the PPS for home health services for FY 2001 based on adjusted prospective payment amounts.(Sec. 503) Provides that, in the case of certain home health agencies that were receiving periodic interim payments under Medicare as of September 30, 2000, the Secretary shall make a single two-month periodic interim payment to such agency.(Sec. 504) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the use of telehealth in the delivery of home health services.(Sec. 505) Directs the Comptroller General to study variations in prices paid by home health agencies furnishing home health services under Medicare in purchasing nonroutine medical supplies and volumes if such supplies used determine the effect (if any) of variations on prices and volumes in the provision of such services.(Sec. 506) Provides that, in determining for Medicare purposes whether an office of a home health agency constitutes a branch office or a separate home health agency, neither the time nor distance between a parent office of the home health agency and a branch office shall be the sole determinant of a home health agency's branch office status.(Sec. 507) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the Medicare home health benefit to declare that absences from home to receive medical treatment shall not disqualify an individual from such benefit.(Sec. 508) Provides for a temporary payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area for 2001 and 2002.Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for an increase in the floor for direct graduate medical education payments for FY 2002.(Sec. 512) Changes the distribution formula for Medicare+Choice-related nursing and allied health education costs.Subtitle C: Changes in Medicare Coverage and Appeals Process - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise the Medicare appeals process. Provides for initial determinations of entitlement and benefits by the Secretary, by a utilization and quality control peer review organization, or by an independent contractor. Provides for redeterminations of denied benefit claims. Specifies appeals rights, including the right of an individual to request a medically exigent review from the contractor who made the initial determination.(Sec. 522) Provides for the review of coverage determinations under the Medicare appeals process.Amends SSA title XI to require any advisory committee on certain Medicare coverage exclusions to: (1) assure the full participation of a nonvoting member in its deliberations; and (2) provide such nonvoting member access to all information and data (with certain exceptions) made available to the committee's voting members. Provides that, if such committee organizes into panels of experts according to types of items or services, any such panel may report directly to the Secretary without prior approval.Subtitle D: Improving Access to New Technologies - Amends SSA title XVIII to establish a new payment rule for any clinical diagnostic laboratory test performed on or after January 1, 2001, that is a new test for which no limitation amount has previously been established.(Sec. 531) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish procedures for coding and payment determinations for the categories of new clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and new durable medical equipment under Medicare part B that permit public consultation in a manner consistent with the procedures established for implementing coding modifications for ICD-9-CM; and (2) report to Congress on the specific procedures used under Medicare part B to adjust payments for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and durable medical equipment which are classified to existing codes where, because of a technology advance, there has been a significant increase or decrease in the resources used in the test or in the manufacture of the equipment, and a significant improvement in test or equipment performance.(Sec. 532) Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain and continue through December 31, 2003, the use of level III codes of the HCPCS (Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Common Procedure Coding System) coding system (as such system was in effect on August 16, 2000); and (2) make such codes publicly available.(Sec. 533) Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress on methods of expeditiously incorporating new medical services and technologies into the clinical coding system used with respect to Medicare payment for inpatient hospital services, together with a detailed description of the Secretary's preferred methods to achieve this purpose; and (2) implement such preferred methods.Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to establish a mechanism to recognize the costs of new medical services and technologies with respect to inpatient hospital services under the hospital reimbursement control system.Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to reduce from 45 percent to 30 percent the reduction in the amount of bad debts otherwise treated as allowable costs attributable to the deductibles and coinsurance amounts under Medicare for FY 2001 and subsequent fiscal years in determining the reasonable costs of outpatient hospital services (thus increasing by 15 percent the amount that may be reimbursed).(Sec. 542) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare.(Sec. 543) Amends SSA title XI to make permanent the authority for the Secretary to issue written advisory opinions under provisions for guidance regarding application of health care fraud and abuse sanctions.(Sec. 544) Amends SSA title XVIII to make various specified changes in annual MEDPAC reporting with regard to revision of deadlines for submission of reports and on the record votes on recommendations.(Sec. 545) Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the development of standard instruments for the assessment of the health and functional status of patients, for whom specified items and services are furnished.(Sec. 546) Directs the Comptroller General to report to specified congressional committees on the effect of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act on hospitals, emergency physicians, and physicians covering emergency department call throughout the United States.(Sec. 547) Prohibits  payment increases relating to the acute care hospital payment update, indirect costs of graduate medical education percentage adjustment, and DSH payments from applying to discharges occurring after FY 2001 and from being taken into account in calculating the payment amounts applicable for discharges occurring after such fiscal year. Provides for: (1) similar treatment with respect to SNF services; and (2) a transitional allowance for full market basket increase with respect to home health services as well as a temporary increase for rural home health services.Prohibits payment increases relating to the following matters from applying after calendar year 2001 and from being taken into account in calculating the payment amounts applicable for items and services furnished after such year: (1) covered OPD services; (2) renal dialysis services paid for on a composite rate basis; (3) ambulance services; (4) durable medical equipment; and (5) prosthetic devices and orthotics and prosthetics.Title VI: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Subtitle A: Medicare+Choice Payment Reforms -  Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the minimum payment amount and the minimum percentage increase; and (2) provide for a phase-in of risk adjustment.(Sec. 604) Provides for a transition to revised Medicare+Choice payment rates.(Sec. 605) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 606) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to premiums to permit Medicare part B premium reductions as additional benefits under Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 607) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) ensure full implementation of risk adjustment methodology for congestive heart failure enrollees for 2001; and (2) provide for the expansion of the application of Medicare+Choice's new entry bonus.(Sec. 609) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on a method to phase-in the costs of military facility services furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and those furnished by the Department of Defense, to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the calculation of an area's Medicare+Choice capitation payment.Subtitle B: Other Medicare+Choice Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for payment of additional amounts for new Medicare+Choice benefits covered during a contract term.(Sec. 612) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing, other than at the beginning of a calendar year, regulations that impose significant regulatory requirements on a Medicare+Choice organization or plan.(Sec. 613) Provides for timely approval of marketing material that follows model marketing language, and for avoiding duplicative regulation with respect to plan requirements.(Sec. 615) Provides that, in the case of a Medicare+Choice organization that offers a Medicare+Choice plan in an area in which more than one local coverage policy is applied with respect to different parts of the area, the organization may elect to have the local coverage policy for the part of the area that is most beneficial to Medicare+Choice enrollees apply with respect to all Medicare+Choice enrollees enrolled in the plan.(Sec. 616) Requires: (1) the quality assurance program under the Medicare+Choice program to include a separate focus on racial and ethnic minorities; and (2) the Secretary to submit to Congress a report regarding how such quality assurance programs focus on racial and ethnic minorities.(Sec. 617) Authorizes the Secretary to waive or to modify requirements that hinder the design of, the offering of, or enrollment in Medicare+Choice plans under contracts between Medicare+Choice organizations and employers, labor organizations, or the trustees of a fund established by one or more employers or labor organizations (or combination thereof) to furnish benefits to the entity's employees, former employees (or combination thereof), or to members or former members (or combination thereof) of the labor organizations.(Sec. 618) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to special Medicare supplemental health insurance enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries.(Sec. 619) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to restore the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 620) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated.(Sec. 621) Provides that, in covering post-hospital extended care services, a Medicare+Choice plan shall provide for such coverage through a home SNF if: (1) the enrollee elects to receive such coverage through such SNF; and (2) the SNF has a contract with the Medicare+Choice organization for the provision of such services, or the SNF agrees to accept substantially similar payment under the same terms and conditions that apply to similarly situated SNFs under contract with the Medicare+Choice organization through which the enrollee would otherwise receive such services.(Sec. 622) Directs HCFA's Chief Actuary to review the actuarial assumptions and data used by the Medicare+Choice organization with respect to such rates, amounts, and values to determine the appropriateness of such assumptions and data.(Sec. 623) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for increased civil monetary penalties for Medicare+Choice organizations that terminate contracts mid-year.Subtitle C: Other Managed Care Reforms - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to provide for a one-year extension of the social health maintenance organization demonstration project authority.(Sec. 632) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to provide for revised terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration project.(Sec. 633) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to provide for a two-year extension of Medicare municipal health services demonstration projects.(Sec. 634) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to payments to health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans and service area expansion for Medicare cost contracts during transition period.Title VII: Medicaid - Amends SSA title XIX with respect to DSH payments and: (1) continuation of Medicaid DSH allotments at FY 2000 levels for FY 2001 and 2002; and (2) a special rule for Medicaid DSH allotment for extremely low DSH States.(Sec. 701) Outlines provisions for: (1) assuring identification of Medicaid managed care patients for purposes of making DSH payments; (2) application of the Medicaid DSH transition rule to public hospitals in all States; (3) assistance for certain public hospitals; and (4) DSH payment accountability standards.(Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to create a new PPS for Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.(Sec. 703) Amends SSA XI to establish an approval process for a State's application for an extension of any State-wide comprehensive demonstration project for which a waiver of compliance with Medicaid requirements is granted.(Sec. 704) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 with respect to Medicaid county-organized health systems.(Sec. 705) Directs the Secretary to issue a final regulation based on the proposed rule announced on October 5, 2000, that: (1) modifies the upper payment limit test applied to State Medicaid spending for inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, nursing facility services, intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded, and clinic services by applying an aggregate upper payment limit to payments made to government facilities that are not State-owned or operated facilities; and (2) provides for a specified transition period.(Sec. 706) Prescribes a formula for the Federal medical assistance percentage for Alaska for purposes of SSA titles XIX and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP), which shall be applicable only for FY 2001 through 2005.(Sec. 707) Provides for a one-year extension of provisions on eligibility for medical assistance (welfare-to-work transition) under Medicaid.(Sec. 708) Makes additional entities qualified to determine Medicaid presumptive eligibility for low-income children.(Sec. 709) Directs the Secretary to develop and distribute to States a simplified application form for use by individuals in applying for medical assistance for Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid.Title VIII: State Children's Health Insurance Program - Amends SSA title XXI to: (1) establish a rule for redistribution and extended availability of unused FY 1998 and 1999 SCHIP allotments; (2) provide authority to pay Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs from SCHIP appropriations; (3) eliminate requirement to reduce a SCHIP allotment by Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs; (4) provide authority to transfer SCHIP appropriations to the Medicaid appropriation account as reimbursement for Medicaid expenditures for Medicaid expansion SCHIP services; and (5) provide for application of Medicaid child presumptive eligibility provisions under SCHIP.Title IX: Other Provisions - Subtitle A: PACE Program - Amends BBA '97 with respect to programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) to provide for an extension of transition for the current PACE demonstration project waiver authority.(Sec. 902) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payments to, and coverage of benefits under, PACE programs, and regulations and use of PACE protocol to provide for the continuation of modifications or waivers of operational requirements under demonstration status.(Sec. 903) Directs the Secretary to approve or deny a request for a modification or a waiver of provisions of the PACE protocol not later than 90 days after the Secretary receives the request, in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority.Permits the Secretary to exercise authority to modify or to waive such provisions in a manner that responds promptly to the needs of PACE programs relating to areas of employment and the use of community-based primary care physicians in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority.Subtitle B: Outreach to Eligible Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries - Amends SSA title XI to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) conduct outreach efforts to identify individuals entitled to Medicare benefits who may be eligible for medical assistance for payment of the cost of Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid; and (2) notify such individuals of the availability of such medical assistance.(Sec. 911) Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study Congress on the impact of such outreach efforts on the enrollment of individuals for Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid.Subtitle C: Maternal and Child Health Block Grant - Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to increase the authorization of appropriations for the Maternal and Child Health Services block grant for FY 2001 and each fiscal year thereafter.Subtitle D: Diabetes - Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase FY 2001 through 2003 appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type I diabetes and for special diabetes programs for Indians.(Sec. 931) Amends BBA '97 to extend the final report on diabetes grant programs.(Sec. 932) Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001.Subtitle E: Information on Nurse Staffing - Amends SSA titles XVIII and XIX to require a SNF and a nursing facility to post daily for each shift the current number of licensed and unlicensed nursing staff directly responsible for resident care in the facility.Subtitle F: Adjustment of Multiemployer Plan Benefits Guaranteed - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide for adjustment of multiemployer plan benefits guaranteed.",2025-08-20T14:21:04Z,
106-hres-672,106,hres,672,Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the private-sector distributors of the influenza vaccine should give priority to distributing the available vaccine to those people at a high risk of developing complications from an influenza infection.,Health,2000-12-08,2000-12-13,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Green, Gene [D-TX-29]",TX,D,G000410,8,Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that private-sector influenza vaccine distributors should give priority to distributing the available vaccine to groups of people at high risk of complications from influenza infection.,2025-01-02T17:08:31Z,
106-hr-5646,106,hr,5646,Nursing Facility Staffing Improvement Act of 2000,Health,2000-12-07,2000-12-13,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Stark, Fortney Pete [D-CA-13]",CA,D,S000810,0,Nursing Facility Staffing Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) require interim surveys for nursing facilities for quality deficiencies attributable to inadequate nurse staffing; (2) require prompt implementation of plans of correction for such quality deficiencies; and (3) require a nursing facility to submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) data with respect to facility nursing staff for review and publication on HHS's Internet site.,2025-08-20T14:18:35Z,
106-s-3270,106,s,3270,A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for a modification of medicare billing requirements for certain Indian providers.,Health,2000-11-14,2000-11-14,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,1,Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise Medicare billing requirements for certain hospitals or freestanding ambulatory clinics operated by the Indian Health Service or by an Indian tribe or tribal organization.,2025-01-14T18:59:41Z,
106-hr-5628,106,hr,5628,Common Sense Patients' Bill of Rights Act,Health,2000-11-03,2000-11-08,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Shadegg, John B. [R-AZ-4]",AZ,R,S000275,3,"Common Sense Patients' Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to: (1) provide for a patients' bill of rights, patient access to information, and accountability of health plans; and (2) expand access to health care coverage through tax incentives.Title I: Patients' Bill Of Rights - Subtitle A: Right Advice and Care - Establishes patients' rights to medical advice and care (under ERISA, PHSA, and IRC).Subtitle B: Right to Information About Plans And Providers - Establishes patients' rights to information about plans and providers.Subtitle C: Right To Hold Health Plans Accountable - Establishes patients' rights to hold health plans accountable.Subtitle D: State Flexibility in Applying Requirements to Health Insurance Issuers - Provides for State flexibility in applying requirements to health insurance issuers.Subtitle E: Effective Dates; Coordination in Implementation; Miscellaneous Provisions - Provides for coordination in implementation.Title II: Remedies - Amends ERISA to provide for: (1) availability of, and limitations on, court remedies relating to medically reviewable determinations and timely review of claims; and (2) expanded court remedies relating to group health plan determinations that are not medically reviewable.Title III: Health Care Coverage Access Tax Incentives - Amends the IRC with respect to medical savings accounts (MSAs) to: (1) repeal certain limitations on availability; (2) expand availability beyond employees of small employers and self-employed individuals; (3) increase the amount of allowable tax deduction for contributors; (4) allow both employers and employees to contribute; (5) reduce permitted deductibles under high-deductible heath plans, but provide for cost-of-living adjustments; (6) allow MSAs to be offered under cafeteria plans; and (7) direct the Comptroller General to study and report on the impact of MSAs on the cost of conventional insurance.Allows a tax deduction for 100 percent of the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals.Title IV: Health Care Paperwork - Establishes the Health Care Panel to Devise a Uniform Explanation of Benefits to devise a single form for use by third-party health care payers for remittance of claims to providers.",2025-08-20T14:17:16Z,
106-hr-5622,106,hr,5622,Medicare Program Infrastructure Investment Act of 2000,Health,2000-11-02,2000-11-09,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Horn, Stephen [R-CA-38]",CA,R,H000789,1,"Medicare Program Infrastructure Investment Act of 2000 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a Health Care Infrastructure Advisory Commission to: (1) develop a strategy to create an advanced informational infrastructure for the administration of the Medicare program under parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA); and (2) submit to Congress a strategic plan to implement it, as well as progress reports.Amends SSA title XI to provide that if the HHS Secretary adopts a batch standard for a transaction involving a health care provider to enable health information to be exchanged electronically, the Secretary shall also adopt an interactive standard compatible with the batch standard so that the provider may immediately complete the transaction at the point of service.",2025-08-20T14:17:34Z,
106-hr-5612,106,hr,5612,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Beneficiary Protection Act of 2000",Health,2000-11-01,2000-11-09,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY-15]",NY,D,R000053,104,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Beneficiary Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Medicare Beneficiary Improvements - Subtitle A: Improved Preventive Benefits - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) coverage of biennial screening pap smear and pelvic exams; (2) coverage of screening for glaucoma; (3) coverage of screening colonoscopy for average risk individuals; (4) revision of payments and standards for screening mammography; (5) coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes or a renal disease; and (6) extension of Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage for workers with disabilities.Subtitle B: Other Beneficiary Improvements - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) acceleration of reduction of beneficiary copayment for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services; (2) preservation of coverage of drugs and biologicals under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (3) elimination of time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs; (4) imposition of billing limits on drugs; and (5) availability of application forms for medical assistance for Medicare cost-sharing.(Sec. 116) Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Subtitle C: Demonstration Projects and Studies - Outlines: (1) a Health and Human Services (HHS) demonstration project for disease management for severely chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries; (2) HHS demonstration projects for cancer prevention and treatment for ethnic and racial minorities; (3) a National Academy of Sciences study on the addition of coverage of routine thyroid screening using a thyroid stimulating hormone test as a preventive benefit provided to Medicare beneficiaries; (4) a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) study on consumer coalitions in marking Medicare+Choice (SSA title XVIII part C) plans; (5) an HHS study on the effect of limitations on State payment for Medicare cost-sharing on access to services for qualified Medicare beneficiaries; (6) HHS studies on preventive interventions in primary care for older Americans; and (7) a MEDPAC study on Medicare coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation therapy services.Title II: Rural Health Care Improvements - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVII to: (1) prohibit beneficiary cost-sharing for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals; (2) increase the amount a critical access hospital may elect to be paid for outpatient critical access hospital (OCAH) services with respect to the fee schedule payment for OCAH professional services; (3) exempt critical access hospital swing beds from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS); (4) provide for payment in critical access hospitals for emergency room on-call physicians; and (5) provide for the treatment of ambulance services furnished by certain critical access hospitals.(Sec. 206) Requires the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a study on certain eligibility requirements for critical access hospitals.Subtitle B: Other Rural Hospitals Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services to provide for: (1) application of a uniform threshold for urban and rural hospitals to be classified as disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2001; (2) adjustment of payment formulas for various specified hospitals, including hospitals that are both sole community hospitals and rural referral centers for discharges occurring during such period; (3) an option to base eligibility for the Medicare dependent, small rural hospital program on discharges during two of the three most recently audited cost reporting periods; and (4) extension of the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals.(Sec. 214) Directs MEDPAC, in its study and report to Congress on rural providers under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, to analyze the impact of volume on the per unit cost of rural hospitals with psychiatric units, and recommend whether special treatment for such hospitals may be warranted.Subtitle C: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to special payment rules for particular items and services to provide transitional assistance for providers of ambulance services in rural areas.(Sec. 222) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to the use of carriers for administration of benefits concerning payment for certain physician assistant services.(Sec. 223) Amends BBA'97 to: (1) set a time limit for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services; and (2) provide for an expansion of Medicare payment for such services.(Sec. 224) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for expanding access to rural health clinics.(Sec. 225) Directs MEDPAC to study the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare.Title III: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Inpatient Hospital Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for elimination of the reduction in the PPS hospital payment update.(Sec. 301) Directs the Secretary, when rebasing and revising the hospital market basket index, to consider the prices of blood and blood products purchased by hospitals and to determine whether those prices are adequately reflected in such index.Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services and updating previous standardized amounts to provide for: (1) an adjustment for inpatient case mix changes; (2) modification of the transition for indirect medical education percentage adjustment for DSHs; and (3) decreases in reductions for DSH payments.(Sec. 304) Provides for a three-year effective period for any decision of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board to reclassify a DSH for purposes of adjusting the diagnosis-related group (DRG) prospective payment rate for hospital wage level area differences for FY 2001 or any fiscal year thereafter. Requires the Secretary to establish procedures under which a DSH hospital may elect to terminate such reclassification before the end of such period.Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a process under which an appropriate statewide entity may apply to have all the geographic areas in a State treated as a single geographic area for purposes of computing and applying the area wage index; and (2) provide for the collection of data every three years on occupational mix for employees of each DSH in the provision of inpatient hospital services in order to construct an occupational mix adjustment in the applicable hospital area wage index.(Sec. 305) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to prospective payment for inpatient rehabilitation hospital services and: (1) assistance with administrative costs associated with completion of patient assessment; as well as (2) a rehabilitation facility election to apply full prospective payment rate without phase-in.(Sec. 306) Provides that, with respect to the inpatient services of psychiatric hospitals and certain psychiatric units, in making incentive payments to such hospitals for cost reporting periods from October 1, 2000, through October 1, 2001, the Secretary shall increase the percent of the target amount used in determining such payments.(Sec. 307) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) increased target amounts and caps for long-term care hospitals before implementation of the PPS required under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 for payment for inpatient hospital services provided in long-term care hospitals; (2) alternative implementation of such PPS by the Secretary based on the use of existing hospital DRGs that have been modified; and (3) increase in the base payment for Puerto Rico DSH hospitals.Subtitle B: Adjustments to PPS Payments for Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to SNFs for routine service costs to revise updating requirements, among other changes eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility market basket update in 2001.(Sec. 311) Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the adequacy of Medicare payment rates to SNFs and the extent to which Medicare contributes to the financial viability of such facilities.(Sec. 312) Directs the Secretary to increase the nursing component of the case-mix adjusted Federal prospective payment rate specified in the final rule published in the Federal Register by the Health Care Financing Administration on July 31, 2000, effective for services furnished on or after April 1, 2001, and before October 1, 2002.Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an audit for Congress of nursing staffing ratios in a representative sample of Medicare SNFs.(Sec. 313) Amends SSA title XVIII to limit application of the SNF consolidated billing requirement to a period during which the resident is provided Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) covered post-hospital extended care services.Requires the Secretary to monitor payments made under Medicare part B for items and services furnished to SNF residents during a time in which they are not being provided Medicare covered post-hospital extended care services, in order to ensure that there is not duplicate billing for services or excessive services provided.(Sec. 314) Provides that, for purposes of computing payments for certain covered SNF services, the Secretary shall increase the adjusted Federal per diem rate for covered SNF services for specified RUG-III (resource utilization group) rehabilitation groups furnished to an individual during the period in which such individual is classified in such a RUG-III category.Directs the HHS Inspector General to review the Medicare payment structure for services classified within RUGs and report to Congress on whether payment incentives exist for the delivery of inadequate care.(Sec. 315) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a procedure for the geographic reclassification of a SNF for purposes of payment for covered SNF services under the PPS for SNFs for routine service costs.Subtitle C: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a full market basket increase for hospice care for FY 2001 and 2002.(Sec. 322) Requires that the certification regarding an individual's terminal illness be based on the physician's or medical director's clinical judgment regarding the normal course of the illness.(Sec. 323) Directs MEDPAC to conduct a study on the factors affecting the use of hospice benefits under Medicare program and differences in such use between urban and rural hospice programs and based upon the presenting condition of the patient.Subtitle D: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a reduction in Medicare part A late enrollment premium increases (penalty) for a qualified State or local government retiree group in the case where a State, a local government, or an agency or instrumentality of a State or local government, determines to pay, for the life of each individual in such a group, the monthly premiums due.(Sec. 332) Outlines provisions for hospital geographic reclassification for labor costs applicable to other PPS systems and for grants to States for improvements in nursing home staffing and quality.Title IV: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the PPS for hospital OPD services to provide for: (1) a full market basket increase for such services for 2001; (2) adjustment for service mix changes; (3) use of categories in determining eligibility of a device for pass-through payments; (4) application of OPD PPS transitional corridor payments to certain hospitals that did not submit a 1996 cost report; (5) treatment of children's hospitals under the PPS; (6) inclusion of temperature monitored cryoablation in transitional pass-through for certain medical devices, drugs, and biologicals under the PPS; and (7) the Secretary to create additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize contrast media from those that do not.(Sec. 404) Provides that, for purposes of making determinations of provider-based status under Medicare on or after October 1, 2000, any facility or organization that is treated as provider-based in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare as of October 1, 2000: (1) shall continue to be treated as provider-based in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare during the two year period beginning on October 1, 2000; and (2) the requirements, limitations, and exclusions specified in appropriate Federal regulations detailing requirements for a determination that a facility or an organization has provider-based status shall not apply to such facility or organization in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital until after the end of such two- year period.Prohibits a facility or organization for which a determination of provider-based status in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital is requested during FY 2001 or 2002 from being treated as not having such status in relation to such a hospital for any period before a determination is made with respect to such status pursuant to such request and in making a determination with respect to such status for any facility or organization in relationship to such a hospital on or after October 1, 2000, the facility or organization shall be treated as satisfying any requirements and standards for geographic location in relation to such a hospital if the facility or organization: (1) satisfies appropriate Federal regulations pertaining to location in immediate vicinity or is located not more than 35 miles from the main campus of the hospital or critical access hospital; and (2) is owned and operated by a hospital or critical access hospital that meets specified criteria.Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians' Services - Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study on: (1) the appropriateness of furnishing in physicians' offices specialist physicians' services which are ordinarily furnished in hospital outpatient departments; and (2) the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare.(Sec. 412) Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to test and, if proven effective, expand the use of incentives to health care groups participating in Medicare that: (1) encourage coordination of the care furnished to individuals under Medicare parts A and B by institutional and other providers, practitioners, and suppliers of health care items and services; (2) encourage investment in administrative structures and processes to ensure efficient service delivery; and (3) reward physicians for improving health outcomes.(Sec. 413) Directs the Comptroller General to study the current Medicare enrollment process for groups that retain independent contractor physicians with particular emphasis on hospital-based physicians.Subtitle C: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a one-year extension of the moratorium on certain physical therapy services caps.(Sec. 421) Directs the Secretary to study the implications: (1) of eliminating the ""in the room"" supervision requirement for Medicare payment for services of physical therapy  assistants supervised by physical therapists; and (2) of such requirement on the cap imposed under Medicare on physical therapy services.(Sec. 422) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to increase the update for dialysis services furnished on or after January 1, 2001.Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect data and develop an ESRD market basket whereby the Secretary can estimate, before the beginning of a year, the percentage by which the costs for the year of the mix of labor and nonlabor goods and services included in the ESRD composite rate will exceed the costs of such mix for the preceding year; and (2) develop a system which includes in such composite rate, to the maximum extent feasible, payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and drugs that are routinely used in furnishing dialysis services to Medicare beneficiaries, but which are currently separately billable by renal dialysis facilities.(Sec. 423) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment for ambulance services to provide for: (1) restoration of the full consumer price index (CPI) increase for 2001; and (2) continued phase-in of the application of the payment rates under the ambulance services fee schedule in an efficient and fair manner; except that when the Secretary implements such fee schedule, such phase-in shall provide for full payment of any national mileage rate for ambulance services provided by suppliers that are paid by carriers in any of the 50 States where payment by a carrier for such services for all such suppliers in such State, before the fee schedule's implementation, did not include a separate amount for all mileage within the county from which the beneficiary is transported.(Sec. 424) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a revised PPS for services of ambulatory surgical facilities before January 1, 2002.Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with respect to the phase-in of the PPS for ambulatory surgical centers to: (1) extend the phase-in to four years; and (2) direct the Secretary, by January 1, 2003, to incorporate data from a 1999 Medicare cost survey or a subsequent cost survey for purposes of implementing or revising such PPS.(Sec. 425) Amends SSA title XVIII, with respect to special payment rules for particular items and services, to provide for: (1) the full update for durable medical equipment, orthotics, and prosthetics in 2001; and (2) addition of special payment provisions and requirements for prosthetics and certain custom fabricated orthotic items.(Sec. 428) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the replacement of, and payment for, prosthetic devices and parts.(Sec. 429) Directs the Comptroller General to study the reimbursement for drugs and biologicals under the current Medicare payment methodology and for related services under Medicare part B, with recommendations for revised payment methodologies. Directs the Secretary to revise such payment methodology based on such recommendations.(Sec. 430) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) to revise the qualifications for community mental health centers under provisions defining partial hospitalization services.(Sec. 431) Makes a hospital or a free-standing ambulatory care clinic, whether operated by the Indian Health Service or by an Indian tribe or tribal organization, eligible for payments for services for which payment is made under Medicare part B for physicians' services if and for so long as it meets all of the requirements which are applicable generally to such payments, services, hospitals, and clinics.(Sec. 432) Directs the Comptroller General to study the effect on Medicare and on Medicare beneficiaries of coverage of surgical first assisting services of certified registered nurse first assistants.(Sec. 433) Directs MEDPAC to study the appropriateness of: (1) the current Medicare payment rates for services provided by a certified nurse-midwife, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, and a clinical nurse specialist; and (2) Medicare coverage for services provided by a surgical technologist, a marriage counselor, a marriage and family therapist, a pastoral care counselor, and a licensed professional counselor of mental health.(Sec. 435) Directs the Comptroller General to study: (1) the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided; (2) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as such process applies to physicians; and (3) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare. (Sec. 437) Directs MEDPAC to study the barriers to coverage and payment for outpatient interventional pain medicine procedures under Medicare.Title V: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a two-year additional delay in the application of the 15 percent reduction on payment limits for home health services.(Sec. 501) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to delay for an additional year the 15 percent reduction in payment rates for home health services after implementation of the PPS. Requires the Comptroller General, instead of the Secretary (as currently required), to report to Congress an analysis of the need for such a reduction.Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the PPS for home health services concerning the annual update to provide for an adjustment for case mix changes.(Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for restoration of the full home health market basket update for home health services for FY 2001.Establishes a special rule for payment under the PPS for home health services for FY 2001 based on adjusted prospective payment amounts.(Sec. 503) Provides for a temporary two-month extension of periodic interim payments under BBA '97 in the case of a home health agency receiving periodic interim payments as of September 30, 2000.(Sec. 504) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the use of telehealth in the delivery of home health services.(Sec. 505) Directs the Comptroller General to study variations in prices paid by home health agencies furnishing home health services under Medicare in purchasing nonroutine medical supplies and volumes if such supplies used determine the effect (if any) of variations on prices and volumes in the provision of such services.(Sec. 506) Provides that, in determining for Medicare purposes whether an office of a home health agency constitutes a branch office or a separate home health agency, neither the time nor distance between a parent office of the home health agency and a branch office shall be the sole determinant of a home health agency's branch office status.(Sec. 507) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the Medicare home health benefit to declare that absences from home to receive medical treatment shall not disqualify an individual from such benefit.(Sec. 508) Provides for a temporary payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area for2001 and 2002.Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for an increase in the floor for direct graduate medical education payments for FY 2002.(Sec. 512) Changes the distribution formula for Medicare+Choice-related nursing and allied health education costs.Subtitle C: Changes in Medicare Coverage and Appeals Process - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise the Medicare appeals process. Provides for initial determinations of entitlement and benefits by the Secretary, by a utilization and quality control peer review organization, or by an independent contractor. Provides for redeterminations of denied benefit claims. Specifies appeal rights, including the right of an individual to request a medically exigent review from the contractor who made the initial determination.(Sec. 522) Provides for the review of coverage determinations under the Medicare appeals process.Amends SSA title XI to require any advisory committee on certain Medicare coverage exclusions to: (1) assure the full participation of a nonvoting member in its deliberations; and (2) provide such nonvoting member access to all information and data (with certain exceptions) made available to the committee's voting members. Provides that, if such committee organizes into panels of experts according to types of items or services, any such panel may report directly to the Secretary without prior approval.Subtitle D: Improving Access to New Technologies - Amends SSA title XVIII to establish a new payment rule for any clinical diagnostic laboratory test performed on or after January 1, 2001, that is a new test for which no limitation amount has previously been established.(Sec. 531) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish procedures for coding and payment determinations for the categories of new clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and new durable medical equipment under Medicare part B that permit public consultation in a manner consistent with the procedures established for implementing coding modifications for ICD-9-CM; and (2) report to Congress on the specific procedures used under Medicare part B to adjust payments for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and durable medical equipment which are classified to existing codes where, because of a technology advance, there has been a significant increase or decrease in the resources used in the test or in the manufacture of the equipment, and a significant improvement in test or equipment performance.(Sec. 532) Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain and continue through December 31, 2003, the use of level III codes of the HCPCS (Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Common Procedure Coding System) coding system (as such system was in effect on August 16, 2000); and (2) make such codes publicly available.(Sec. 533) Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress on methods of expeditiously incorporating new medical services and technologies into the clinical coding system used with respect to Medicare payment for inpatient hospital services, together with a detailed description of the Secretary's preferred methods to achieve this purpose; and (2) implement such preferred methods.Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to establish a mechanism to recognize the costs of new medical services and technologies with respect to inpatient hospital services under the hospital reimbursement control system.Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to reduce from 45 percent to 30 percent the reduction in the amount of bad debts otherwise treated as allowable costs attributable to the deductibles and coinsurance amounts under Medicare for FY 2001 and subsequent fiscal years in determining the reasonable costs of outpatient hospital services (thus increasing by 15 percent the amount that may be reimbursed).(Sec. 542) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare.(Sec. 543) Amends SSA title XI to make permanent the authority for the Secretary to issue written advisory opinions under provisions for guidance regarding application of health care fraud and abuse sanctions.(Sec. 544) Amends SSA title XVIII to make various specified changes in annual MEDPAC reporting with regard to revision of deadlines for submission of reports and on the record votes on recommendations.(Sec. 545) Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the development of standard instruments for the assessment of the health and functional status of patients, for whom specified items and services are furnished.(Sec. 546) Directs the Comptroller General to report to specified congressional committees on the effect of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act on hospitals, emergency physicians, and physicians covering emergency department call throughout the United States.(Sec. 547) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to agreements with providers of services to provide for the application of the bloodborne pathogen standard to certain hospitals.Title VI: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Subtitle A: Medicare+Choice Payment Reforms -  Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the payment amount for 2001 through 2003 for accountable Medicare+Choice coordinated care plans; and (2) provide for a ten-year phase-in of risk adjustment.(Sec. 603) Provides for a transition to revised Medicare+Choice payment rates.(Sec. 604) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 605) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to premiums to permit Medicare part B premium reductions as additional benefits under Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 606) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) ensure full implementation of risk adjustment methodology for congestive heart failure enrollees for 2001; and (2) provide for the expansion of the application of Medicare+Choice's new entry bonus.(Sec. 608) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on a method to phase-in the costs of military facility services furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and those furnished by the Department of Defense, to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the calculation of an area's Medicare+Choice capitation payment.Subtitle B: Other Medicare+Choice Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for payment of additional amounts for new Medicare+Choice benefits covered during a contract term.(Sec. 612) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing, other than at the beginning of a calendar year, regulations that impose significant regulatory requirements on a Medicare+Choice organization or plan.(Sec. 613) Provides for timely approval of marketing material that follows model marketing language, and for avoiding duplicative regulation with respect to plan requirements.(Sec. 615) Provides that, in the case of a Medicare+Choice organization that offers a Medicare+Choice plan in an area in which more than one local coverage policy is applied with respect to different parts of the area, the organization may elect to have the local coverage policy for the part of the area that is most beneficial to Medicare+Choice enrollees apply with respect to all Medicare+Choice enrollees enrolled in the plan.(Sec. 616) Requires: (1) the quality assurance program under the Medicare+Choice program to include a separate focus on racial and ethnic minorities; and (2) the Secretary to submit to Congress a report regarding how such quality assurance programs focus on racial and ethnic minorities.(Sec. 617) Authorizes the Secretary to waive or to modify requirements that hinder the design of, the offering of, or enrollment in Medicare+Choice plans under contracts between Medicare+Choice organizations and employers, labor organizations, or the trustees of a fund established by one or more employers or labor organizations (or combination thereof) to furnish benefits to the entity's employees, former employees (or combination thereof) or to members or former members (or combination thereof) of the labor organizations.(Sec. 618) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to special Medicare supplemental health insurance enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries.(Sec. 619) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to restore the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 620) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated.(Sec. 621) Provides that, in covering post-hospital extended care services, a Medicare+Choice plan shall provide for such coverage through a home SNF if: (1) the enrollee elects to receive such coverage through such SNF; and (2) the SNF has a contract with the Medicare+Choice organization for the provision of such services, or the SNF agrees to accept substantially similar payment under the same terms and conditions that apply to similarly situated SNFs under contract with the Medicare+Choice organization through which the enrollee would otherwise receive such services.(Sec. 622) Directs HCFA's Chief Actuary to review the actuarial assumptions and data used by the Medicare+Choice organization with respect to such rates, amounts, and values to determine the appropriateness of such assumptions and data.(Sec. 623) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for civil monetary penalties for contract default by a Medicare+Choice organization.Subtitle C: Other Managed Care Reforms - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to provide for a one-year extension of the social health maintenance organization demonstration project authority.(Sec. 632) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to provide for revised terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration project.(Sec. 633) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to provide for a two-year extension of Medicare municipal health services demonstration projects.(Sec. 634) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to payments to health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans and service area expansion for Medicare cost contracts during transition period.Title VII: Medicaid - Amends SSA title XIX with respect to DSH payments and: (1) continuation of Medicaid DSH allotments at FY 2000 levels for FY 2001 and 2002; and (2) a special rule for Medicaid DSH allotment for extremely low DSH States.(Sec. 701) Outlines provisions for: (1) assuring identification of Medicaid managed care patients for purposes of making DSH payments; (2) application of the Medicaid DSH transition rule to public hospitals in all States; (3) assistance for certain public hospitals; and (4) DSH payment accountability standards.(Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to create a new PPS for Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.(Sec. 703) Amends SSA XI to establish an approval process for a State's application for an extension of any State-wide comprehensive demonstration project for which a waiver of compliance with Medicaid requirements is granted.(Sec. 704) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 with respect to Medicaid county-organized health systems.(Sec. 705) Directs the Secretary to issue a final regulation based on the proposed rule announced on October 5, 2000, that: (1) modifies the upper payment limit test applied to State Medicaid spending for inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, nursing facility services, intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded, and clinic services by applying an aggregate upper payment limit to payments made to government facilities that are not State-owned or operated facilities; and (2) provides for a specified transition period.(Sec. 706) Prescribes a formula for the Federal medical assistance percentage for Alaska for purposes of SSA titles XIX and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP), which shall apply only for FY 2001 through 2005.(Sec. 707) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid.(Sec. 708) Makes additional entities qualified to determine Medicaid presumptive eligibility for low-income children.(Sec. 709) Provides for a one year extension of provisions on eligibility for medical assistance under Medicaid.(Sec. 710) Includes as Medicaid medical assistance any services furnished by a physician assistant which the assistant is legally authorized to perform under State law and with the supervision of a physician.(Sec. 711) Gives States the option of allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for such children.Title VIII: State Children's Health Insurance Program - Amends SSA title XXI to: (1) establish a rule for redistribution and extended availability of unused FY 1998 and 1999 SCHIP allotments; (2) provide authority to pay Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs from SCHIP appropriations; (3) eliminate requirement to reduce a SCHIP allotment by Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs; (4) provide authority to transfer SCHIP appropriations to the Medicaid appropriation account as reimbursement for Medicaid expenditures for Medicaid expansion SCHIP services; and (5) provide optional coverage of certain legal immigrants under SCHIP.Title IX: Other Provisions - Subtitle A: PACE Program - Amends BBA '97 with respect to programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) to provide for an extension of transition for the current PACE demonstration project waiver authority.(Sec. 902) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payments to, and coverage of benefits under, PACE programs, and regulations and use of PACE protocol to provide for the continuation of modifications or waivers of operational requirements under demonstration status.(Sec. 903) Directs the Secretary to approve or deny a request for a modification or a waiver of provisions of the PACE protocol not later than 90 days after the Secretary receives the request, in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority.Permits the Secretary to exercise authority to modify or to waive such provisions in a manner that responds promptly to the needs of PACE programs relating to areas of employment and the use of community-based primary care physicians in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority.Subtitle B: Outreach to Eligible Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries - Amends SSA title XI to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) conduct outreach efforts to identify individuals entitled to Medicare benefits who may be eligible for medical assistance for payment of the cost of Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid; and (2) notify such individuals of the availability of such medical assistance.(Sec. 911) Directs the Comptroller General to study the impact of such outreach efforts on the enrollment of individuals for Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid.Subtitle C: Maternal and Child Health Block Grant - Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to increase the authorization of appropriations for the Maternal and Child Health Services block grant for FY 2001 and each fiscal year thereafter.Subtitle D: Diabetes - Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase FY 2001 through 2003 appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type I diabetes and for special diabetes programs for Indians.(Sec. 931) Amends BBA '97 to extend the final report on diabetes grant programs.(Sec. 932) Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001.",2025-08-20T14:18:06Z,
106-hr-5614,106,hr,5614,Seniors' Health Care Restoration Act of 2000,Health,2000-11-01,2000-11-08,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Ackerman, Gary L. [D-NY-5]",NY,D,A000022,0,Seniors' Health Care Restoration Act of 2000 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with regard to: (1) increased payment for areas with two or fewer Medicare+Choice contracts; and (2) an increase in the minimum percentage update.Outlines provisions for a transition to revised Medicare+Choice payment rates.Directs the Secretary to provide for coverage of outpatient prescription drugs for eligible Medicare beneficiaries.Establishes in the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund the Emergency Reserve Outpatient Prescription Drug Account for payment for such coverage. Provides for the crediting of funds to such Account.,2025-08-20T14:17:42Z,
106-hr-5615,106,hr,5615,Right to Know Act of 2000,Health,2000-11-01,2000-11-08,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Coburn, Tom [R-OK-2]",OK,R,C000560,1,"Right to Know Act of 2000 - Prohibits funds in any Federal appropriations Act for any fiscal year from being used to conduct or support any program of testing individuals for infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in which there is a failure to find and disclose to the tested individuals the test results, together with appropriate counseling.",2025-08-20T14:17:50Z,
106-hr-5621,106,hr,5621,Medicaid DSH Fairness Act of 2000,Health,2000-11-01,2000-12-05,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2123-2124),House,"Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1]",IL,D,R000515,0,"Medicaid DSH Fairness Act of 2000 - Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, to apply the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) transition rule under title XIX of the Social Security Act to public hospitals in all States.",2025-08-20T14:21:17Z,
106-s-3267,106,s,3267,Retired Coal Miners Health Benefit Security Act,Health,2000-11-01,2000-11-01,Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 955.,Senate,"Sen. Roth Jr., William V. [R-DE]",DE,R,R000460,0,Retired Coal Miners Health Benefit Security Act - Amends Subchapter B (Combined Benefit Fund) of Subtitle J (Coal Industry Health Benefits) the Internal Revenue Code to authorize appropriations from the Treasury to the United Mine Workers of America Combined Benefit Fund for FY 2001 for the payment of benefits. Provides that a specified amount shall be used to provide specified coal industry operator relief. Requires a report.,2025-08-20T14:16:56Z,
106-hr-5601,106,hr,5601,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000",Health,2000-10-30,2000-11-08,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY-15]",NY,D,R000053,1,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Medicare Beneficiary Improvements - Subtitle A: Improved Preventive Benefits - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) coverage of biennial screening pap smear and pelvic exams; (2) coverage of screening for glaucoma; (3) coverage of screening colonoscopy for average risk individuals; (4) revision of payments and standards for screening mammography; (5) coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes or a renal disease; and (6) extension of Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage for workers with disabilities.Subtitle B: Other Beneficiary Improvements - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) acceleration of reduction of beneficiary copayment for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services; (2) preservation of coverage of drugs and biologicals under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (3) elimination of time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs; (4) imposition of billing limits on drugs; and (5) availability of application forms for medical assistance for Medicare cost-sharing.Subtitle C: Demonstration Projects and Studies - Outlines: (1) a Health and Human Services (HHS) demonstration project for disease management for severely chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries; (2) HHS demonstration projects for cancer prevention and treatment for ethnic and racial minorities; (3) a National Academy of Sciences study on the addition of coverage of routine thyroid screening using a thyroid stimulating hormone test as a preventive benefit provided to Medicare beneficiaries; (4) a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) study on consumer coalitions in marking Medicare+Choice (SSA title XVIII part C) plans; (5) an HHS study on the effect of limitations on State payment for Medicare cost-sharing on access to services for qualified Medicare beneficiaries; (6) HHS studies on preventive interventions in primary care for older Americans; and (7) a MEDPAC study on Medicare coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation therapy services.(Sec. 126) Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).Title II: Rural Health Care Improvements - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVII to: (1) prohibit beneficiary cost-sharing for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals; (2) increase the amount a critical access hospital may elect to be paid for outpatient critical access hospital (OCAH) services with respect to the fee schedule payment for OCAH professional services; (3) exempt critical access hospital swing beds from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS); (4) provide for payment in critical access hospitals for emergency room on-call physicians; and (5) provide for the treatment of ambulance services furnished by certain critical access hospitals.(Sec. 206) Requires the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a study on certain eligibility requirements for critical access hospitals.Subtitle B: Other Rural Hospitals Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services to provide for: (1) application of a uniform threshold for urban and rural hospitals to be classified as disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2001; (2) adjustment of payment formulas for various specified hospitals, including hospitals that are both sole community hospitals and rural referral centers for discharges occurring during such period; (3) an option to base eligibility for the Medicare dependent, small rural hospital program on discharges during two of the three most recently audited cost reporting periods; and (4) extension of the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals.(Sec. 214) Directs MEDPAC, in its study and report to Congress on rural providers under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, to analyze the impact of volume on the per unit cost of rural hospitals with psychiatric units, and recommend whether special treatment for such hospitals may be warranted.Subtitle C: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to special payment rules for particular items and services to provide transitional assistance for providers of ambulance services in rural areas.(Sec. 222) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to the use of carriers for administration of benefits concerning payment for certain physician assistant services.(Sec. 223) Amends BBA'97 to: (1) set a time limit for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services; and (2) provide for an expansion of Medicare payment for such services.(Sec. 224) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for expanding access to rural health clinics.(Sec. 225) Directs MEDPAC to study the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare.Title III: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Inpatient Hospital Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for elimination of the reduction in the PPS hospital payment update.(Sec. 301) Directs the Secretary, when rebasing and revising the hospital market basket index, to consider the prices of blood and blood products purchased by hospitals and to determine whether those prices are adequately reflected in such index.Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services and updating previous standardized amounts to provide for: (1) an adjustment for inpatient case mix changes; (2) modification of the transition for indirect medical education percentage adjustment for DSHs; and (3) decreases in reductions for DSH payments.(Sec. 304) Provides for a three-year effective period for any decision of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board to reclassify a DSH for purposes of adjusting the diagnosis-related group (DRG) prospective payment rate for hospital wage level area differences for FY 2001 or any fiscal year thereafter. Requires the Secretary to establish procedures under which a DSH hospital may elect to terminate such reclassification before the end of such period.Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a process under which an appropriate statewide entity may apply to have all the geographic areas in a State treated as a single geographic area for purposes of computing and applying the area wage index; and (2) provide for the collection of data every three years on occupational mix for employees of each DSH in the provision of inpatient hospital services in order to construct an occupational mix adjustment in the applicable hospital area wage index.(Sec. 305) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to prospective payment for inpatient rehabilitation hospital services and: (1) assistance with administrative costs associated with completion of patient assessment; as well as (2) a rehabilitation facility election to apply full prospective payment rate without phase-in.(Sec. 306) Provides that, with respect to the inpatient services of psychiatric hospitals and certain psychiatric units, in making incentive payments to such hospitals for cost reporting periods from October 1, 2000, through October 1, 2001, the Secretary shall increase the percent of the target amount used in determining such payments.(Sec. 307) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) increased target amounts and caps for long-term care hospitals before implementation of the PPS required under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 for payment for inpatient hospital services provided in long-term care hospitals; (2) alternative implementation of such PPS by the Secretary based on the use of existing hospital DRGs that have been modified; and (3) increase in the base payment for Puerto Rico DSH hospitals.Subtitle B: Adjustments to PPS Payments for Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to SNFs for routine service costs to revise updating requirements, among other changes eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility market basket update in 2001.(Sec. 311) Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the adequacy of Medicare payment rates to SNFs and the extent to which Medicare contributes to the financial viability of such facilities.(Sec. 312) Directs the Secretary to increase the nursing component of the case-mix adjusted Federal prospective payment rate specified in the final rule published in the Federal Register by the Health Care Financing Administration on July 31, 2000, effective for services furnished on or after April 1, 2001, and before October 1, 2002.Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an audit for Congress of nursing staffing ratios in a representative sample of Medicare SNFs.(Sec. 313) Amends SSA title XVIII to limit application of the SNF consolidated billing requirement to a period during which the resident is provided Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) covered post-hospital extended care services.Requires the Secretary to monitor payments made under Medicare part B for items and services furnished to SNF residents during a time in which they are not being provided Medicare covered post-hospital extended care services, in order to ensure that there is not duplicate billing for services or excessive services provided.(Sec. 314) Provides that, for purposes of computing payments for certain covered SNF services, the Secretary shall increase the adjusted Federal per diem rate for covered SNF services for specified RUG-III (resource utilization group) rehabilitation groups furnished to an individual during the period in which such individual is classified in such a RUG-III category.Directs the HHS Inspector General to review the Medicare payment structure for services classified within RUGs and report to Congress on whether payment incentives exist for the delivery of inadequate care.(Sec. 315) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a procedure for the geographic reclassification of a SNF for purposes of payment for covered SNF services under the PPS for SNFs for routine service costs.Subtitle C: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a full market basket increase for hospice care for FY 2001 and 2002.(Sec. 322) Requires that the certification regarding an individual's terminal illness be based on the physician's or medical director's clinical judgment regarding the normal course of the illness.(Sec. 323) Directs MEDPAC to conduct a study on the factors affecting the use of hospice benefits under Medicare program and differences in such use between urban and rural hospice programs and based upon the presenting condition of the patient.Subtitle D: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a reduction in Medicare part A late enrollment premium increases (penalty) for a qualified State or local government retiree group in the case where a State, a local government, or an agency or instrumentality of a State or local government, determines to pay, for the life of each individual in such a group, the monthly premiums due.Title IV: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the PPS for hospital OPD services to provide for: (1) a full market basket increase for such services for 2001; (2) adjustment for service mix changes; (3) use of categories in determining eligibility of a device for pass-through payments; (4) application of OPD PPS transitional corridor payments to certain hospitals that did not submit a 1996 cost report; (5) treatment of children's hospitals under the PPS; and (6) inclusion of temperature monitored cryoablation in transitional pass-through for certain medical devices, drugs, and biologicals under the PPS.(Sec. 404) Provides that, for purposes of making determinations of provider-based status under Medicare on or after October 1, 2000, any facility or organization that is treated as provider-based in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare as of October 1, 2000: (1) shall continue to be treated as provider-based in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare during the two year period beginning on October 1, 2000; and (2) the requirements, limitations, and exclusions specified in appropriate Federal regulations detailing requirements for a determination that a facility or an organization has provider-based status shall not apply to such facility or organization in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital until after the end of such two-year period.Prohibits a facility or organization for which a determination of provider-based status in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital is requested during FY 2001 or 2002 from being treated as not having such status in relation to such a hospital for any period before a determination is made with respect to such status pursuant to such request and in making a determination with respect to such status for any facility or organization in relationship to such a hospital on or after October 1, 2000, the facility or organization shall be treated as satisfying any requirements and standards for geographic location in relation to such a hospital if the facility or organization: (1) satisfies appropriate Federal regulations pertaining to location in immediate vicinity or is located not more than 35 miles from the main campus of the hospital or critical access hospital; and (2) is owned and operated by a hospital or critical access hospital that meets specified criteria.Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians' Services - Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study on: (1) the appropriateness of furnishing in physicians' offices specialist physicians' services which are ordinarily furnished in hospital outpatient departments; and (2) the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare.(Sec. 412) Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to test and, if proven effective, expand the use of incentives to health care groups participating in Medicare that: (1) encourage coordination of the care furnished to individuals under Medicare parts A and B by institutional and other providers, practitioners, and suppliers of health care items and services; (2) encourage investment in administrative structures and processes to ensure efficient service delivery; and (3) reward physicians for improving health outcomes.(Sec. 413) Directs the Comptroller General to study the current Medicare enrollment process for groups that retain independent contractor physicians with particular emphasis on hospital-based physicians.Subtitle C: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a one-year extension of the moratorium on certain physical therapy services caps.(Sec. 421) Directs the Secretary to study the implications: (1) of eliminating the ""in the room"" supervision requirement for Medicare payment for services of physical therapy assistants supervised by physical therapists; and (2) of such requirement on the cap imposed under Medicare on physical therapy services.(Sec. 422) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to increase the update for dialysis services furnished on or after January 1, 2001.Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect data and develop an ESRD market basket whereby the Secretary can estimate, before the beginning of a year, the percentage by which the costs for the year of the mix of labor and nonlabor goods and services included in the ESRD composite rate will exceed the costs of such mix for the preceding year; and (2) develop a system which includes in such composite rate, to the maximum extent feasible, payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and drugs that are routinely used in furnishing dialysis services to Medicare beneficiaries, but which are currently separately billable by renal dialysis facilities.(Sec. 423) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment for ambulance services to provide for: (1) restoration of the full consumer price index (CPI) increase for 2001; and (2) continued phase-in of the application of the payment rates under the ambulance services fee schedule in an efficient and fair manner; except that when the Secretary implements such fee schedule, such phase-in shall provide for full payment of any national mileage rate for ambulance services provided by suppliers that are paid by carriers in any of the 50 States where payment by a carrier for such services for all such suppliers in such State, before the fee schedule's implementation, did not include a separate amount for all mileage within the county from which the beneficiary is transported.(Sec. 424) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a revised PPS for services of ambulatory surgical facilities before January 1, 2002.Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with respect to the phase-in of the PPS for ambulatory surgical centers to: (1) extend the phase-in to four years; and (2) direct the Secretary, by January 1, 2003, to incorporate data from a 1999 Medicare cost survey or a subsequent cost survey for purposes of implementing or revising such PPS.(Sec. 425) Amends SSA title XVIII, with respect to special payment rules for particular items and services, to provide for: (1) the full update for durable medical equipment, orthotics, and prosthetics in 2001; and (2) addition of special payment provisions and requirements for prosthetics and certain custom fabricated orthotic items.(Sec. 428) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the replacement of, and payment for, prosthetic devices and parts.(Sec. 429) Directs the Comptroller General to study the reimbursement for drugs and biologicals under the current Medicare payment methodology and for related services under Medicare part B, with recommendations for revised payment methodologies. Directs the Secretary to revise such payment methodology based on such recommendations.(Sec. 430) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the PPS for hospital OPD services to direct the Secretary to create additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize contrast media from those that do not.(Sec. 431) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) to revise the qualifications for community mental health centers under provisions defining partial hospitalization services.(Sec. 432) Makes a hospital or a free-standing ambulatory care clinic, whether operated by the Indian Health Service or by an Indian tribe or tribal organization, eligible for payments for services for which payment is made under Medicare part B for physicians' services if and for so long as it meets all of the requirements which are applicable generally to such payments, services, hospitals, and clinics.(Sec. 433) Directs the Comptroller General to study the effect on Medicare and on Medicare beneficiaries of coverage of surgical first assisting services of certified registered nurse first assistants.(Sec. 434) Directs MEDPAC to study the appropriateness of: (1) the current Medicare payment rates for services provided by a certified nurse-midwife, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, and a clinical nurse specialist; and (2) Medicare coverage for services provided by a surgical technologist, a marriage counselor, a marriage and family therapist, a pastoral care counselor, and a licensed professional counselor of mental health.(Sec. 436) Directs the Comptroller General to study: (1) the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided; (2) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as such process applies to physicians; and (3) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare.(Sec. 438) Directs MEDPAC to study the barriers to coverage and payment for outpatient interventional pain medicine procedures under Medicare.Title V: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a two-year additional delay in the application of the 15 percent reduction on payment limits for home health services.(Sec. 501) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to delay for an additional year the 15 percent reduction in payment rates for home health services after implementation of the PPS. Requires the Comptroller General, instead of the Secretary (as currently required), to report to Congress an analysis of the need for such a reduction.Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the PPS for home health services concerning the annual update to provide for an adjustment for case mix changes.(Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for restoration of the full home health market basket update for home health services for FY 2001.Establishes a special rule for payment under the PPS for home health services for FY 2001 based on adjusted prospective payment amounts.(Sec. 503) Provides for a temporary two-month extension of periodic interim payments under BBA '97 in the case of a home health agency receiving periodic interim payments as of September 30, 2000.(Sec. 504) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the use of telehealth in the delivery of home health services.(Sec. 505) Directs the Comptroller General to study variations in prices paid by home health agencies furnishing home health services under Medicare in purchasing nonroutine medical supplies and volumes if such supplies used determine the effect (if any) of variations on prices and volumes in the provision of such services.(Sec. 506) Provides that, in determining for Medicare purposes whether an office of a home health agency constitutes a branch office or a separate home health agency, neither the time nor distance between a parent office of the home health agency and a branch office shall be the sole determinant of a home health agency's branch office status.(Sec. 507) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the Medicare home health benefit to declare that absences from home to receive medical treatment shall not disqualify an individual from such benefit.(Sec. 508) Provides for bonus payments for rural home health agencies in 2001 and 2002.Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for an increase in the floor for direct graduate medical education payments for FY 2002.(Sec. 512) Changes the distribution formula for Medicare+Choice-related nursing and allied health education costs.Subtitle C: Changes in Medicare Coverage and Appeals Process - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise the Medicare appeals process. Provides for initial determinations of entitlement and benefits by the Secretary, by a utilization and quality control peer review organization, or by an independent contractor. Provides for redeterminations of denied benefit claims. Specifies appeals rights, including the right of an individual to request a medically exigent review from the contractor who made the initial determination.(Sec. 522) Provides for the review of coverage determinations under the Medicare appeals process.Amends SSA title XI to require any advisory committee on certain Medicare coverage exclusions to: (1) assure the full participation of a nonvoting member in its deliberations; and (2) provide such nonvoting member access to all information and data (with certain exceptions) made available to the committee's voting members. Provides that, if such committee organizes into panels of experts according to types of items or services, any such panel may report directly to the Secretary without prior approval.Subtitle D: Improving Access to New Technologies - Amends SSA title XVIII to establish a new payment rule for any clinical diagnostic laboratory test performed on or after January 1, 2001, that is a new test for which no limitation amount has previously been established.(Sec. 531) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish procedures for coding and payment determinations for the categories of new clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and new durable medical equipment under Medicare part B that permit public consultation in a manner consistent with the procedures established for implementing coding modifications for ICD-9-CM; and (2) report to Congress on the specific procedures used under Medicare part B to adjust payments for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and durable medical equipment which are classified to existing codes where, because of a technology advance, there has been a significant increase or decrease in the resources used in the test or in the manufacture of the equipment, and a significant improvement in test or equipment performance.(Sec. 532) Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain and continue through December 31, 2003, the use of level III codes of the HCPCS (Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Common Procedure Coding System) coding system (as such system was in effect on August 16, 2000); and (2) make such codes publicly available.(Sec. 533) Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress on methods of expeditiously incorporating new medical services and technologies into the clinical coding system used with respect to Medicare payment for inpatient hospital services, together with a detailed description of the Secretary's preferred methods to achieve this purpose; and (2) implement such preferred methods.Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to establish a mechanism to recognize the costs of new medical services and technologies with respect to inpatient hospital services under the hospital reimbursement control system.Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to reduce from 45 percent to 30 percent the reduction in the amount of bad debts otherwise treated as allowable costs attributable to the deductibles and coinsurance amounts under Medicare for FY 2001 and subsequent fiscal years in determining the reasonable costs of outpatient hospital services (thus increasing by 15 percent the amount that may be reimbursed).(Sec. 542) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare.(Sec. 543) Amends SSA title XI to make permanent the authority for the Secretary to issue written advisory opinions under provisions for guidance regarding application of health care fraud and abuse sanctions.(Sec. 544) Amends SSA title XVIII to make various specified changes in annual MEDPAC reporting with regard to revision of deadlines for submission of reports and on the record votes on recommendations.(Sec. 545) Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the development of standard instruments for the assessment of the health and functional status of patients, for whom specified items and services are furnished.(Sec. 546) Directs the Comptroller General to report to specified congressional committees on the effect of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act on hospitals, emergency physicians, and physicians covering emergency department call throughout the United States.(Sec. 547) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to agreements with providers of services to provide for the application of the bloodborne pathogen standard to certain hospitals.Title VI: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Subtitle A: Medicare+Choice Payment Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the payment amount for 2001 through 2003 for accountable Medicare+Choice coordinated care plans; (2) increase the minimum percentage increase for 2001; and (3) provide for a ten-year phase-in of risk adjustment.(Sec. 604) Provides for a transition to revised Medicare+Choice payment rates.(Sec. 605) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 606) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to premiums to permit Medicare part B premium reductions as additional benefits under Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 607) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) ensure full implementation of risk adjustment methodology for congestive heart failure enrollees for 2001; and (2) provide for the expansion of the application of Medicare+Choice's new entry bonus.(Sec. 609) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on a method to phase-in the costs of military facility services furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and those furnished by the Department of Defense, to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the calculation of an area's Medicare+Choice capitation payment.Subtitle B: Other Medicare+Choice Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for payment of additional amounts for new Medicare+Choice benefits covered during a contract term.(Sec. 612) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing, other than at the beginning of a calendar year, regulations that impose significant regulatory requirements on a Medicare+Choice organization or plan.(Sec. 613) Provides for timely approval of marketing material that follows model marketing language, and for avoiding duplicative regulation with respect to plan requirements.(Sec. 615) Provides that, in the case of a Medicare+Choice organization that offers a Medicare+Choice plan in an area in which more than one local coverage policy is applied with respect to different parts of the area, the organization may elect to have the local coverage policy for the part of the area that is most beneficial to Medicare+Choice enrollees apply with respect to all Medicare+Choice enrollees enrolled in the plan.(Sec. 616) Requires: (1) the quality assurance program under the Medicare+Choice program to include a separate focus on racial and ethnic minorities; and (2) the Secretary to submit to Congress a report regarding how such quality assurance programs focus on racial and ethnic minorities.(Sec. 617) Authorizes the Secretary to waive or to modify requirements that hinder the design of, the offering of, or enrollment in Medicare+Choice plans under contracts between Medicare+Choice organizations and employers, labor organizations, or the trustees of a fund established by one or more employers or labor organizations (or combination thereof) to furnish benefits to the entity's employees, former employees (or combination thereof), or to members or former members (or combination thereof) of the labor organizations.(Sec. 618) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to special Medicare supplemental health insurance enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries.(Sec. 619) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to restore the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 620) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated.(Sec. 621) Provides that, in covering post-hospital extended care services, a Medicare+Choice plan shall provide for such coverage through a home SNF if: (1) the enrollee elects to receive such coverage through such SNF; and (2) the SNF has a contract with the Medicare+Choice organization for the provision of such services, or the SNF agrees to accept substantially similar payment under the same terms and conditions that apply to similarly situated SNFs under contract with the Medicare+Choice organization through which the enrollee would otherwise receive such services.(Sec. 622) Directs HCFA's Chief Actuary to review the actuarial assumptions and data used by the Medicare+Choice organization with respect to such rates, amounts, and values to determine the appropriateness of such assumptions and data.(Sec. 623) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for civil monetary penalties for contract default by a Medicare+Choice organization.Subtitle C: Other Managed Care Reforms - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to provide for a one-year extension of the social health maintenance organization demonstration project authority.(Sec. 632) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to provide for revised terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration project.(Sec. 633) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to provide for a two-year extension of Medicare municipal health services demonstration projects.(Sec. 634) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to payments to health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans and service area expansion for Medicare cost contracts during transition period.Title VII: Medicaid - Amends SSA title XIX with respect to DSH payments and: (1) continuation of Medicaid DSH allotments at FY 2000 levels for FY 2001 and 2002: (2) a special rule for Medicaid DSH allotment for extremely low DSH States; and (3) contingent allotment for Tennessee.(Sec. 701) Outlines provisions for: (1) assuring identification of Medicaid managed care patients for purposes of making DSH payments; (2) application of the Medicaid DSH transition rule to public hospitals in all States; (3) assistance for certain public hospitals; and (4) DSH payment accountability standards.(Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to create a new PPS for Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.(Sec. 703) Amends SSA XI to establish an approval process for a State's application for an extension of any State-wide comprehensive demonstration project for which a waiver of compliance with Medicaid requirements is granted.(Sec. 704) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 with respect to Medicaid county-organized health systems.(Sec. 705) Directs the Secretary to issue a final regulation based on the proposed rule announced on October 5, 2000, that: (1) modifies the upper payment limit test applied to State Medicaid spending for inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, nursing facility services, intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded, and clinic services by applying an aggregate upper payment limit to payments made to government facilities that are not State-owned or operated facilities; and (2) provides for a specified transition period.(Sec. 706) Prescribes a formula for the Federal medical assistance percentage for Alaska for purposes of SSA titles XIX and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP), which shall apply only for FY 2001 through 2005.(Sec. 707) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid.(Sec. 708) Makes additional entities qualified to determine Medicaid presumptive eligibility for low-income children.(Sec. 709) Provides for a one-year extension of provisions on eligibility for medical assistance under Medicaid.Title VIII: State Children's Health Insurance Program - Amends SSA title XXI to: (1) establish a rule for redistribution and extended availability of unused FY 1998 and 1999 SCHIP allotments; (2) provide authority to pay Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs from SCHIP appropriations; (3) eliminate requirement to reduce a SCHIP allotment by Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs; (4) provide authority to transfer SCHIP appropriations to the Medicaid appropriation account as reimbursement for Medicaid expenditures for Medicaid expansion SCHIP services; and (5) provide optional coverage of certain legal immigrants under SCHIP.Title IX: Other Provisions - Subtitle A: PACE Program - Amends BBA '97 with respect to programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) to provide for an extension of transition for the current PACE demonstration project waiver authority.(Sec. 902) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payments to, and coverage of benefits under, PACE programs, and regulations and use of PACE protocol to provide for the continuation of modifications or waivers of operational requirements under demonstration status.(Sec. 903) Directs the Secretary to approve or deny a request for a modification or a waiver of provisions of the PACE protocol not later than 90 days after the Secretary receives the request, in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority.Permits the Secretary to exercise authority to modify or to waive such provisions in a manner that responds promptly to the needs of PACE programs relating to areas of employment and the use of community-based primary care physicians in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority.Subtitle B: Outreach to Eligible Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries - Amends SSA title XI to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) conduct outreach efforts to identify individuals entitled to Medicare benefits who may be eligible for medical assistance for payment of the cost of Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid; and (2) notify such individuals of the availability of such medical assistance.(Sec. 911) Directs the Comptroller General to study the impact of such outreach efforts on the enrollment of individuals for Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid.Subtitle C: Maternal and Child Health Block Grant - Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to increase the authorization of appropriations for the Maternal and Child Health Services block grant for FY 2001 and each fiscal year thereafter.Subtitle D: Diabetes - Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase FY 2001 through 2003 appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type I diabetes and for special diabetes programs for Indians.(Sec. 931) Amends BBA '97 to extend the final report on diabetes grant programs.(Sec. 932) Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001.Subtitle E: Nurse Staffing and Quality Improvement Act of 2000 - Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Improvement Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary to establish a program of competitive grants to eligible States for the purpose of improving the quality of care furnished in nursing homes operating in the State.(Sec. 943) Amends SSA titles XVIII and XIX to add requirements for SNFs and nursing facilities to report to the Secretary on data regarding staffing levels and information regarding patient classification.(Sec. 944) Amends SSA title XI to establish the Nursing Facility Civil Money Penalties Collection Account to be used for awarding grants under this subtitle.Subtitle F: Family Opportunities Act - Family Opportunity Act of 2000 - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) give States the option of allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for them; and (2) provide for treatment of inpatient psychiatric hospital services for individuals under age 21 under waivers allowing for payment for part or all of the cost of home or community-based services.(Sec. 954) Authorizes a State to apply to the Secretary for approval of a demonstration project to provide Medicaid coverage to up to a specified maximum number of children with a potentially severe disability.(Sec. 955) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to make appropriations to the Secretary for special projects of regional and national significance for development and support of family-to-family health information centers.(Sec. 956) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for the restoration of Medicaid eligibility to certain SSI beneficiaries under age 21.",2025-08-20T14:18:03Z,
106-s-3261,106,s,3261,HMO Guaranty Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-30,2000-10-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S11375-11376),Senate,"Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]",RI,D,R000122,0,HMO Guaranty Act of 2000 - Establishes in the U.S. Treasury the HMO Guaranty Fund to provide payments to States to pay the outstanding health care provider claims of insolvent health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and to provide for a temporary continuation of health care coverage for covered individuals.Requires each HMO that is licensed by a State to provide health care coverage to make biannual payments to the Guaranty Fund in accordance with an assessment schedule to be established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Permits deferrals or exemptions if an HMO demonstrates that payment of the assessment would endanger its ability to fulfill contractual obligations or place it in an unsound financial condition. Prescribes a civil penalty for failure to pay.,2025-08-20T14:17:29Z,
106-hr-5595,106,hr,5595,Hispanic Health Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-27,2000-11-08,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Rodriguez, Ciro D. [D-TX-28]",TX,D,R000568,6,"Hispanic Health Act of 2000 - Title I: Annual Report to Congress on Programs for Improving Health Status of Hispanic Individuals - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to Congress on programs carried out through the Public Health Service for improving the health status of Hispanic individuals regarding diabetes, HIV infection, AIDS, substance abuse, and mental health.Title II: Diabetes Control and Prevention - Authorizes appropriations for: (1) diabetes education and prevention activities for Hispanic individuals; and (2) implementation of recommendations of the Diabetes Research Working Group.Title III: HIV Prevention Activities Regarding Hispanic Individuals - Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out activities relating to HIV prevention activities among Hispanic individuals; and (2) make grants to Hispanic-serving institutions for carrying out HIV- related projects among racial and ethnic minority groups.Title IV: Prevention of Latina Adolescent Suicides - Directs the Secretary to carry out a grant program for reducing suicide attempts among Latina adolescents. Authorizes appropriations.Title V: Bilingual Health Professionals - Directs the Secretary to carry out a program for training bilingual health professionals in the treatment of minority health conditions. Authorizes appropriations.Title VI: Cultural Competence - Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop educational materials on providing health services in a culturally competent manner; (2) establish a Center for Linguistic and Cultural Competence in Health Care; and (3) carry out cultural competence demonstration projects at two hospitals. Authorizes appropriations.Title VII: Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools - Directs the Secretary to make grants to Hispanic-serving health professions schools to recruit Hispanic individuals for enrollment. Authorizes appropriations.Title VIII: Data Regarding Race and Ethnicity - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to collect and maintain health care race and ethnicity data.(Sec. 802) Directs the Secretary to develop outcome measures used to evaluate, by race and ethnicity, the performance of health care programs and projects to individuals under Medicare and Medicaid programs (titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act).Title IX: General Provisions - Provides definitions and an effective date.",2025-08-20T14:19:03Z,
106-s-3255,106,s,3255,Medicaid DSH Fairness Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-27,2000-10-27,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]",IL,D,D000563,2,"Medicaid DSH Fairness Act of 2000 - Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, to apply the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) transition rule under title XIX of the Social Security Act to public hospitals in all States.",2025-08-20T14:20:33Z,
106-hr-5568,106,hr,5568,Patients' Declaration of Independence Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-26,2000-11-01,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.,House,"Rep. DeMint, Jim [R-SC-4]",SC,R,D000595,3,"Patients' Declaration of Independence Act of 2000 - Provides, in the case of a group health plan that is a freedom-of-choice plan with respect to a participant or beneficiary, that: (1) an employer maintaining the plan shall not be liable pursuant to any cause of action relating to the provision of (or failure to provide, or manner of provision of) benefits under any health insurance coverage that may be secured by such participant or beneficiary in connection with the plan; and (2) there shall be no right of recovery, indemnity, or contribution by a person against such an employer (or an employee of such an employer acting within the scope of employment) for damages assessed against the person pursuant to any such cause of action.Provides that, for certain purposes under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), any such employer (and any such employee) shall not be considered a fiduciary of the plan.Defines a freedom-of-choice group health plan as one which: (1) provides benefits on behalf of the participant or beneficiary only in the form of a contribution towards the cost of health insurance coverage that meets the applicable requirements of law; (2) does not impose any restriction with respect to such coverage, including the benefits available under such coverage, the health insurance issuer that offers such coverage, and the selection of such coverage; and (3) provides that the participant (and not the employer or plan) is the owner of the health insurance coverage.Requires such a contribution to be treated as employer-provided coverage under a health plan, for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code.",2025-08-20T14:16:54Z,
106-hr-5572,106,hr,5572,Medicaid Intensive Community Mental Health Treatment Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-26,2000-11-08,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]",OH,D,K000009,3,Medicaid Intensive Community Mental Health Treatment Act of 2000 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide States with the option of covering intensive community mental health treatment under the Medicaid program.,2025-08-20T14:17:40Z,
106-hr-5579,106,hr,5579,Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-26,2000-11-08,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Mica, John L. [R-FL-7]",FL,R,M000689,0,"Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends provisions of the Public Health Service Act relating to the national vaccine injury compensation program to require a petition for compensation under the program to contain an affidavit that the petitioner sustained or aggravated an illness, disability, injury, or condition in positive association with a vaccine received.",2025-08-20T14:18:59Z,
106-hr-5543,106,hr,5543,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000",Health,2000-10-25,2000-10-31,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Thomas, William M. [R-CA-21]",CA,R,T000188,2,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Medicare Beneficiary Improvements - Subtitle A: Improved Preventive Benefits - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of: (1) biennial (currently, triennial) screening pap smear and pelvic exams; (2) screening for glaucoma for high-risk individuals; and (3) screening colonoscopy for average risk individuals.(Sec. 104) Revises provisions for payments and standards for screening mammography.Outlines payment for certain screening mammographies that use a specified new technology.(Sec. 105) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for coverage of specified medical nutrition therapy services for certain beneficiaries with diabetes or a renal disease.Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report to Congress any recommendations with respect to the expansion to other Medicare beneficiary populations of such medical nutrition therapy services benefit.Subtitle B: Other Beneficiary Improvements - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the prospective payment system(PPS) for hospital outpatient department (ODP) services, reducing the upper limit on beneficiary copayment.(Sec. 111) Directs the Comptroller General to evaluate and report to Congress on the extent to which the premium levels for Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policies reflect the reductions in copayment resulting from this subtitle.(Sec. 112) Amends SSA title XVIII to include as ""medical and other health services,"" for coverage purposes, drugs and biologicals which are not usually self-administered by the patient (currently, drugs and biologicals which cannot be self-administered).(Sec. 113) Eliminates the time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs.(Sec. 114) Provides for the imposition of billing limits on prescription drugs.Subtitle C: Demonstration Projects and Studies - Directs the Secretary to conduct a demonstration project with respect to the impact on costs and on health outcomes of applying disease management to eligible Medicare beneficiaries with diagnosed, advanced-stage congestive heart failure, diabetes, or coronary heart disease.(Sec. 122) Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects for the purpose of developing models and evaluating methods that: (1) improve the quality of items and services provided to target individuals in order to facilitate reduced disparities in early detection and treatment of cancer; (2) improve clinical outcomes, satisfaction, quality of life, and appropriate use of Medicare-covered services and referral patterns among those target individuals with cancer; (3) eliminate disparities in the rate of preventive cancer screening measures among target individuals; and (4) promote collaboration with community-based organizations to ensure cultural competency of health care professionals and linguistic access for persons with limited English proficiency.Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate best practices in the private sector, community programs, and academic research of methods that reduce disparities among individuals of racial and ethnic minority groups in the prevention and treatment of cancer; (2) design the demonstration projects based on such evaluation; and (3) implement at least nine such projects, including two for each of the four major racial and ethnic minority groups.Provides that if a report on the cost-effectiveness of the demonstration projects contains an evaluation that they reduce or do not increase Medicare expenditures, reduce racial and ethnic health disparities in the quality of health care services provided to target individuals, and increase satisfaction of beneficiaries and health care providers, the Secretary shall continue the existing projects, and may expand their numbers. Provides for funding.(Sec. 123) Directs the Secretary to request the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to Congress on the addition of Medicare coverage of routine thyroid screening using a thyroid stimulating hormone test as a preventive benefit.(Sec. 124) Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study and report to Congress on the use of consumer coalitions in the marketing of Medicare+Choice (Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice) plans.(Sec. 125) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on whether access to certain services (including mental health services) for qualified Medicare beneficiaries has been affected by limitations on a State's payment for Medicare cost-sharing for such beneficiaries.(Sec. 126) Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study and report to Congress and the Secretary on the appropriateness of waiving the 24-month waiting period for Medicare disability eligibility for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other similar diseases.(Sec. 127) Requires the Secretary to conduct a series of studies for a report to Congress identifying preventive interventions most valuable to older Americans that can be delivered in the primary care setting.Amends the mission statement of the United States Preventive Services Task Force to include the evaluation of services of particular relevance to older Americans.(Sec. 128) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to Congress on Medicare coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation therapy services.Title II: Rural Health Care Improvements - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to special payment rules for particular items and services to: (1) prohibit the application of beneficiary cost-sharing under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) to clinical diagnostic laboratory services furnished as an outpatient critical access hospital service; (2) increase the amount a critical access hospital may elect to be paid for outpatient critical access hospital (OCAH) services with respect to the fee schedule payment for OCAH professional services;  (3) direct the Secretary to cover the reasonable costs for emergency room on-call physicians; and (4) provide for the treatment of ambulance services furnished by certain critical access hospitals.(Sec. 203) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for routine service costs to: (1) exempt critical access hospital swing beds from the SNF PPS; and (2) base payment on a reasonable cost basis for swing bed services furnished by critical access hospitals.(Sec. 206) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the eligibility requirements for Medicare critical access hospitals with respect to limitations on average length of stay and number of beds in such a hospital.Subtitle B: Other Rural Hospitals Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services to provide for: (1) application of a uniform threshold for urban and rural hospitals to be classified as disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) for discharges occurring on or after April 1, 2001; (2) adjustment of payment formulas for various specified hospitals, including hospitals that are both sole community hospitals and rural referral centers for discharges occurring during such period; (3) establishment of the option to base eligibility for the Medicare dependent, small rural hospital program on discharges during two of the three most recently audited cost reporting periods; and (4) extension of the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals.(Sec. 214) Directs MEDPAC, in its study of and report to Congress on rural providers under BBRA, to analyze the impact of volume on the per unit cost of rural hospitals with psychiatric units, and recommend whether special treatment for such hospitals may be warranted.Subtitle C: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to special payment rules for particular items and services to provide transitional assistance for providers of ambulance services in rural areas.(Sec. 221) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the: (1) cost of efficiently providing ambulance services for trips originating in rural areas; and (2) means by which rural areas with low population densities can be identified for the purpose of designating areas in which, because of low usage, the cost of providing ambulance services would be expected to be higher than similar services provided in more heavily populated areas.(Sec. 222) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to the use of carriers for administration of benefits concerning payment for certain physician assistant services.(Sec. 223) Amends BBA'97 to: (1) set a time limit for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services; and (2) provide for an expansion of Medicare payment for such services.Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on additional: (1) settings and sites for the provision of telehealth services; (2) practitioners that may be reimbursed for furnishing telehealth services; and (3) geographic areas in which telehealth services may be reimbursed.(Sec. 224) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for expanding access to rural health clinics.(Sec. 225) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to Congress on the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare.Title III: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Inpatient Hospital Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise the acute care hospital payment update for 2001, with a special rule for payment for FY 2001 for inpatient hospital services furnished by DSH hospitals.(Sec. 301) Directs the Secretary, when rebasing and revising the hospital market basket index, to consider the prices of blood and blood products purchased by hospitals and to determine whether those prices are adequately reflected in such index.Requires MEDPAC to study and report to Congress on: (1) any increased costs incurred by DSHs in providing inpatient hospital services to Medicare beneficiaries during the period from October 1, 1983, through September 30, 1999, that were attributable to complying with new blood safety measure requirements and providing such services using new technologies; (2) the extent to which the PPS for such services provides adequate and timely recognition of such increased costs; (3) the prospects for cost increases that hospitals will incur in providing such services that are attributable to complying with new blood safety measure requirements and providing such services using new technologies during the ten years after enactment of this Act; and (4) the feasibility and advisability of establishing mechanisms under such PPS to provide for more timely and accurate recognition of such cost increases in the future.Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services and updating previous standardized amounts to provide for: (1) an adjustment for inpatient case mix changes; (2) modification of the transition for indirect medical education percentage adjustment for DSHs; and (3) decreases in reductions for DSH payments.(Sec. 304) Provides for a three-year effective period for any decision of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board to reclassify a DSH for purposes of adjusting the diagnosis-related group (DRG) prospective payment rate for hospital wage level area differences for FY 2001 or any fiscal year thereafter. Requires the Secretary to establish procedures under which a DSH hospital may elect to terminate such reclassification before the end of such period.Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a process under which an appropriate statewide entity may apply to have all the geographic areas in a State treated as a single geographic area for purposes of computing and applying the area wage index; and (2) provide for the collection of data every three years on occupational mix for employees of each DSH in the provision of inpatient hospital services in order to construct an occupational mix adjustment in the applicable hospital area wage index.(Sec. 305) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to prospective payment for inpatient rehabilitation hospital services and: (1) assistance with administrative costs associated with completion of patient assessment; and (2) a rehabilitation facility election to apply full prospective payment rate without phase-in.(Sec. 306) Provides that, with respect to the inpatient services of psychiatric hospitals and certain psychiatric units, in making incentive payments to such hospitals for cost reporting periods from October 1, 2000, through October 1, 2001, the Secretary shall increase the percent of the target amount used in determining such payments.(Sec. 307) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) increased target amounts and caps for long-term care hospitals before implementation of the PPS required under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 for payment for inpatient hospital services provided in long-term care hospitals; and (2) alternative implementation of such PPS by the Secretary based on the use of existing hospital DRGs that have been modified.Subtitle B: Adjustments to PPS Payments for Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to SNFs for routine service costs to revise updating requirements, among other changes eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility market basket update in 2001.(Sec. 311) Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the adequacy of Medicare payment rates to SNFs and the extent to which Medicare contributes to the financial viability of such facilities.Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the different systems for categorizing patients in Medicare SNFs in a manner that accounts for the relative resource utilization of different patient types.(Sec. 312) Directs the Secretary to increase the nursing component of the case-mix adjusted Federal prospective payment rate specified in the final rule published in the Federal Register by the Health Care Financing Administration on July 31, 2000, effective for services furnished on or after April 1, 2001, and before October 1, 2002.Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an audit for a report to Congress on nursing staffing ratios in a representative sample of Medicare SNFs.(Sec. 313) Amends SSA title XVIII to limit application of the SNF consolidated billing requirement to a period during which the resident is provided Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) covered post-hospital extended care services.Requires the Secretary to monitor payments made under Medicare part B for items and services furnished to SNF residents during a time in which they are not being provided Medicare covered post-hospital extended care services, in order to ensure that there is not duplicate billing for services or excessive services provided.(Sec. 314) Provides that, for purposes of computing payments for certain covered SNF services, the Secretary shall increase the adjusted Federal per diem rate for covered SNF services for specified RUG-III (resource utilization group) rehabilitation groups furnished to an individual during the period in which such individual is classified in such a RUG-III category.Directs the HHS Inspector General to review the Medicare payment structure for services classified within RUGs and report to Congress on whether payment incentives exist for the delivery of inadequate care.(Sec. 315) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a procedure for the geographic reclassification of a SNF for purposes of payment for covered SNF services under the PPS for SNFs for routine service costs.Subtitle C: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a full market basket increase for hospice care for FY 2001.(Sec. 322) Requires that the certification regarding an individual's terminal illness be based on the physician's or medical director's clinical judgment regarding the normal course of the illness.Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the appropriateness of requiring such a certification in order for an individual to receive hospice benefits under Medicare.(Sec. 323) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to Congress on the factors affecting the use of hospice benefits under Medicare program and differences in such use between urban and rural hospice programs and based upon the presenting condition of the patient.Subtitle D: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a reduction in Medicare part A late enrollment premium increases (penalty) for a qualified State or local government retiree group in the case where a State, a local government, or an agency or instrumentality of a State or local government, determines to pay, for the life of each individual in such a group, the monthly premiums due.Title IV: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the PPS for hospital OPD services to provide for: (1) a full market basket increase for such services for 2001; (2) adjustment for service mix changes; (3) use of categories in determining eligibility of a device for pass-through payments; (4) application of OPD PPS transitional corridor payments to certain hospitals that did not submit a 1996 cost report; (5) treatment of children's hospitals under the PPS; and (6) inclusion of temperature monitored cryoablation in transitional pass-through for certain medical devices, drugs, and biologicals under the PPS.(Sec. 404) Provides that, for purposes of making determinations of provider-based status under Medicare on or after October 1, 2000, any facility or organization that is treated as provider-based in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare as of October 1, 2000: (1) shall continue to be treated as provider-based in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare during the two year period beginning on October 1, 2000; and (2) the requirements, limitations, and exclusions specified in appropriate Federal regulations detailing requirements for a determination that a facility or an organization has provider-based status shall not apply to such facility or organization in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital until after the end of such two year period.Prohibits a facility or organization for which a determination of provider-based status in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital is requested during FY 2001 or 2002 from being treated as not having such status in relation to such a hospital for any period before a determination is made with respect to such status pursuant to such request and in making a determination with respect to such status for any facility or organization in relationship to such a hospital on or after October 1, 2000, the facility or organization shall be treated as satisfying any requirements and standards for geographic location in relation to such a hospital if the facility or organization: (1) satisfies appropriate Federal regulations pertaining to location in immediate vicinity or is located not more than 35 miles from the main campus of the hospital or critical access hospital; and (2) is owned and operated by a hospital or critical access hospital that meets specified criteria.Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians' Services - Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on: (1) the appropriateness of furnishing in physicians' offices specialist physicians' services which are ordinarily furnished in hospital outpatient departments; and (2) the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare.(Sec. 412) Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to test and, if proven effective, expand the use of incentives to health care groups participating in Medicare that: (1) encourage coordination of the care furnished to individuals under Medicare parts A and B by institutional and other providers, practitioners, and suppliers of health care items and services; (2) encourage investment in administrative structures and processes to ensure efficient service delivery; and (3) reward physicians for improving health outcomes.(Sec. 413) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the current Medicare enrollment process for groups that retain independent contractor physicians with particular emphasis on hospital-based physicians.Subtitle C: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a one-year extension of the moratorium on certain physical therapy services caps.(Sec. 421) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the implications: (1) of eliminating the ""in the room"" supervision requirement for Medicare payment for services of physical therapy assistants supervised by physical therapists; and (2) of such requirement on the cap imposed under Medicare on physical therapy services.(Sec. 422) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to increase the update for dialysis services furnished on or after January 1, 2001.Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect data and develop an ESRD market basket whereby the Secretary can estimate, before the beginning of a year, the percentage by which the costs for the year of the mix of labor and nonlabor goods and services included in the ESRD composite rate will exceed the costs of such mix for the preceding year; and (2) develop a system which includes in such composite rate, to the maximum extent feasible, payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and drugs that are routinely used in furnishing dialysis services to Medicare beneficiaries, but which are currently separately billable by renal dialysis facilities.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the access of Medicare beneficiaries to renal dialysis services.(Sec. 423) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment for ambulance services to provide for: (1) restoration of the full consumer price index (CPI) increase for 2001; and (2) continued phase-in of the application of the payment rates under the ambulance services fee schedule in an efficient and fair manner; except that when the Secretary implements such fee schedule, such phase-in shall provide for full payment of any national mileage rate for ambulance services provided by suppliers that are paid by carriers in any of the 50 States where payment by a carrier for such services for all such suppliers in such State, before the fee schedule's implementation, did not include a separate amount for all mileage within the county from which the beneficiary is transported.(Sec. 424) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a revised PPS for services of ambulatory surgical facilities before January 1, 2002.Amends BBRA with respect to the phase-in of the PPS for ambulatory surgical centers to: (1) extend the phase-in to four years; and (2) direct the Secretary, by January 1, 2003, to incorporate data from a 1999 Medicare cost survey or a subsequent cost survey for purposes of implementing or revising such PPS.(Sec. 425) Amends SSA title XVIII, with respect to special payment rules for particular items and services, to provide for: (1) the full update for durable medical equipment, orthotics, and prosthetics in 2001; and (3) addition of special payment provisions and requirements for prosthetics and certain custom fabricated orthotic items.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Ruling 96-1, issued on September 1, 1996, with respect to distinguishing orthotics from durable medical equipment under Medicare.(Sec. 428) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the replacement of, and payment for, prosthetic devices and parts.(Sec. 429) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress and the Secretary on the reimbursement for drugs and biologicals under the current Medicare payment methodology and for related services under Medicare part B, with recommendations for revised payment methodologies. Directs the Secretary to revise such payment methodology based on such recommendations.(Sec. 430) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the PPS for hospital OPD services to direct the Secretary to create additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize contrast media from those that do not.(Sec. 431) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) to revise the qualifications for community mental health centers under provisions defining partial hospitalization services.(Sec. 432) Makes a hospital or a free-standing ambulatory care clinic, whether operated by the Indian Health Service or by an Indian tribe or tribal organization, eligible for payments for services for which payment is made under Medicare part B for physicians' services if and for so long as it meets all of the requirements which are applicable generally to such payments, services, hospitals, and clinics.(Sec. 433) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the effect on Medicare and on Medicare beneficiaries of coverage of surgical first assisting services of certified registered nurse first assistants.(Sec. 434) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to Congress on the appropriateness of: (1) the current Medicare payment rates for services provided by a certified nurse-midwife, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, and a clinical nurse specialist; and (2) Medicare coverage for services provided by a surgical technologist, a marriage counselor, a marriage and family therapist, a pastoral care counselor, and a licensed professional counselor of mental health.(Sec. 436) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on: (1) the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided; (2) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as such process applies to physicians; and (3) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare.(Sec. 438) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to Congress on the barriers to coverage and payment for outpatient interventional pain medicine procedures under Medicare.Title V: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a one-year additional delay in the application of the 15 percent reduction on payment limits for home health services.(Sec. 501) Amends BBRA to delay for an additional year the 15 percent reduction in payment rates for home health services after implementation of the PPS. Requires the Comptroller General, instead of the Secretary (as currently required), to report to Congress an analysis of the need for such a reduction.Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the PPS for home health services concerning the annual update to provide for an adjustment for case mix changes.(Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for restoration of the full home health market basket update for home health services for FY 2001.Establishes a special rule for payment under the PPS for home health services for FY 2001 based on adjusted prospective payment amounts.(Sec. 503) Provides for a temporary two-month extension of periodic interim payments under BBA '97 in the case of a home health agency receiving periodic interim payments as of September 30, 2000.(Sec. 504) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the use of telehealth in the delivery of home health services.(Sec. 505) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on variations in prices paid by home health agencies furnishing home health services under Medicare in purchasing nonroutine medical supplies and volumes if such supplies used determine the effect (if any) of variations on prices and volumes in the provision of such services.(Sec. 506) Provides that, in determining for Medicare purposes whether an office of a home health agency constitutes a branch office or a separate home health agency, neither the time nor distance between a parent office of the home health agency and a branch office shall be the sole determinant of a home health agency's branch office status.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the provision of adequate supervision to maintain quality of home health services delivered under Medicare in isolated rural areas.(Sec. 507) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the Medicare home health benefit to declare that absences from home to receive medical treatment shall not disqualify an individual from such benefit.Directs the Comptroller General to evaluate and report to Congress on the effect of such amendment on the cost of and access to home health services under Medicare.Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for an increase in the floor for direct graduate medical education payments for FY 2002.(Sec. 512) Changes the distribution formula for Medicare+Choice-related nursing and allied health education costs.Subtitle C: Changes in Medicare Coverage and Appeals Process - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise the Medicare appeals process. Provides for initial determinations of entitlement and benefits by the Secretary, by a utilization and quality control peer review organization, or by an independent contractor. Provides for redeterminations of denied benefit claims. Specifies appeals rights.(Sec. 522) Provides for the review of coverage determinations under the Medicare appeals process.Amends SSA title XI to require any advisory committee on certain Medicare coverage exclusions to: (1) assure the full participation of a nonvoting member in its deliberations; and (2) provide such nonvoting member access to all information and data (with certain exceptions) made available to the committee's voting members. Provides that, if such committee organizes into panels of experts according to types of items or services, any such panel may report directly to the Secretary without prior approval.Subtitle D: Improving Access to New Technologies - Amends SSA title XVIII to establish a new payment rule for any clinical diagnostic laboratory test performed on or after January 1, 2001, that is a new test for which no limitation amount has previously been established.(Sec. 531) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish procedures for coding and payment determinations for the categories of new clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and new durable medical equipment under Medicare part B that permit public consultation in a manner consistent with the procedures established for implementing coding modifications for ICD-9-CM; and (2) report to Congress on the specific procedures used under Medicare part B to adjust payments for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and durable medical equipment which are classified to existing codes where, because of a technology advance, there has been a significant increase or decrease in the resources used in the test or in the manufacture of the equipment, and a significant improvement in test or equipment performance.(Sec. 532) Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain and continue through December 31, 2003, the use of level III codes of the HCPCS (HCFA Common Procedure Coding System) coding system (as such system was in effect on August 16, 2000); and (2) make such codes publicly available.(Sec. 533) Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress on methods of expeditiously incorporating new medical services and technologies into the clinical coding system used with respect to Medicare payment for inpatient hospital services, together with a detailed description of the Secretary's preferred methods to achieve this purpose; and (2) implement such preferred methods.Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to establish a mechanism to recognize the costs of new medical services and technologies with respect to inpatient hospital services under the hospital reimbursement control system.Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to reduce from 45 percent to 30 percent the reduction in the amount of bad debts otherwise treated as allowable costs attributable to the deductibles and coinsurance amounts under Medicare for FY 2001 and subsequent fiscal years in determining the reasonable costs of outpatient hospital services. (Thus increases by 15 percent the amount that may be reimbursed.)(Sec. 542) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the effects of this treatment on hospitals and laboratories and access of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries to the technical component of physician pathology services.(Sec. 543) Amends SSA title XI to make permanent the authority for the Secretary to issue written advisory opinions under provisions for guidance regarding application of health care fraud and abuse sanctions.(Sec. 544) Amends SSA title XVIII to make various specified changes in annual MEDPAC reporting with regard to revision of deadlines for submission of reports and on the record votes on recommendations.(Sec. 545) Directs the Secretary to submit to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a report on the development of standard instruments for the assessment of the health and functional status of patients, for whom specified items and services are furnished, and include in the report a recommendation on the use of such standard instruments for payment purposes.(Sec. 546) Directs the Comptroller General to report to specified congressional committees on the effect of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act on hospitals, emergency physicians, and physicians covering emergency department call throughout the United States.Title VI: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Subtitle A: Medicare+Choice Payment Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the minimum payment amount for 2001 for certain areas; (2) increase the minimum percentage increase for 2001; and (3) provide for a ten-year phase in of risk adjustment.(Sec. 604) Provides for a transition to revised Medicare+Choice payment rates.(Sec. 605) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 606) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to premiums to permit Medicare part B premium reductions as additional benefits under Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 607) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) ensure full implementation of risk adjustment methodology for congestive heart failure enrollees for 2001; and (2) provide for the expansion of the application of Medicare+Choice's new entry bonus.(Sec. 609) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on a method to phase-in the costs of military facility services furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and those furnished by the Department of Defense, to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the calculation of an area's Medicare+Choice capitation payment.Subtitle B: Other Medicare+Choice Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for payment of additional amounts for new Medicare+Choice benefits covered during a contract term.(Sec. 612) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing, other than at the beginning of a calendar year, regulations that impose, significant regulatory requirements on a Medicare+Choice organization or plan.(Sec. 613) Provides for timely approval of marketing material that follows model marketing language, and for avoiding duplicative regulation with respect to plan requirements.(Sec. 615) Provides that, in the case of a Medicare+Choice organization that offers a Medicare+Choice plan in an area in which more than one local coverage policy is applied with respect to different parts of the area, the organization may elect to have the local coverage policy for the part of the area that is most beneficial to Medicare+Choice enrollees apply with respect to all Medicare+Choice enrollees enrolled in the plan.(Sec. 616) Requires: (1) the quality assurance program under the Medicare+Choice program to include a separate focus on racial and ethnic minorities; and (2) the Secretary to submit to Congress a report regarding how such quality assurance programs focus on racial and ethnic minorities.(Sec. 617) Authorizes the Secretary to waive or to modify requirements that hinder the design of, the offering of, or enrollment in Medicare+Choice plans under contracts between Medicare+Choice organizations and employers, labor organizations, or the trustees of a fund established by one or more employers or labor organizations (or combination thereof) to furnish benefits to the entity's employees, former employees (or combination thereof) or to members or former members (or combination thereof) of the labor organizations.(Sec. 618) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to special Medigap enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries.(Sec. 619) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to restore the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 620) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated.(Sec. 621) Provides that, in covering post-hospital extended care services, a Medicare+Choice plan shall provide for such coverage through a home SNF if: (1) the enrollee elects to receive such coverage through such SNF; and (2) the SNF has a contract with the Medicare+Choice organization for the provision of such services, or the SNF agrees to accept substantially similar payment under the same terms and conditions that apply to similarly situated SNFs under contract with the Medicare+Choice organization through which the enrollee would otherwise receive such services. Requires a MEDPAC report to Congress on the effects of such requirements.(Sec. 622) Directs HCFA's Chief Actuary to review the actuarial assumptions and data used by the Medicare+Choice organization with respect to such rates, amounts, and values to determine the appropriateness of such assumptions and data.Subtitle C: Other Managed Care Reforms - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to provide for a one-year extension of the social health maintenance organization (SHMO) demonstration project authority.(Sec. 632) Amends BBRA to provide for revised terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization (CNO) demonstration project.(Sec. 633) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to provide for a two-year extension of Medicare municipal health services demonstration projects.(Sec. 634) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to payments to health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans and service area expansion for Medicare cost contracts during transition period.Title VII: Medicaid - Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) with respect to adjustment in payment for inpatient hospital services furnished by DSH hospitals and the limit on Federal financial participation to provide for: (1) increased allotments for FY 2001 and 2002; and (2) a special rule for Medicaid DSH allotment for extremely low DSH States.(Sec. 701) Amends SSA title XIX with respect to adjustment in payment for inpatient hospital services furnished by DSH hospitals and Medicaid provisions relating to managed care to provide for identification of patients for purposes of making DSH payments.Provides, during a specified period, for application of Medicaid DSH transition rule under BBA '97 to public hospitals in all States, except California.States that beginning with FY 2002, and subject to a specified limitation on expenditures, with respect to a State, payment adjustments made under Medicaid to a specified hospital shall be made without regard to the DSH allotment limitation for the State.Directs the Secretary to implement accountability standards to ensure that Federal funds provided with respect to DSH adjustments made under Medicaid provisions for adjustment in payment for inpatient hospital services furnished by DSH are used to reimburse States and hospitals eligible for such payment adjustments for providing uncompensated health care to low-income patients.(Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to create a new PPS for Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.Directs the Comptroller General to provide for a study and report to Congress on the need for, and how to, rebase or refine costs for making Medicaid payment for services provided by Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.(Sec. 703) Amends SSA XI to establish an approval process for a State's application for an extension of any State-wide comprehensive demonstration project for which a waiver of compliance with Medicaid requirements is granted.(Sec. 704) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 with respect to Medicaid county-organized health systems.(Sec. 705) Directs the Secretary to issue a final regulation based on the proposed rule announced on October 5, 2000, that: (1) modifies the upper payment limit test applied to State Medicaid spending for inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, nursing facility services, intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded, and clinic services by applying an aggregate upper payment limit to payments made to government facilities that are not State-owned or operated facilities; and (2) provides for a specified transition period.(Sec. 706) Prescribes a formula for the Federal medical assistance percentage for Alaska for purposes of SSA titles XIX and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP), which shall be applicable only for FY 2001 through 2005.Title VIII: State Children's Health Insurance Program - Amends SSA title XXI to: (1) establish a rule for redistribution and extended availability of unused FY 1998 and 1999 SCHIP allotments; (2) provide authority to pay Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs from SCHIP appropriations; (3) eliminate requirement to reduce SCHIP allotment by Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs; and (4) provide authority to transfer SCHIP appropriations to the Medicaid appropriation account as reimbursement for Medicaid expenditures for Medicaid expansion SCHIP services.Title IX: Other Provisions - Subtitle A: PACE Program - Amends BBA '97 with respect to programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) to provide for an extension of transition for the current PACE demonstration project waiver authority.(Sec. 902) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payments to, and coverage of benefits under, PACE programs, and regulations and use of PACE protocol to provide for the continuation of modifications or waivers of operational requirements under demonstration status.(Sec. 903) Directs the Secretary to approve or deny a request for a modification or a waiver of provisions of the PACE protocol not later than 90 days after the Secretary receives the request, in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority.Permits the Secretary to exercise authority to modify or to waive such provisions in a manner that responds promptly to the needs of PACE programs relating to areas of employment and the use of community-based primary care physicians in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority.Subtitle B: Outreach to Eligible Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries - Amends SSA title XI to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) conduct outreach efforts to identify individuals entitled to Medicare benefits who may be eligible for medical assistance for payment of the cost of Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid; and (2) notify such individuals of the availability of such medical assistance.(Sec. 911) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the impact of such outreach efforts on the enrollment of individuals for Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid.Subtitle C: Maternal and Child Health Block Grant - Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to increase the authorization of appropriations for the Maternal and Child Health Services block grant for FY 2001 and each fiscal year thereafter.Subtitle D: Diabetes - Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase FY 2001 through 2003 appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type I diabetes and for special diabetes programs for Indians.(Sec. 931) Amends BBA '97 to extend the final report on diabetes grant programs.(Sec. 932) Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001.",2025-08-20T14:19:05Z,
106-hr-5544,106,hr,5544,Pain Relief Promotion Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-25,2000-10-31,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Hyde, Henry J. [R-IL-6]",IL,R,H001022,0,"Pain Relief Promotion Act of 2000 - Title I: Promoting Pain Management and Palliative Care - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to promote and advance scientific understanding of, and collect and disseminate protocols and evidence-based practices regarding, pain management and palliative care. Defines ""pain management and palliative care"" as certain types of actions, the purpose of which is to diagnose and alleviate pain and other distressing signs and symptoms and to enhance the quality of life, not to hasten or postpone death.(Sec. 102) Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for development and implementation of programs to provide education and training to health care professionals in pain management and palliative care. Defines ""pain management and palliative care"" as certain types of actions, the purpose of which is to diagnose and alleviate pain and other distressing signs and symptoms and to enhance the quality of life, not to hasten or postpone death. Adds the provisions of this paragraph to the list of provisions for which the Secretary is required to make a specified amount available and increases the amount specified.Title II: Use of Controlled Substances Consistent With the Controlled Substances Act - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to declare that, for that Act and any implementing regulations, alleviating pain or discomfort in the usual course of professional practice is a legitimate medical purpose for the dispensing, distributing, or administering of a controlled substance that is consistent with public health and safety, even if it may increase the risk of death.Prohibits the Attorney General, in determining whether a registration (to manufacture, distribute, or dispense controlled substances) is consistent with the public interest, from giving any force and effect to State law authorizing or permitting assisted suicide or euthanasia, notwithstanding any other provision of the Act, and with regard to conduct after enactment of this Act. Gives the Attorney General, in an action to deny, revoke, or suspend a registration based on alleged intentions to cause or assist in causing death, the burden of proving, by clear and convincing evidence, that the intent was to cause death or assist another person in causing death. Declares that the burden is not met by proving that the applicant or registrant knew that the use of the controlled substance may increase the risk of death.(Sec. 202) Authorizes the Attorney General to carry out education and training programs for Federal, State, and local personnel on the means by which investigation and enforcement actions by law enforcement personnel may better accommodate the necessary and legitimate use of controlled substances in pain management and palliative care.(Sec. 203) Requires, notwithstanding any other provision of law, construing the operation of the diversion control fee account program of the Drug Enforcement Administration to include carrying out the provisions of this title (other than section 203).",2025-08-20T14:18:32Z,
106-hr-5551,106,hr,5551,Basic Access to Secure Health Insurance Coverage Health Plan (BASIC Health Plan) Act,Health,2000-10-25,2000-10-31,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Dingell, John D. [D-MI-16]",MI,D,D000355,6,"Basic Access to Secure Health Insurance Coverage Health Plan (BASIC Health Plan) Act - Title I: Affordable Health Insurance for Parents and Children - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) require State Medicaid plans to provide that the State will provide medical assistance or health coverage under CHIP for certain families in accordance with specified conditions; and (2) require, with respect to a State that does not provide such medical assistance for such families, to provide health coverage under CHIP for them through an amendment to its State CHIP plan. Provides for enhancing matching Medicaid and CHIP funds for medical and for child health assistance.(Sec. 101) Makes the CHIP program into a permanent entitlement program, and makes necessary appropriations.(Sec. 102) Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to require a State to provide Medicaid for aliens lawfully residing in the United States and otherwise eligible for such assistance.(Sec. 103) Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to provide Medicaid and CHIP coverage of children through age 20 (currently, through age 19).(Sec. 104) Amends SSA title XIX to: (1) establish State requirements for determining the eligibility of individuals under age 20 for Medicaid in the case of States with a State CHIP plan; (2) qualify additional entities to determine Medicaid presumptive eligibility for pregnant women; and (3) provide for automatic reassessment of CHIP and Medicaid eligibility for children losing it.Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require provision of Medicaid and CHIP applications and information under the school lunch program.(Sec. 105) Amends SSA title XXI to: (1) include vision, hearing, and dental services for children as basic services required for benchmark-equivalent coverage; and (2) prohibit limitation on the scope or the duration for Federal Employees' Health Benefit Program-equivalent children's health insurance coverage.(Sec. 106) Amends SSA title XIX with regard to assuring coverage for certain low-income families to provide for elimination of the 100 hour rule and other Aid to Families and Dependent Children program-related eligibility restrictions.(Sec. 107) Amends SSA title XXI with respect to payments to States to impose restrictions on expenditures for marketing activities in order for them to be considered reasonable costs to administer the State's CHIP plan.Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to prohibit payment to the States with respect to any amounts expended for an entity that receives payments under the State Medicaid or CHIP plan unless: (1) no person with an ownership or control interest in the entity is a person that is debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from participating in procurement or non-procurement activities under the Federal Acquisition Regulation; and (2) such entity has not entered into an employment, consulting, or other agreement with such a person for items or services material to its plan obligations.(Sec. 108) Authorizes the Secretary to award demonstration grants to up to seven States (or other qualified entities) to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to homeless individuals and families under such programs and their provision of services. Authorizes appropriations.Title II: Access to Affordable Care for all Americans - Amends SSA title XIX to require State Medicaid plans to extend Medicaid to certain single individuals not otherwise eligible for medical assistance whose income is at least a certain percentage of the poverty line for each fiscal year beginning with FY 2003 through 2008.Amends SSA title XXI with respect to require similar coverage under CHIP for certain single individuals.Title III: Additional Provisions - Amends SSA title XIX to require each State with an approved Medicaid plan to make Medicaid or CHIP available to any individual or family with income exceeding 300 percent of the poverty line through payment of a premium determined in accordance with specified guidelines.Amends SSA title XXI to make CHIP available through premium payments to an individual or family for whom a State does not make such coverage available.Requires a covered employer to inform each employee who is not eligible for the employer's health benefits coverage of the opportunity to purchase such health benefits coverage under Medicaid or CHIP.",2025-08-20T14:20:55Z,
106-hr-5558,106,hr,5558,Medicare Truth in Labeling Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-25,2000-11-08,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Stark, Fortney Pete [D-CA-13]",CA,D,S000810,0,Medicare Truth in Labeling Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to change the name of the Medicare+Choice program under Medicare part C to the Medicare-No-Choice program.,2025-08-20T14:17:11Z,
106-s-3233,106,s,3233,Medicare Mental Health Modernization Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-25,2000-10-25,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Wellstone, Paul D. [D-MN]",MN,D,W000288,0,Medicare Mental Health Modernization Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) repeal the current formula for calculating expenses for treatment of mental disorders; and thus (2) provide for Medicare beneficiary copayments for outpatient mental health services that are the same as beneficiary copayments for other Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) services.Amends Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) to provide for coverage of intensive residential services.Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on whether the criteria for Medicare coverage of any therapy service (including occupational and physical therapy) or any outpatient mental health care service unduly restricts the access to such a service of any Medicare beneficiary diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or a related mental illness because the coverage criteria requires the beneficiary to display continuing clinical improvement to continue to receive the service.Amends Medicare to: (1) cover mental health counselor services; and (2) exclude clinical social worker services from coverage under the Medicare skilled nursing facility prospective payment system.,2025-08-20T14:19:13Z,
106-s-3238,106,s,3238,Mental Health Access Act,Health,2000-10-25,2000-10-25,"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.",Senate,"Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]",IL,D,D000563,0,"Mental Health Access Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow a health insurance issuer to impose a preexisting condition exclusion relating to a preexisting mental condition only if: (1) such exclusion relates to a condition for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received within the six-month period ending on the enrollment date; (2) such exclusion extends for no more than 12 months after the enrollment date; and (3) the exclusion period is reduced by the aggregate periods of creditable coverage applicable to the individual or dependent as of the enrollment date.Prohibits any such issuer from requiring an individual or dependent with a preexisting mental health condition to pay a premium or contribution which is greater than that charged to an individual without such condition when the additional charge is based solely on such preexisting condition.",2025-08-20T14:20:51Z,
106-hr-5501,106,hr,5501,Medicare Drug Uniform Coverage Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-19,2000-10-25,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. DeMint, Jim [R-SC-4]",SC,R,D000595,5,"Medicare Drug Uniform Coverage Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to include as covered services and supplies any drugs and biologicals which are not usually self-administered by intravenous infusion or subcutaneous injection by the patient (currently, drugs and biologicals which cannot, as determined in accordance with regulations, be self-administered).",2025-08-20T14:18:35Z,
106-hr-5508,106,hr,5508,School-Based Health Centers Technical Assistance Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-19,2000-10-31,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [D-MI-15]",MI,D,K000180,0,"School-Based Health Centers Technical Assistance Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a demonstration program to provide technical assistance to assist school-based health centers operated by nonprofit private entities in developing and operating comprehensive computerized systems to maintain the following data on patient populations: (1) medical data; (2) demographic data; and (3) data that will assist the centers in billing for services provided to patients, including obtaining reimbursement from third party health insurance plans, policies, or programs.Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:21:05Z,
106-s-3215,106,s,3215,Women's Health Research Career Enhancement Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-18,2000-10-18,"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S10720-10721)",Senate,"Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]",IA,D,H000206,0,"Women's Health Research Career Enhancement Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY 2001 through 2006 to enable the: (1) Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health to carry out the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Program, which supports the career development of scientists who are commencing basic, translational, clinical, behavioral, or health services research relevant to women's health in an interdisciplinary scientific setting; and (2) Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to fund Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development Centers.",2025-08-20T14:19:56Z,
106-hr-5476,106,hr,5476,Internet Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-17,2000-10-31,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Bliley, Tom [R-VA-7]",VA,R,B000556,2,"Internet Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require each interstate Internet seller to comply with requirements of this Act with respect to the sale or offer of prescription drugs. Requires the seller to: (1) post visibly on its web site home page its street address, the States in which it is authorized as a pharmacy, certain prescriber information, and a statement it will dispense prescription drugs only upon a valid prescription; and (2) disclose such information to State licensing boards.Authorizes each State to bring proceedings against an Internet seller on behalf of affected consumers (requiring notice of such proceedings to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and appropriate Federal agencies). Allows the President to intervene in such actions.Directs the Secretary to: (1) engage in activities to educate the public about the dangers of purchasing prescription drugs from unlawful Internet sources; and (2) recommend to Congress the coordination of activities of Federal agencies regarding Internet sellers that operate from foreign countries with the activities of such foreign governments.Authorizes the President to initiate a civil action to enjoin or restrain the alienation or disposal of property obtained as a result of, or traceable to, a violation of this Act.Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:20:48Z,
106-s-3208,106,s,3208,Internet Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-17,2000-10-17,"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.",Senate,"Sen. Jeffords, James M. [R-VT]",VT,R,J000072,2,"Internet Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require each interstate Internet seller to comply with requirements of this Act with respect to the sale or offer of prescription drugs. Requires the seller to: (1) post visibly on its web site home page its street address, the States in which it is authorized as a pharmacy, certain prescriber information, and a statement that it will dispense prescription drugs only upon a valid prescription; and (2) disclose such information to State licensing boards.Authorizes each State to bring proceedings against an Internet seller on behalf of affected consumers (requiring notice of such proceedings to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and appropriate Federal agencies). Allows the President to intervene in such actions.Directs the Secretary to: (1) engage in activities to educate the public about the dangers of purchasing prescription drugs from unlawful Internet sources; and (2) recommend to Congress the coordination of activities of Federal agencies regarding Internet sellers that operate from foreign countries with the activities of such foreign governments.Authorizes the President to initiate a civil action to enjoin or restrain the alienation or disposal of property obtained as a result of, or traceable to, a violation of this Act.Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:17:10Z,
106-hr-5464,106,hr,5464,Organ Coordination Improvement Act,Health,2000-10-12,2000-10-25,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Inslee, Jay [D-WA-1]",WA,D,I000026,0,Organ Coordination Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to qualifying organ donation entities for the purpose of assisting such entities in carrying out programs to coordinate the activities of eligible hospitals that relate to seeking organ donations.,2025-08-20T14:18:12Z,
106-hr-5465,106,hr,5465,Organ Donor Enhancement Act,Health,2000-10-12,2000-10-25,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Inslee, Jay [D-WA-1]",WA,D,I000026,0,Organ Donor Enhancement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for a National Living Organ Donor Registry  for the purpose of increasing the number of transplants for recipients suitably matched to biologically unrelated individuals who are willing to be living donors of organs.,2025-08-20T14:21:40Z,
106-hr-5467,106,hr,5467,Breast Cancer Prescription Drug Fairness Act,Health,2000-10-12,2000-10-25,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. McCarthy, Carolyn [D-NY-4]",NY,D,M000309,0,Breast Cancer Prescription Drug Fairness Act - Requires each participating manufacturer of a covered outpatient drug to make available for purchase by each pharmacy a covered outpatient drug: (1) in an amount equal to the aggregate amount of the covered outpatient drug sold or distributed by the pharmacy to Medicare beneficiaries (including the amount sold or distributed to Medicare beneficiaries in a hospice program); and (2) at a price equal to the lower of either the lowest price paid for the drug by the Federal Government or the manufacturer's best price for the drug.,2025-08-20T14:18:31Z,
106-hr-5440,106,hr,5440,Employee Health Benefits Disclosure Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-11,2000-11-14,Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.,House,"Rep. Armey, Richard K. [R-TX-26]",TX,R,A000217,0,Employee Health Benefits Disclosure Act of 2000 - Requires every large employer (100 or more employees) who provides health coverage to notify each covered employee: (1) of the amount of the employer health plan contribution for each year; and (2) that such contribution is part of the total compensation package and reduces wages and other compensation by the contributed amount.Provides a penalty for noncompliance.Applies this Act to calendar years after 2004.,2026-03-23T12:41:21Z,
106-hr-5449,106,hr,5449,Medicare Partial Hospitalization Services Restoration and Integrity Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-11,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.,House,"Rep. Stark, Fortney Pete [D-CA-13]",CA,D,S000810,0,"Medicare Partial Hospitalization Services Restoration and Integrity Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the definition of mental health partial hospitalization services, requiring a direct patient-physician encounter before the prescription of such services in a hospital or community mental health center. Prohibits partial hospitalization services in a skilled nursing facility, residential treatment facility, or other residential setting. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for periodic recertification of each community mental health center furnishing partial hospitalization services.",2025-08-20T14:17:56Z,
106-s-3187,106,s,3187,Medicaid Protection Act,Health,2000-10-11,2000-10-11,Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.,Senate,"Sen. Roth Jr., William V. [R-DE]",DE,R,R000460,3,"Medicaid Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue a final regulation that provides for application of aggregate upper payment limits to non-State publicly owned or operated hospitals, nursing facilities, and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded under the Medicaid program of title XIX of the Social Security Act.",2025-08-20T14:19:18Z,
106-hr-5427,106,hr,5427,Drug-Free Communities Act,Health,2000-10-10,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Portman, Rob [R-OH-2]",OH,R,P000449,2,Designates Chapter 2 of the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 as the Drug-Free Communities Act.Increases and extends through FY 2006 the authorization of appropriations to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (Office) for the drug-free communities support program. Modifies grant renewal funding levels.Requires the Office Director to study the need to increase administrative costs under the program. Authorizes the Director to make grants to an organization to establish a National Community Antidrug Coalition Institute.,2025-08-20T14:17:07Z,
106-hr-5434,106,hr,5434,Medicare Mental Illness Nondiscrimination Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-10,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.,House,"Rep. Roukema, Marge [R-NJ-5]",NJ,R,R000465,1,Medicare Mental Illness Nondiscrimination Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate copayment rates for outpatient psychiatric services under the Medicare program.,2025-08-20T14:19:37Z,
106-hr-5419,106,hr,5419,Millennium Cancer Research Act,Health,2000-10-06,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Pryce, Deborah [R-OH-15]",OH,R,P000555,1,"Millennium Cancer Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Cancer Institute to establish a demonstration project under which the Institute shall provide for the conduct of research through an infrastructure that fosters scientific creativity and increases fundamental biological understanding leading to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of cancer. Terminates the provisions of this Act five years after enactment.",2025-08-20T14:17:44Z,
106-s-3176,106,s,3176,Rural States Physician Recruitment and Retention Demonstration Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-06,2000-10-06,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S10084-10085),Senate,"Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]",NM,D,B000468,2,"Rural States Physician Recruitment and Retention Demonstration Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Rural States Physician Recruitment and Retention demonstration program for ameliorating physician shortage, recruitment, and retention problems in rural States. Directs the Secretary to: (1) increase by up to 15 percent the number of residency and fellowship positions at each medical residency training program in each of two demonstration States selected by the Secretary; (2) negotiate with representatives of each approved medical residency training program in a demonstration State for such additional positions; and (3) establish a loan repayment and forgiveness program under which the Secretary assumes the obligation to repay the educational loan of a participating residency or fellowship graduate (with limitations).Authorizes the Secretary to waive any requirements under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act if necessary to carry out the ten-year demonstration program.Directs the Secretary to establish a State-specific health professions database to track health professionals in each demonstration State with respect to specialty certifications and related practice, license, and training information.Requires a joint demonstration program evaluation by the Council on Graduate Medical Education and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.",2025-08-20T14:21:19Z,
106-s-3177,106,s,3177,Nursing Home Staff Improvement Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-06,2000-10-06,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]",IA,R,G000386,2,"Nursing Home Staff Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to extend until July 1, 2001, the deadline for a report from the Secretary of Health and Human Services concerning adequate nursing facility staffing requirements. Requires additional information and analysis in such report. Requires the Secretary to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking for final regulations requiring compliance with appropriate minimum caregiver to resident levels and supervisor to caregiver levels before facilities may receive payments under Medicare and Medicaid programs.Directs the Secretary to award competitive grants to States for improving staffing levels in nursing facilities.Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require skilled nursing and nursing facilities to report to the Secretary on nurse staffing levels and information regarding patient classification.",2025-08-20T14:17:15Z,
106-hr-5392,106,hr,5392,"To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide relief for small business concerns from Medicare consolidated billing requirements and to exclude services of certain providers from the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system, and for other purposes.",Health,2000-10-05,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,2,Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare direct payment to small business concerns for items furnished to skilled nursing facility and home health patients.Provides for Medicare reimbursement for transportation of portable medical equipment.Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to provide for restoration of payment for transportation of electrocardiogram equipment.,2025-01-02T17:15:18Z,
106-hr-5404,106,hr,5404,Medicare Comprehensive Quality of Care and Safety Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-05,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Stark, Fortney Pete [D-CA-13]",CA,D,S000810,3,"Medicare Comprehensive Quality of Care and Safety Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish and maintain a comprehensive quality of care and safety system, overseen by a Chief Medicare Quality and Safety Officer established in the Health Care Financing Administration, for improving and monitoring the quality of care and safety of medical care furnished to individuals entitled to Medicare benefits and for reducing medical errors and protecting the safety of such individuals in their care; (2) establish a system to achieve continuous quality and safety improvement in the delivery of medical care to individuals entitled to Medicare benefits; (3) establish such data collection systems and collect such data as may be necessary on an ongoing basis to monitor the quality of care and safety of care provided to individuals entitled to Medicare benefits, and the safety of employees of providers and suppliers who provide that care; (4) establish and implement standard patient assessment instruments that provide comparability of information; and (5) enter into agreements with quality improvement organizations to implement a standard data collection system to collect various reports on adverse events and near misses and other data on performance of providers and suppliers in achieving quality standards and performance measures.Requires providers and suppliers furnishing items and services under Medicare to establish and maintain a Medicare Quality and Safety Program meeting specified requirements.Directs the Secretary to establish the Medicare Quality Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary, make recommendations with respect to issues relating to the quality and safety of medical care furnished to individuals entitled to Medicare benefits, and report annually to the Secretary on the progress by providers of services and suppliers in meeting goals and objectives for improvement of the quality of items and services furnished under Medicare during the fiscal year.Provides for the redesignation of utilization and quality control peer review organizations and peer review organizations as quality improvement organizations under various specified provisions of SSA titles XI, XVIII, and XIX (Medicaid).Sets out additional provisions regarding quality improvement organizations, including provisions under SSA title XI for expansion of the category of services for which quality review may be requested.",2025-08-20T14:19:11Z,
106-hr-5405,106,hr,5405,Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-05,2000-11-14,Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.,House,"Rep. Tierney, John F. [D-MA-6]",MA,D,T000266,4,"Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act of 2000 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide emergency protections for retiree health benefits.Prohibits group health plans from making post-retirement reductions of retiree health benefits.Requires group health plans to adopt provisions barring post-retirement reductions in retiree health benefits.Requires group health plans to restore benefits reduced after retirement. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to waive or vary such requirements, if a plan sponsor applies for such exemption, upon finding that compliance would: (1) be adverse to the interests of plan participants in the aggregate; (2) not be administratively feasible; and (3) cause substantial business hardship to the sponsor.Establishes the Emergency Retiree Health Loan Guarantee Program and its Board. Authorizes the Program, through its Board, to guarantee loans provided by private banking and investment institutions to eligible plan sponsors to assist them in meeting obligations under this Act to restore benefits reduced after retirement. Requires such loan guarantees to be provided: (1) to the extent provided in advance in appropriation Acts pursuant to an amount authorized to be appropriated under this Act; (2) only in accordance with procedures established by the Board; (3) with specified limits on the aggregate amount of loans guaranteed and outstanding at any time, and on the aggregate amount of loans guaranteed with respect to a single eligible plan sponsor; and (4) with a termination date for the Board's authority to make commitments to guarantee any loan. Designates as an emergency requirement the amount made available to carry out the Program.Provides that other claims are not affected, and other causes of action are not authorized, by this Act.Authorizes the Secretary to assess civil penalties for violations of this Act.",2026-03-23T12:41:21Z,
106-s-3161,106,s,3161,Blood Safety Improvement Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-05,2000-10-05,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,0,Blood Safety Improvement Act of 2000 - Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) established under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to report to the specified congressional committees on the costs of blood safety improvements.,2025-08-20T14:18:33Z,
106-s-3165,106,s,3165,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000",Health,2000-10-05,2000-10-05,Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.,Senate,"Sen. Roth Jr., William V. [R-DE]",DE,R,R000460,5,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000 - Title I: Benefit Improvements - Subtitle A: Beneficiary Assistance - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to: (1) limiting the copayment amount for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (2) elimination of time limitation for coverage of immunosuppressive drugs and continued entitlement for immunosuppressive drugs for certain individuals after Medicare benefits end; and (3) preservation of coverage of drugs and biologicals under Medicare part B.(Sec. 104) Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from implementing any reduction in the rate of reimbursement for any outpatient drug or biological under Medicare between enactment of this Act and September 15, 2001.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the reasonableness of the Medicare reimbursement policy for such drugs and biologicals based on their average wholesale price.Subtitle B: Improved Preventive Benefits - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to coverage of: (1) biannual screening pap smear and pelvic exams; (2) screening colonoscopy for average risk individuals; and (3) medical nutrition therapy services.(Sec. 114) Makes changes concerning State accreditation for diabetes outpatient self-management training services.(Sec. 115) Directs the Secretary to conduct for reports to Congress a series of studies designed to identify preventive interventions that can be delivered in the primary care setting and that are most valuable to older Americans.Amends the mission statement of the United States Preventive Services Task Force to include the evaluation of services that are of particular relevance to older Americans.(Sec. 116) Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on current literature and best practices in the field of health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries.(Sec. 117) Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on Medicare coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation therapy services.Title II: Rural Health Care Improvements - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment for outpatient critical access hospital services to prohibit Medicare beneficiary cost-sharing otherwise applicable under Medicare part B with respect to clinical diagnostic laboratory services furnished as an outpatient critical access hospital service.(Sec. 202) Provides for revision of payment for professional services provided by a critical access hospital.(Sec. 203) Permits critical access hospitals to operate any psychiatric or rehabilitation unit which is: (1) a distinct part of the hospital; as well as (2) prospective payment system (PPS)-exempt.(Sec. 204) Exempts critical access hospital swing beds from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) PPS.Subtitle B: Other Rural Hospital Provisions - Outlines provisions for various payment adjustment, eligibility, and rebased target amounts treatment in relation to, respectively, rural disproportionate share (DSH) hospitals, Medicare dependent, small rural hospital program, and sole community hospitals.(Sec. 214) Directs MEDPAC, in its study of rural providers under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) to include: (1) in such study an analysis of the impact of volume on the per unit cost of rural hospitals with psychiatric units; and (2) in its report on such study a recommendation on whether special treatment for such hospitals may be warranted.Subtitle C: Other Rural Provisions - Sets out provisions relating to: (1) the provider-based rural health clinic cap exemption under Medicare part B provisions concerned with payment of benefits; and (2) payment for certain physician assistant services under such provisions for use of carriers for administration of benefits.(Sec. 223) Directs the Secretary, during 2001 or 2002,  to increase the payment amount in the case of a unit of home health service furnished in a rural area.(Sec. 224) Revises Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) and makes other telehealth-related changes, including making all physicians and practitioners eligible for telehealth reimbursement.(Sec. 225) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare.Title III: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: PPS Hospitals -.Amends SSA title XVIII to delay reduction in the PPS hospital payment update under Medicare provisions for payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services.(Sec. 301) Sets forth a special rule for payment for inpatient hospital services for FY 2001.(Sec. 302) Amends SSA title XVIII to revise the reduction made in the indirect graduate medical education payments for DSH hospitals.Sets forth a special rule for payment for indirect graduate medical education costs for DSH hospitals for FY 2001.(Sec. 303) Amends SSA title XVIII to decrease reductions for DSH hospital payments.Sets forth a special rule for payment for DSH hospitals for FY 2001.(Sec. 304) Amends SSA title XVIII to modify the payment rate with respect to the operating costs of inpatient hospital services of DSH Puerto Rico hospitals for inpatient hospital discharges.Sets forth a special rule for payment for the operating costs of inpatient hospital services of DSH Puerto Rico hospitals for FY 2001.(Sec. 305) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the hospital area wage indexes used in making payments to hospitals for payment amounts with respect to the operating costs of inpatient hospital services of a DSH hospital; and (2) any increased costs incurred by DSH hospitals in providing inpatient hospital services to Medicare beneficiaries during the period from FY 1983 through FY 1999 that were attributable to complying with new blood safety measure requirements and providing such services using new technologies.Subtitle B: PPS Exempt Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the OPD PPS to mandate pre-BBRA payment levels permanently for outpatient services furnished by children's hospitals.(Sec. 312) Modifies payment for inpatient services of rehabilitation hospitals, including authority for a rehabilitation facility to elect to apply the full PPS rate without a phase-in.(Sec. 313) Requires the Secretary, in developing the PPS required under BBRA for long-term care hospitals, to examine the feasibility and the impact of basing payment under such PPS on the use of existing (or refined) hospital diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) and the use of the most recently available hospital discharge data. Provides that if the Secretary is unable to implement such PPS by October 1, 2002, the Secretary shall implement a PPS for long-term care hospitals that bases payment under such a system using existing hospital DRGs for such services furnished on or after that date.Subtitle C: Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for revision to the SNF market basket update for FY 2001 and 2002.(Sec. 321) Sets forth a special rule for payment for covered SNF services under Medicare for FY 2001.(Sec. 322) Amends SSA title XVIII to limit the application of the SNF consolidated billing requirement to Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) covered stays.Directs the Secretary to monitor payments made under Medicare part B for items and services furnished to residents of SNFs during a time in which the residents are not being provided Medicare-covered post-hospital extended care services to ensure that there is not duplicate billing for services or excessive services provided.(Sec. 323) Directs the Secretary to: (1) reexamine the SNF market basket percentage used in making the update to the first fiscal year under the PPS for SNFs; and (2) make adjustments to payments under the PPS for covered SNF services furnished in FY 2002 to reflect any necessary and appropriate adjustments to such payments.Subtitle D: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment for hospice care to revise the market basket increase with respect to routine home care and other services included in hospice care furnished during each of FY 2001 and 2002.(Sec. 331) Repeals BBRA provisions requiring the Secretary to provide for a temporary increase in payment for hospice care.(Sec. 332) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the appropriateness of the Medicare certification regarding terminal illness of an individual required in order for such individual to receive Medicare hospice benefits.(Sec. 333) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a Hospice Demonstration Program to increase the utility of hospice care for seriously ill Medicare beneficiaries; and (2) establish a Hospice Education Grant Program for hospice programs participating in such demonstration program for the purpose of providing information about Medicare hospice care and the benefits available to Medicare beneficiaries under such program. Provides for funding.Subtitle E : Other Provisions - Prohibits the Secretary from implementing the provider-based criteria contained in the final rule published in the Federal Register by the Health Care Financing Administration on April 7, 2000 until after July 9, 2001.Title IV: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the OPD PPS concerning: (1) the transitional adjustment to limit decline in payment to make certain changes with regard to the pre-BBA amount for application to certain hospitals that did not submit a 1996 cost report; (2) the transitional pass-through for additional costs of innovative medical devices, drugs, and biologicals to make certain changes with regard to the eligibility of devices for pass-through payments under the OPD PPS; (3) system requirements to require the Secretary to create additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize contrast media from those that do not; and (4) the transitional pass-through for additional costs of innovative medical devices, drugs, and biologicals to include contrast agents in the pass-through.Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians - Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare.(Sec. 412) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the: (1) Medicare post-payment audit process as it applies to physicians; (2) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare; and (3) the appropriateness of furnishing gastrointestinal endoscopic physicians' services in physicians' offices.Subtitle C: Ambulance Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the elimination of the reduction in inflation adjustments for ambulance services.(Sec. 422) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the establishment of a fee schedule for ambulance services to allow a supplier of ambulance services to make an election to forego phase-in of such fee schedule for ambulance services and receive payments based only on such fee schedule as in effect after such phase-in..(Sec. 423) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the means by which rural areas with low population densities can be identified for the purpose of designating areas in which the cost of providing ambulance services would be expected to be higher than similar services provided in more heavily populated areas because of low usage.(Sec. 424) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided.Subtitle D: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to payment of benefits and BBA '97 to extend the moratorium on caps for certain therapy services and the deadline for the Secretary to report to Congress any recommendations on establishment of a revised coverage policy of outpatient physical therapy services and outpatient occupational therapy services under SSA.(Sec. 432) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with respect to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to provide for an increased update in the renal dialysis composite rate for end state renal dialysis services furnished on or after January 1, 2001.(Sec. 433) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with respect to special payment rules for particular items and services to provide for a full update in 2001 for durable medical equipment, prosthetic devices and orthotics and prosthetics, and oxygen and oxygen equipment.Amends BBA '97 to provide for a full update in 2001 for parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment.(Sec. 434) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to benefit payments to set the national limitation amount  clinical diagnostic laboratory tests for new pap smear technologies (and other new test technologies) at 100 percent of the national median for such a test performed on or after January 1, 2001, that the Secretary determines is a new test for which no limitation amount has previously been established.(Sec. 435) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a revised PPS for services of ambulatory surgical facilities under Medicare before January 1, 2002.Amends BBRA to provide for: (1) extending the phase-in of the PPS for ambulatory surgical centers to four years; and (2) establishing a deadline of January 1, 2003, for the Secretary to incorporate data from a 1999 or subsequent Medicare cost survey for purposes of implementing or revising such PPS.(Sec. 436) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to payment for physicians' services to provide for treatment of certain physician pathology services.(Sec. 437) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to Indian health service facilities to allow for the modification of Medicare billing requirements for the Indian Health Service or an Indian tribe or tribal organization operating such a facility.(Sec. 438) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with respect to special payment rules for particular items and services concerning replacement of prosthetic devices which are artificial limbs and parts of any such devices. (Sec. 439) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the appropriateness of: (1) the current Medicare payment rates for services provided by a certified nurse-midwife, a physician assistant, nurse practitioner; and a clinical nurse specialist; and (2) providing Medicare coverage for services provided by a certified first nurse assistant, marriage counselor, pastoral care counselor; and licensed professional counselor of mental health.Title V: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous Provisions) with regard to the PPS for home health services to provide for a one-year additional delay in application of the 15 percent reduction on payment limits for such services.(Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII part D to provide for restoration of the full home health market basket update for home health services for FY 2001.Sets out a special rule for payment for home health services for FY 2001 based on adjusted prospective payment amounts.(Sec. 503) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to the PPS for home health services to exclude certain nonroutine medical supplies. Excludes certain medical supplies from Medicare consolidated billing during the applicable period.Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on any nonroutine medical supply that may be appropriately and cost-effectively excluded from the PPS for home health services.(Sec. 504) Provides that, in determining for Medicare purposes whether an office of a home health agency constitutes a branch office or a separate home health agency, neither the time nor distance between the home health agency's parent office and a branch office shall be the sole determinant of a home health agency's branch office status.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the provision of adequate supervision to maintain quality of home health services delivered under Medicare in isolated rural areas.(Sec. 505) Directs the Secretary, for FY 2001 and 2002, to increase the addition or adjustment for outliers under the PPS for home health services by such proportion as will result in an aggregate increase in such addition or adjustment for the fiscal year estimated to equal $150,000,000.Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) including any such additional payment in updating the standard prospective payment amount (or amounts) as increased by the home health applicable increase percentage for the fiscal year involved; and (2) reducing the standard prospective payment amount (or amounts) applicable to units of home health services furnished during a period to offset any such increase in payments.(Sec. 506) Amends SSA title XVIII part A with regard to conditions of and limitations on payment for services and part B with regard to the procedure for payment of claims of providers of services making changes with regard to the definition of homebound under the Medicare home health benefit.Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Provides that, effective for cost-reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1999, for purposes of Medicare payments to hospitals approved educational activities shall include the clinical portion of professional educational training programs, recognized by the Secretary, for clinical psychologists.Title VI: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Subtitle A: Medicare+Choice Payment Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; (2) remove application of the budget neutrality adjustment factor for 2002 under provisions for calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates; (3) increase the minimum payment amount for 2001 for certain areas; and (4) modify area-specific and national percentages provisions with respect to calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates.(Sec. 605) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to provide for: (1) an increased update for payment areas with only one or no Medicare+Choice contracts; and (2) a ten-year phase-in of risk adjustment and new methodology for establishment of risk adjustment factors.(Sec. 607) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to premiums to permit Medicare Part B premium reductions as additional benefits under Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 608) Delays  from July 1, 2000, to November 15, 2000, the deadline for a Medicare+Choice organization to withdraw the offering of a Medicare+Choice plan under part C (or otherwise to submit information required for the offering of such a plan) for 2001.(Sec. 609) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans; (2) modify payment rules for certain frail elderly Medicare beneficiaries; (3) ensure full implementation of risk adjustment methodology for congestive heart failure enrollees for 2001; and (4) provide for inclusion of costs of certain Department of Defense military treatment facility services to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in calculation of Medicare+Choice payment rates.Subtitle B: Other Medicare+Choice Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII  part C with regard to contracts with Medicare+Choice organizations and amounts in Medicare trust funds available for the Secretary's share of Medicare+Choice education and enrollment-related costs and part D with regard to certification of Medicare supplemental health insurance (Medigap) policies and special Medigap enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries.(Sec. 623) Amends XVIII part C with regard to eligibility, election, and enrollment to: (1) provide for restoring the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans; and (2) permit ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated.(Sec. 625) Amends SSA part C with regard to benefits and beneficiary protections to allow election of uniform local coverage policy for a Medicare+Choice plan covering multiple localities.Subtitle C: Other Managed Care Reforms - Amends BBRA to provide for revised terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects.(Sec. 632) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to payments to health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans and service area expansion for Medicare cost contracts during transition period.Title VII: Medicaid - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to create a new PPS for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.(Sec. 701) Directs the Comptroller General to provide for a study and report to Congress on the need for, and how to, rebase or refine costs for making Medicaid payment for services provided by federally-qualified health centers and rural health centers.(Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for a: (1) one-year freeze in State Medicaid DSH allotments; and (2) permanent extension of payment of Medicare part B premiums for qualified Medicare beneficiaries with income up to 135 percent of the official poverty line.(Sec. 704) Amends SSA XI to establish an approval process for a State's application for an extension of any State-wide comprehensive demonstration project for which a waiver of compliance with Medicaid requirements is granted.(Sec. 705) Amends SSA title XIX, with regard to the Alaska Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP), to establish the State percentage used to determine such FMAP with respect to FY 2001 through 2005 for purposes of SSA titles XIX and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP).Title VIII: State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) - Amends SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)) to: (1) establish a rule for redistribution and extended availability of unused FY 1998 and 1999 SCHIP allotments; (2) provide for the application under SCHIP of Medicaid provisions on presumptive eligibility for children; (3) provide authority to pay Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs from SCHIP appropriation; (4) eliminate requirement to reduce SCHIP allotment by Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs; and (5) provide authority to transfer SCHIP appropriations to Medicaid appropriation account as reimbursement for Medicaid expenditures for Medicaid expansion SCHIP services.Title IX: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to increase the authorization of appropriations for the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant program for FY 2001.(Sec. 902) Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase FY 2001 and 2002 appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type I diabetes and for special diabetes programs for Indians.",2025-08-20T14:19:46Z,
106-s-3167,106,s,3167,Physician Recruitment and Retention Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-05,2000-10-05,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9949),Senate,"Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]",NM,R,D000407,1,"Physician Recruitment and Retention Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration project for the purpose of improving: (1) access to health care for beneficiaries under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; and (2) the ability of States to recruit and to retain physicians.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on such demonstration project to determine whether the access of Medicare beneficiaries to health care and the ability of States to recruit and to retain physicians is adversely impacted by certain factors (over 20 percent uninsured population, an unemployment rate over 4.8 percent, among others) and improved by increased payments to physicians.  Makes necessary appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:17:22Z,
106-s-3172,106,s,3172,BASIC Health Plan Act ,Health,2000-10-05,2000-10-05,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA]",MA,D,K000105,0,"Basic Access to Secure Health Insurance Coverage Health Plan (BASIC Health Plan) Act - Title I: Affordable Health Insurance for Parents and Children - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) require State Medicaid plans to provide that the State will provide medical assistance or health coverage under CHIP for certain families in accordance with specified conditions; and (2) require, with respect to a State that does not provide such medical assistance for such families, to provide health coverage under CHIP for them through an amendment to its State CHIP plan. Provides for enhancing matching Medicaid and CHIP funds for medical and for child health assistance.(Sec. 101) Makes the CHIP program into a permanent entitlement program, and makes necessary appropriations.(Sec. 102) Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to require a State to provide Medicaid for aliens lawfully residing in the United States and otherwise eligible for such assistance.(Sec. 103) Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to provide Medicaid and CHIP coverage of children through age 20 (currently, through age 19).(Sec. 104) Amends SSA title XIX to: (1) establish State requirements for determining the eligibility of individuals under age 20 for Medicaid in the case of States with a State CHIP plan; (2) qualify additional entities to determine Medicaid presumptive eligibility for pregnant women; and (3) provide for automatic reassessment of CHIP and Medicaid eligibility for children losing it.Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require provision of Medicaid and CHIP applications and information under the school lunch program.(Sec. 105) Amends SSA title XXI to: (1) include vision, hearing, and dental services for children as basic services required for benchmark-equivalent coverage; and (2) prohibit limitation on the scope or the duration for Federal Employees' Health Benefit Program-equivalent children's health insurance coverage.(Sec. 106) Amends SSA title XIX with regard to assuring coverage for certain low-income families to provide for elimination of the 100 hour rule and other Aid to Families and Dependent Children program-related eligibility restrictions.(Sec. 107) Amends SSA title XXI with respect to payments to States to impose restrictions on expenditures for marketing activities in order for them to be considered reasonable costs to administer the State's CHIP plan.Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to prohibit payment to the States with respect to any amounts expended for an entity that receives payments under the State Medicaid or CHIP plan unless: (1) no person with an ownership or control interest in the entity is a person that is debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from participating in procurement or non-procurement activities under the Federal Acquisition Regulation; and (2) such entity has not entered into an employment, consulting, or other agreement with such a person for items or services material to its plan obligations.(Sec. 108) Authorizes the Secretary to award demonstration grants to up to seven States (or other qualified entities) to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to homeless individuals and families under such programs and their provision of services. Authorizes appropriations.Title II: Access to Affordable Care for all Americans - Amends SSA title XIX to require State Medicaid plans to extend Medicaid to certain single individuals not otherwise eligible for medical assistance whose income is at least a certain percentage of the poverty line for each fiscal year beginning with FY 2003 through 2008.(Sec. 201) Amends SSA title XXI with respect to require similar coverage under CHIP for certain single individuals.Title III: Additional Provisions - Amends SSA title XIX to require each State with an approved Medicaid plan to make Medicaid or CHIP available to any individual or family with income exceeding 300 percent of the poverty line through payment of a premium determined in accordance with specified guidelines.(Sec. 301) Amends SSA title XXI to make CHIP available through premium payments to an individual or family for whom a State does not make such coverage available.Requires a covered employer to inform each employee who is not eligible for the employer's health benefits coverage of the opportunity to purchase such health benefits coverage under Medicaid or CHIP.",2025-08-20T14:18:33Z,
106-hr-5385,106,hr,5385,RU-486 Patient Health and Safety Protection Act,Health,2000-10-04,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Coburn, Tom [R-OK-2]",OK,R,C000560,51,"RU-486 Patient Health and Safety Protection Act - Restricts the prescribing of the drug mifepristone (commonly referred to as RU-486, to be marketed as Mifeprex) to physicians who meet specified requirements.",2025-08-20T14:20:36Z,
106-s-3157,106,s,3157,RU-486 Patient Health and Safety Protection Act,Health,2000-10-04,2000-10-04,"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.",Senate,"Sen. Hutchinson, Tim [R-AR]",AR,R,H001015,3,"RU-486 Patient Health and Safety Protection Act - Restricts the prescribing of the drug mifepristone (commonly referred to as RU-486, to be marketed as Mifeprex) to physicians who meet specified requirements.",2025-08-20T14:21:29Z,
106-s-3141,106,s,3141,Providing Annual Pap Tests to Save Women's Lives Act of 2000,Health,2000-10-02,2000-10-02,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME]",ME,R,S000663,0,Providing Annual Pap Tests to Save Women's Lives Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend coverage of screening pap smears and screening pelvic exams to annual examinations regardless of whether a woman is of childbearing age or at high-risk.,2025-08-20T14:17:57Z,
106-hr-5348,106,hr,5348,To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to limit the application of the one-year lag in the intern and resident-to-bed ration and the rolling average for the number of residents for which payments to hospitals are made under the Medicare Program for the indirect costs of graduate medical education to residents in the fields of allopathic and osteopathic medicine.,Health,2000-09-29,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Pallone, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-6]",NJ,D,P000034,0,Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to limit to residents in allopathic and osteopathic medicine the application of the freeze in the intern and resident-to-bed ratio and the rolling average for the number of residents for which Medicare payments are made to hospitals for the indirect costs of graduate medical education.Makes this Act effective as if included in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-33).,2025-01-02T17:15:18Z,
106-hconres-413,106,hconres,413,Expressing the sense of Congress concerning cooperation between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense in the procurement of medical items.,Health,2000-09-28,2000-09-28,"Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.",House,"Rep. Everett, Terry [R-AL-2]",AL,R,E000268,4,"Expresses the sense of Congress that the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs should increase, to the maximum extent consistent with their respective missions, their level of cooperation in the procurement and management of prescription drugs.",2025-06-06T14:17:56Z,
106-hr-5330,106,hr,5330,Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Corrective Amendments of 2000,Health,2000-09-28,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-8]",NY,D,N000002,1,"Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Corrective Amendments of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act relating to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to: (1) designate the Program as a remedial program under which sovereign immunity does not apply; (2) change the burden of proof requirement for the award of compensation from a preponderance of the evidence to evidence sufficient to justify a belief that the petitioner's claims are well grounded (while giving the benefit of doubt to the petitioner); (3) require any defense raised that an illness, injury, or death was due to unrelated factors to be proved by clear and convincing evidence; (4) authorize as Program compensation expenses necessary for the establishment of a trust to receive Program funds, as well as expenses incurred for family counseling or training necessitated by the vaccine-related injury; (5) allow the petitioner to file applications for the award of petitioner's attorneys' fees; (6) increase to up to 72 months the statute of limitations under the Program; (7) allow such period to be extended for an additional 36 months after a petitioner first knew or should have known about his or her eligibility for compensation; (8) toll the statute of limitations until a petitioner reaches age 18 and, if a petitioner is incompetent, until 24 months after a guardian is appointed; and (9) authorize the refiling of a previously failed petition if the petitioner would have met the extended statute of limitations provided under this Act.",2025-08-20T14:17:06Z,
106-hr-5334,106,hr,5334,Patients Before Paperwork Medicare Red Tape Reduction Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-28,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Dickey, Jay [R-AR-4]",AR,R,D000312,0,"Patients Before Paperwork Medicare Red Tape Reduction Act of 2000 - Establishes the Patients Before Paperwork Medicare Red Tape Commission to: (1) review existing paperwork burdens and related regulations under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with the goal of reducing the paperwork burdens under the Medicare program; (2) analyze whether existing and proposed paperwork requirements and related regulations have proven benefits, including a positive health benefit for Medicare beneficiaries; (3) make recommendations regarding methods to streamline and simplify the coding method for items and services for which reimbursement is provided under Medicare; (4) make recommendations regarding the facilitation of electronic filing of Medicare claims for reimbursement and the elimination of paperwork of paperwork; (5) develop a standard form that will minimize any duplication of data and that relies on less paperwork than the current system; (6) determine the effect of Medicare paperwork requirements on relationships between doctors and patients; and (7) review and analyze other appropriate matters relating to paperwork reduction. Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:20:41Z,
106-hr-5344,106,hr,5344,Common Sense Medical Malpractice Reform Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-28,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Toomey, Patrick J. [R-PA-15]",PA,R,T000461,6,"Common Sense Medical Malpractice Reform Act of 2000 - Establishes an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedure for all health care liability actions, except an action for damages arising from a vaccine-related injury or death to the extent that title XXI of the Public Health Service Act applies.(Sec. 3) Establishes a statute of limitations for health care liability actions of one year from the date on which the alleged injury was discovered or should reasonably have been discovered, but in no case more than three years after the date the alleged injury occurred.(Sec. 4) Makes a defendant in any health care liability action liable only for the amount of noneconomic damages attributable to such defendant. Limits total noneconomic damages for an injury to $250,000.Outlines requirements for, and limitations on, the award of punitive damages. Permits periodic payments of any damages awarded for future economic and noneconomic loss exceeding $50,000.Permits defendants to introduce evidence of collateral source payments.(Sec. 5) Specifies limits to contingent fees.(Sec. 6) Declares that any ADR used to resolve a health care liability action or claim shall contain provisions for a statute of limitations, noneconomic damages, joint and several liability, punitive damages, a collateral source rule, periodic payments, and limitations on contingent fees which are identical to the provisions of this Act.",2025-08-20T14:21:02Z,
106-s-3131,106,s,3131,Medicare Billing and Education Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-28,2000-09-28,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced:  CR S9470-9472),Senate,"Sen. Murkowski, Frank H. [R-AK]",AK,R,M001085,3,"Medicare Billing and Education Act of 2000 - Title I: Regulatory Reform - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to: (1) the prospective-only, non-retroactive application of regulations of the Secretary of Health and Human Services that establish or change a substantive legal standard governing the scope of benefits, the payment for services, or the eligibility of individuals, entities, or organizations to furnish or to receive Medicare services or benefits; and (2) allowance of civil actions against the Secretary challenging the constitutionality of regulations or policies.Prohibits the Secretary from recovering past Medicare overpayments by offsetting future payments to a health care provider or while a provider is appealing a determination that an overpayment has been made or the amount of such an overpayment.Title II: Appeals Process Reforms - Revises requirements for the post-payment audit process, particularly the recoupment of overpayments.Requires the Secretary to permit any health care provider to appeal any determination of the Secretary under Medicare on behalf of a deceased beneficiary where no substitute party is available.Title III: Education Components - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for education programs for physicians, providers of services, and suppliers.Requires fiscal intermediaries and carriers to do their utmost to provide health care providers with one, straight, and correct answer regarding Medicare billing and cost reporting questions, as well as their true first and last names.Requires the Secretary to establish a process for providers to request assistance in writing (advisory opinions) from fiscal intermediaries or carriers in addressing questionable Medicare coverage, billing, documentation, coding and cost reporting procedures.Title IV: Sustainable Growth Rate Reforms - Requires the inclusion of regulatory costs in the estimate of the sustainable growth rate for all physicians' services for a fiscal year.Title V: Studies and Reports - Requires the Comptroller General to audit and report to Congress on: (1) Health Care Financing Administration compliance with statutes administered by it and with administrative procedure and other requirements under Federal civil service law; and (2) the statistical validity, necessity, and effects of random sample audits, as well as the percentage of claims found to be improper from these audits.Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on whether policies or enforcement efforts against health care providers have reduced access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.",2025-08-20T14:20:44Z,
106-hconres-412,106,hconres,412,Promoting a national dialog on long-term care financing reform.,Health,2000-09-27,2000-11-14,Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.,House,"Rep. Pomeroy, Earl [D-ND-At Large]",ND,D,P000422,25,"Expresses the sense of the Congress concerning the Federal Government's role in long-term care, including its role in the reform of long-term care costs and financing.",2026-03-23T12:41:21Z,
106-hr-5320,106,hr,5320,Medicare+Choice Rescue Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-27,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Kolbe, Jim [R-AZ-5]",AZ,R,K000306,0,"Medicare+Choice Rescue Act of 2000 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), with respect to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations, to: (1) increase the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; (2) eliminate the reduction in Medicare+Choice payment rates by budget neutrality adjustments; (3) establish a payment floor for Medicare+Choice plans, as well as an additional floor for an annual increase in Medicare+Choice capitation rates; and (4) apply a budget neutrality principle to the new Medicare+Choice risk adjustment methodology.Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to correct for misestimates in the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth rate by providing for an increase by 3.6 percent in the amount of payment otherwise applicable to Medicare+Choice organizations offering Medicare+Choice plans in 2001. Limits retroactive adjustments.Amends Medicare part C to provide for: (1) continuous open enrollment and disenrollment under Medicare+Choice and Medicare supplemental policy (Medigap) provisions on coverage election periods; and (2) variations in premiums and benefits under Medicare+Choice within counties.Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide that risk-adjustment methodology under Medicare+Choice, insofar as it makes adjustments to capitation rates for health status, shall not only apply to ten percent of 1/12 of the annual Medicare+Choice capitation rate in the case of an eligible individual who is institutionalized until the first year in which the Secretary implements a modification of such methodology based on health status so that such methodology includes medical diagnostic factors from all provider settings (including hospital and nursing facility settings).",2025-08-20T14:18:12Z,
106-hr-5324,106,hr,5324,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000",Health,2000-09-27,2000-11-14,Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.,House,"Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-7]",MA,D,M000133,50,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) market basket update.(Sec. 102) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) to revise the BBRA increase for SNFs in FY 2001 and 2002.(Sec. 103) Requires a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) study and report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress on nursing home costs to determine the adequacy of Medicare payment rates for items and services furnished by SNFs. Grants the Secretary the authority to make payment adjustments for covered SNF services if appropriate as a result of the study.Subtitle B: PPS Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) revise the reduction of indirect graduate medical education payments; (2) eliminate the reduction in the Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospital payment update; (3) eliminate the reduction in disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments; and (4) change the payment formulas for DSH hospitals; and (5) modify the payment rate for Puerto Rico hospitals.(Sec. 115) Increases the DSH allotments under Medicaid for the District of Columbia.Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) to provide for the optional eligibility of certain alien pregnant women and children for Medicaid and SCHIP.(Sec. 117) Requires a MedPAC study on hospital area wage indexes for a report to the Secretary and Congress.Subtitle C: PPS Exempt Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain cancer hospitals (Sec. 122) Makes certain changes with regard to the PPS for inpatient rehabilitation services and payment during the transition period under current law.Subtitle D: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise payments for hospice care.Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to outline various provisions concerned with: (1) hospital compliance with the Bloodborne Pathogens standard; (2) an Informatics and Data Systems Grant Program; and (3) relief from the Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) late enrollment penalty for a group buy-in for State and local retirees. Authorizes appropriations.Subtitle F: Transitional Provisions - Reclassifies certain counties and areas in specified States (including the Boston and Barnstable-Yarmouth Metropolitan Statistical Areas) for purposes of reimbursement under the Medicare program.Title II: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for reduction of the effective hospital outpatient department (HOPD) coinsurance rate to 20 percent by 2019.(Sec. 202) Revises the formula for calculating the base payment-to-cost-ratio component of HOPD PPS transitional corridor payments to include in such formula (and so cover) certain hospitals that did not submit cost reports for 1996.(Sec. 203) Provides a permanent guarantee of pre-Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) payment levels for HOPD services furnished by children's hospitals.Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to grant medical students a deferment on their student loans for a period not to exceed the length of their full initial residency period.(Sec. 212) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as it applies to physicians; and (2) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare.(Sec. 213) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare.Subtitle C: Ambulance Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the establishment of a fee schedule for ambulance services to allow a supplier of ambulance services to elect to forego phase-in of such schedule and receive payments based only upon it.(Sec. 222) Establishes a prudent layperson standard for emergency ambulance services.(Sec. 223) Eliminates the reduction in inflation adjustments for ambulance services.(Sec. 224) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the means by which rural areas with low population densities can be identified for the purpose of designating areas in which the cost of providing ambulance services would be expected to be higher than similar services provided in more heavily populated areas because of low usage.(Sec. 225) Outlines provisions for interim payments for rural ground ambulance services until such time as the established fee schedule is modified by a specified regulation.(Sec. 226) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided.Subtitle D: Preventive Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) prohibit deductibles and coinsurance for various specified preventive benefits; (2) add lancets to the definition of durable medical equipment; and (3) provide coverage of counseling for cessation of tobacco use, glaucoma detection tests, and medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes, a cardiovascular disease, or a renal disease.(Sec. 235) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a series of studies, for an annual report to the Congress, designed to identify preventive interventions that can be delivered in the primary care setting that are most valuable to older Americans; and (2) contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to study and report periodically to the President on current literature and best practices in the field of health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries.(Sec. 237) Provides for fast-track consideration of preventive benefit legislation resulting from recommendations accompanying such study reports.Subtitle E: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) revision of the moratorium on caps for therapy services; (2) revision of coverage of immunosuppressive drugs; (3) extension of certain secondary payer requirements; (4) State accreditation of diabetes self-management training programs; (5) elimination of the reduction in payment amounts for orthotics and prosthetics, parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment and oxygen and oxygen equipment; (6) standards regarding payment for certain orthotics and prosthetics; (7) revision of the definition of orthotics; (8) new pap smear technologies and other new clinical laboratory test technologies; (9) increase in payments for certified nurse-midwife services; and (10) payment for administration services associated with chemotherapy and for blood clotting drug-related activities.(Sec. 249) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the provision of in-home infusion therapy nursing services.(Sec. 250) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for Medicare coverage of vision rehabilitation services.(Sec. 251) Amends SSA title XVIII part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) with respect to the amounts of part B premiums to limit the Medicare late enrollment penalty to ten percent and twice the period of no enrollment.Title III: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare PPS.(Sec. 302) Provides for additional payments: (1) for outliers; and (2) under the PPS for services furnished in rural areas and security services.(Sec. 304) Excludes from the Medicare PPS certain nonroutine medical supplies furnished by a home health agency. Details certain study and reporting requirements with regard to such exclusion.(Sec. 305) Declares that, with regard to eligibility for Medicare home health benefits, any absence of an individual from the home attributable to health care treatment, including regular absences for such treatment in an adult day-care program, shall not disqualify the individual from being considered confined to home.(Sec. 306) Directs the Secretary to establish standards for the operation of a branch office, a service site for home health services controlled and supervised by a home health agency.(Sec. 307) Provides for the treatment of home health services provided in certain counties in the State of New York.(Sec. 308) Permits a home health agency to receive Medicare payments for a home health service furnished via a telecommunications system.Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Provides that, for cost reporting periods between October 1, 2000, and October 1, 2005, in applying the limitations regarding the total number of full-time equivalent interns and residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine under Medicare for a hospital, the Secretary shall not take into account a maximum of three interns or residents in the field of geriatric medicine to the extent the hospital increases the number of geriatric interns or residents above the number of such interns or residents for the hospital's most recent cost reporting period ending before October 1, 2000.(Sec. 312) Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to establish a program of payments to children's hospitals that operate graduate medical education programs. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 313) Provides that, effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1999, for purposes of Medicare payments to hospitals for costs of approved educational activities, such activities shall include the clinical portion of professional educational training programs recognized by the Secretary for clinical psychologists.(Sec. 314) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain newly established residency programs in computing Medicare payments for the costs of medical education.(Sec. 315) Revises the limitation during FY 1997 on allopathic and osteopathic residents for payment of both the indirect and direct costs of graduate medical education at an accredited community health center, if the hospital conducting the residency program incurred all or substantially all of the training costs.Subtitle C: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Title IV: Rural Provider Provisions - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payments to critical access hospitals for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests.(Sec. 402) Amends SSA title XVIII, as amended by BBRA, to revise the payment for professional services provided by a critical access hospital.(Sec. 403) Amends SSA title XVIII to permit critical access hospitals to operate PPS-exempt distinct part psychiatric and rehabilitation units.Subtitle B: Medicare Dependent, Small Rural Hospital Program - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) make the Medicare-dependent, small rural hospital program permanent; and (2) give any hospital under such program the option of basing eligibility for payment on discharges during any of the three most recent audited cost reporting periods in lieu of the current basing of eligibility for payment on discharges during the cost reporting period beginning in FY 1987.Subtitle C: Sole Community Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to extend the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals.(Sec. 422) States that, for purposes of discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2000, the Greensville Memorial Hospital located in Emporia, Virginia, shall be deemed to have satisfied the travel time criteria under applicable Medicare provisions for classification as a sole community hospital.Subtitle D: Other Rural Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to exempt Medicare swing bed hospitals from the PPS for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).(Sec. 431) Amends BBRA to make January 1, 2001, the effective date of the elimination of certain restrictions with respect to the hospital swing bed program.(Sec. 432) Amends SSA title XVIII to mandate pre-BBA '97 payment levels for outpatient services furnished by rural hospitals.(Sec. 433) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare.Subtitle E: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to bonus payments in the case of physicians' services furnished to an individual who is covered under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) and who incurs expenses for such services in a health professional shortage area. Extends such bonus payments to physician assistant and nurse practitioner services. Eliminates the requirement to make such payments on a monthly or a quarterly basis.(Sec. 442) Modifies: (1) the exemption to the limits established on payment for provider-based rural health clinic services in the case of such clinics in rural hospitals with less than 50 beds; and (2) payment for certain physician assistant services.(Sec. 444) Excludes clinical social worker services and worker services performed under a contract with a rural health clinic or a Federally-qualified health center from the PPS for SNFs.(Sec. 445) Covers marriage and family therapist services provided in rural health clinics under Medicare.(Sec. 446) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to: (1) create a capital infrastructure revolving loan program for rural entities for projects for capital improvements; (2) provide for grants to assist eligible small rural hospitals in offsetting the costs of establishing data systems to implement PPSs under Medicare, and to comply with administrative simplification requirements under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice), or to reduce medication errors; (3) provide for grants to eligible small rural hospitals to provide relief for financial distress that has a negative impact on access to care for Medicare beneficiaries who reside in a rural area. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 449) Amends BBA '97 to revise provisions for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services with respect to: (1) the methodology for determining the amount of payments; (2) reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries who do not reside in a health professional shortage area; (3) telehealth coverage for direct patient care; (4) eligibility for telehealth reimbursement for all physicians and practitioners; and (5) telehealth services provided using store-and-forward technologies.(Sec. 450) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare.Title V: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with regard to eligibility, election, and enrollment to provide for restoring the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) with regard to certification of Medicare supplemental health insurance (Medigap) policies. Sets forth a special Medigap enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries.(Sec. 503) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; and (2) modify area-specific and national percentages provisions with respect to calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates.(Sec. 505) Delays from July 1, 2000, to November 1, 2000, the deadline for a Medicare+Choice organization to withdraw the offering of a Medicare+Choice plan under part C (or otherwise to submit information required for the offering of such a plan) for 2001.(Sec. 506) Amends SSA title XVIII to make certain amounts in the Medicare trust funds available for the Secretary's share of Medicare+Choice education and enrollment-related costs.(Sec. 507) Amends BBRA to revise terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects.(Sec. 508) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to modify payment rules for certain frail elderly Medicare beneficiaries.Title VI: Provisions Relating to Individuals with End-Stage Renal Disease - Amends SSA title XVIII part D with respect to Medicare coverage for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to change the methodology for determining the update in the renal dialysis composite rate for end state renal dialysis services furnished after January 1, 2001.(Sec. 602) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 603) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated.(Sec. 604) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for the coverage of certain vascular access services for ESRD beneficiaries provided by ambulatory surgical centers.(Sec. 605) Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect information on the satisfaction of each ESRD Medicare beneficiary with the quality of health care under the original fee-for-service Medicare program and the Medicare+Choice program, and the access of each beneficiary to that care; (2) analyze such information to determine, among other things, the kinds of health care that each nondialysis health care provider provides to each ESRD Medicare beneficiary for the treatment of ESRD and each comorbidity and the quality of health care provided to each such beneficiary enrolled under the Medicare+Choice program compared to each beneficiary enrolled under the original fee-for-service Medicare program; and (3) make such information collected and analysis conducted available to the public each year.Title VII: Access to Care Improvements Through Medicaid and SCHIP - Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to create a new PPS for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.(Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to make permanent the extension of eligibility for medical assistance, and give States the option of electing a 12-month initial eligibility period in lieu of the current six month initial eligibility period.(Sec. 703) Amends SSA title XIX with regard to State Medicaid plans to provide for coordination with Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under SSA title XXI of the application of resource and income eligibility standards for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals under certain conditions, as well as providing for the automatic reassessment of eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP benefits for children losing Medicaid- or SCHIP-eligibility.(Sec. 704) Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to qualify additional entities to determine presumptive eligibility for low-income children under Medicaid and SCHIP.(Sec. 705) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to: (1) increase the authorization of appropriations; and (2) provide for coordination with Medicaid and SCHIP.(Sec. 706) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for increased access to Medicare cost-sharing assistance for low-income beneficiaries.(Sec. 707) Provides for: (1) optional State Medicaid coverage of breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment coverage for certain breast and cervical cancer patients; (2) optional State Medicaid presumptive eligibility for certain breast or cervical cancer patients; and (3) an enhanced Federal match to be used under SCHIP with respect to medical assistance provided to such breast and cervical cancer patients receiving such optional State Medicaid coverage.(Sec. 708) Revises Medicaid coverage of services furnished by certified nurse practitioners, including coverage of services furnished by clinical nurse specialists.Title VIII: Other Provisions - Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001.(Sec. 802) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to increase appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type 1 diabetes and for Indians.(Sec. 803) Directs the Secretary to award demonstration grants to up to seven States to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to homeless individuals and families under specified Social Security programs with respect to enrollment and the provision of services under such programs. Makes appropriations.(Sec. 804) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit health insurance provided through a managed care organization under a group health plan, or through a health insurance issuer providing coverage in connection with a group health plan, (and, for the PHSA, health insurance in the individual market) from denying coverage of services provided by a continuing care retirement community or other qualified facility if they are: (1) post-hospitalization services in the same community or facility as in pre-hospitalization; (2) skilled nursing services, without a preceding hospitalization, which are necessary to prevent hospitalization; or (3) furnished in the same facility the participant's or beneficiary's spouse already resides in. Makes the prohibition: (1) depend on whether such services are otherwise covered; and (2) regardless of whether the organization is under contract with the community or facility. Prohibits related denial of enrollment or renewal, incentives to enrollees, and penalties or incentives to physicians. Declares that State laws are not preempted which meet certain requirements, including any more protective of participants or beneficiaries than those of this Act. Provides for enforcement.(Sec. 805) Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible States to support real choice systems change initiatives that establish specific action steps and specific timetables to: (1) achieve enduring system improvements; and (2) provide consumer-responsive long-term services and supports to eligible individuals in the most integrated setting appropriate based on the unique strengths and needs of the individual, the priorities and concerns of the individual (or, as appropriate, the individual's representative), and the individual's desires with regard to participation in community life.Requires each State, in order to receive such a grant, to establish a Consumer Task Force to assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of real choice systems change initiatives.Provides funding.",2026-03-23T12:41:21Z,
106-hr-5327,106,hr,5327,Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Corrective Amendments of 2000,Health,2000-09-27,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Weldon, Dave [R-FL-15]",FL,R,W000267,0,"Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Corrective Amendments of 2000 - Amends provisions of the Public Health Service Act relating to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to: (1) designate the Program as a remedial program under which sovereign immunity does not apply; (2) change the burden of proof requirement for the award of compensation from a preponderance of the evidence to evidence sufficient to justify a belief that the petitioner's claims are well grounded (while giving the benefit of doubt to the petitioner); (3) require any defense raised that an illness, injury, or death was due to unrelated factors to be proved by clear and convincing evidence; (4) authorize as Program compensation expenses necessary for the establishment of a trust to receive Program funds, as well as expenses incurred for family counseling or training necessitated by the vaccine-related injury; (5) allow the award of petitioner's attorneys' fees; (6) increase to up to 72 months the statute of limitations under the Program; (7) allow such period to be extended for an additional 36 months after a petitioner first knew or should have known about his or her eligibility for compensation; (8) toll the statute of limitations until a petitioner reaches age 18 and, if a petitioner is incompetent, until 24 months after a guardian is appointed; and (9) authorize the refiling of a previously failed petition if the petitioner would have met the extended statute of limitations provided under this Act.",2025-08-20T14:19:54Z,
106-s-3125,106,s,3125,Sustaining Access to Vital Emergency Medical Services Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-27,2000-09-27,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Conrad, Kent [D-ND]",ND,D,C000705,0,"Sustaining Access to Vital Emergency Medical Services Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to provide for improved emergency medical services in rural areas, including the hiring of emergency medical service personnel, the recruitment of voluntary personnel, training in emergency medical services, and acquisition of medical service vehicles and equipment.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a volunteer emergency medical service provider tax credit of $500.Requires the Secretary to study the means by which rural areas can be identified for purposes of designating areas in which the cost of providing ambulance services would be expected to be higher than in more populated areas.Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 2001 and 2002 reduction in inflation adjustments for ambulance services and to increase such adjustment by one percent for 2001.",2025-08-20T14:21:07Z,
106-hr-5291,106,hr,5291,Beneficiary Improvement and Protection Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-26,2000-12-07,"House Committee on Ways and Means Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 15, 2000.",House,"Rep. Bliley, Tom [R-VA-7]",VA,R,B000556,45,"Beneficiary Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Beneficiary Improvements - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) availability of and assistance in completing qualified Medicare beneficiary and specified low-income Medicare beneficiary application forms; (2) election of colonoscopy instead of a screening sigmoidoscopy, but only once every 119 months; (3) elimination of time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs; and (4) preservation of coverage of drugs and biologicals (even if occasionally, but not usually, self-administered) under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).(Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study and report to Congress on whether limitations on State payment for Medicare cost-sharing have affected access to services for qualified Medicare beneficiaries.(Sec. 104) Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), without a 24-month waiting period.(Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary to conduct a demonstration project on Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services.Title II: Other Medicare Part B Provisions - Subtitle A: Access to Technology - Directs the Secretary to report to Congress (for publication on the HHS Medicare Internet site) a detailed compilation of the actual time periods necessary to complete and fully implement any national coverage determinations that were made in the previous fiscal year for items, services, or medical devices not previously covered as a Medicare benefit.(Sec. 202) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to the payment of benefits to: (1) make the national limitation amount for clinical diagnostic laboratory test fee schedules equal to 100 percent of national median for new clinical laboratory test technologies; (2) require the Secretary to establish a fee schedule for new clinical laboratory tests in a specified manner; and (3) require the Secretary to establish the use of categories in determining eligibility of a device for pass-through payments under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system (PPS).(Sec. 204) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for an increase in the payment limit for new technologies applied to screening mammography performed beginning in 2001 and determined by the Secretary to enhance the detection of breast cancer.Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians Services - Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the appropriateness of furnishing gastrointestinal endoscopic physicians services in physicians offices.(Sec. 212) Provides for payment to a laboratory instead of to a hospital for certain physician pathology services.(Sec. 213) Amends SSA title XVIII to mandate demonstration projects to test and, if proven effective, expand the use of incentives to participating health care groups that: (1) encourage coordination of the care furnished to individuals under Medicare parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B by institutional and other providers, practitioners, and suppliers of health care items and services; (2) encourage investment in administrative structures and processes to ensure efficient service delivery; and (3) reward physicians for improving health outcomes.(Sec. 214) Directs the Secretary to provide for designation of interventional pain management physicians as a separate category of physician specialists.(Sec. 215) Directs the Secretary to evaluate and report to Congress on the current Medicare enrollment process for medical groups that retain independent contractor physicians with particular emphasis on hospital-based physicians (such as emergency department staffing groups).Subtitle C: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a three-year moratorium on application of certain skilled nursing facility (SNF) Medicare part B consolidated billing requirements.(Sec. 222) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a revised PPS for services of ambulatory surgical facilities before January 1, 2002.Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to revise provisions on contrast enhanced diagnostic procedures under the hospital PPS, including with regard to the deadline for use of 1999 or later cost surveys.(Sec. 223) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the payment of benefits to provide for a one year extension of the moratorium on certain physical therapy caps.(Sec. 224) Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) to revise requirements for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services.(Sec. 225) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment for ambulance services to eliminate certain reductions for 2001 and 2002 enacted under BBA '97.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on costs of providing ambulance services covered under the Medicare program across the range of service levels for which such services are provided.(Sec. 226) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to PPS hospital outpatient department (OPD) services system requirements to direct the Secretary to create additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize contrast media from those that do not.(Sec. 227) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a ten-year phased in increase from 55 percent to 80 percent in the proportion of hospital bad debt recognized.(Sec. 228) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to State accreditation of diabetes self-management training programs.(Sec. 229) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease patients to provide for an increase in the update for renal dialysis composite rate for dialysis services furnished on or after January 1, 2001.Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on a literature review of studies on the impact of oral self-administered prescription non-calcium phosphate binding drugs in reducing the incidence of hospitalization under the Medicare program for Medicare beneficiaries with end stage renal disease.Title III: Medicare Part A and B Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a one year delay in the 15 percent reduction in payment rates under the Medicare PPS for home health services.(Sec. 302) Amends SSA title XI with regard to guidance on application of health care fraud and abuse sanctions to make permanent existing advisory opinion authority, among other changes.(Sec. 303) Provides for: (1) hospital geographic reclassification for labor costs applicable to other PPS systems; and (2) reclassification of a certain Ohio metropolitan statistical area for purposes of Medicare reimbursement.(Sec. 305) Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) make the Medicare dependent, small rural hospital program permanent; and (2) include as a Medicare dependent, small rural disproportionate share (DSH) hospital one with discharges during any of the three most recent audited cost reporting periods.(Sec. 307) Amends SSA title XI to require a peer review organization to assist providers, practitioners, and Medicare+Choice organizations in identifying and developing strategies to reduce the incidence of actual and potential errors and problems related to patient safety affecting individuals entitled to Medicare benefits.(Sec. 308) Directs the Comptroller General to submit a report to Congress on the effect of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act on hospitals, emergency physicians, and physicians covering emergency department call throughout the United States, focusing on those in Arizona (including Phoenix) and California (including Los Angeles).Title IV: Medicare+Choice Program Stabilization and Improvements - Subtitle A: Payment Reforms - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of SSA title XVIII with regard to calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates increasing the minimum payment amount and the minimum percentage update for 2001.(Sec. 403) Provides for a ten-year phase-in of risk adjustment methodology for payments to Medicare+Choice organizations based on data from all settings.(Sec. 404) Provides for transition to revised Medicare+Choice payment rates.Subtitle B: Administrative Reforms - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) eligibility, election, and enrollment effectiveness of elections and changes of elections; (2) Medicare+Choice program compatibility with employer or union group health plans; and (3) uniform premium and benefits.Title V: Medicaid - Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid), as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, with regard to DSH payments to, among other changes, provide for: (1) continuation of Medicaid DSH allotments at FY 2000 levels for fiscal years 2001 and 2002; (2) a special rule for the Medicaid DSH allotment for extremely low DSH States; and (3) assuring identification of Medicaid managed care patients for purposes of making DSH payments.(Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XIX to establish a PPS for Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.Directs the Comptroller General to provide for a study and report to Congress on the need for, and how to, rebase or refine costs for making Medicaid payment for services provided by such centers and clinics.(Sec. 503) Authorizes a State to elect to provide Medicaid assistance to children and pregnant women who are aliens lawfully residing in the United States for at least two years and otherwise eligible for such assistance.(Sec. 504) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for additional entities qualified to determine Medicaid presumptive eligibility for low-income children.(Sec. 505) Amends SSA title XIX to: (1) extend for one year provisions on eligibility for medical assistance; (2) give States the option to waive administrative reporting requirements for an additional six month extension; and (3) give States the option to exempt themselves from such provisions on eligibility for medical assistance if the State provides Medicaid coverage to needy families with incomes of up to 185 percent of the official poverty line.(Sec. 506) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to increase from ten percent to 14 percent the percentage of all Medicaid beneficiaries in certain California counties a county-organized health insuring organization in such a county may enroll and remain exempt from specified Federal requirements for Medicaid health maintenance organization contracts.(Sec. 507) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for Medicaid recognition for services of physician assistants.Title VI: State Children's Health Insurance Program - Amends SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) with regard to allotments to: (1) add a rule for extended availability and redistribution of FY 1998 and 1999 allotments; and (2) provide for State coverage of children who are aliens lawfully residing in the United States and otherwise eligible for such assistance, but only if the State has elected to do so.Title VII: Extension of Special Diabetes Grant Programs - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the funding for juvenile and Indian diabetes grant programs.",2025-04-07T13:47:29Z,
106-hr-5296,106,hr,5296,Medicare Quality Assurance Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-26,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. English, Phil [R-PA-21]",PA,R,E000187,0,"Medicare Quality Assurance Act of 2000 - Title I: Medicare Fee for Service Payment Improvements - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, providing for: (1) revision of the prospective payment system (PPS) hospital payment update; and (2) modification of the reduction of indirect graduate medical education payments.(Sec. 103) Provides for: (1) an increase in the FY 2001 market basket percentage increase with regard to payment to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for routine service costs; and (2) revision of the definition of the SNF market basket index.(Sec. 104) Eliminates the 15 percent reduction in payment rates under the Medicare PPS for home health services. Makes this amendment effective as if included in the enactment of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999.(Sec. 105) Amends SSA title XVIII part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) to extend for two years the moratorium on caps for therapy services.Title II: Medicare+Choice Program Improvements - Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with regard to calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates to provide, among other changes, for: (1) elimination of the budget neutrality adjustment for 2001 and 2002; (2) an increase in the minimum payment amount; (3) an increased update for payment areas with only one or no Medicare+Choice contracts; and (4) higher negotiated rates in certain Medicare+Choice payment areas below the national average.Title III: Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box - Social Security and Medicare Lock-box Act of 2000 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the House or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report if its enactment would: (1) cause or increase an on-budget deficit for any fiscal year; or (2) cause the on-budget surplus for any fiscal year to be less than the projected surplus of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for such year, or increase the amount by which the on-budget surplus for any fiscal year would be less than such trust fund surplus for that year. Makes the first point of order inapplicable to social security reform legislation, and the second inapplicable to Medicare reform legislation. Includes the receipts, outlays, and surplus or deficit in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors and Disability Insurance Trust Funds within the content of the concurrent budget resolution.",2025-08-20T14:21:17Z,
106-hr-5303,106,hr,5303,Home Health Care Protection Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-26,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-7]",MA,D,M000133,1,The Home Health Care Protection Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with regard to the Medicare home health benefit to declare that absences from home to receive medical treatment shall not disqualify an individual from such benefit.,2025-08-20T14:19:51Z,
106-hr-5304,106,hr,5304,Phoenix-Area Hospital and Physician Assistance Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-26,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Shadegg, John B. [R-AZ-4]",AZ,R,S000275,0,"Phoenix-Area Hospital and Physician Assistance Act of 2000 - Requires the Comptroller General to report to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment of the House Commerce Committee on the effect of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act on hospitals, emergency physicians, and physicians covering emergency department call, focusing on those in Phoenix, Arizona.",2025-08-20T14:20:17Z,
106-s-3107,106,s,3107,Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-26,2000-09-26,Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.,Senate,"Sen. Graham, Bob [D-FL]",FL,D,G000352,4,"Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Outpatient Prescription Drug Benefit Program) to provide Medicare coverage of certain outpatient prescription drugs and biological products for individuals entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).(Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for an outpatient prescription drug benefit program for eligible Medicare beneficiaries.Makes the cost of providing benefits under this part payable from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund.Directs the Secretary to establish a process for an eligible Medicare beneficiary (including one enrolled in a Medicare+Choice plan under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice)) to elect to enroll under new SSA title XVIII part D. Requires an eligible Medicare beneficiary to enroll under new SSA title XVIII part D in order to be eligible for covered outpatient drugs under Medicare.Directs the Secretary to disseminate information to eligible and prospective eligible beneficiaries. Authorizes appropriations.Directs the Secretary to determine and promulgate a monthly premium rate for the succeeding year in accordance with specified guidelines. Requires monthly premiums to be credited to the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund.Outlines cost-sharing provisions, including those for a $250 deductible waivable for generic drugs, coinsurance payments for the drug in an amount equal to the applicable percentage of the cost of the drug, and inflation adjustment.Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for accepting bids and awarding competitive contracts for benefit administration. Sets out patient protections. Provides for: (1) accessibility of outpatient drugs; (2) continuity of care; (3) medically necessary drugs; (4) denials of care; (5) procedures to ensure a timely internal and external review and resolution of denials of coverage and complaints regarding the use of formularies; (6) confidentiality; (7) transfer of medical records; and (8) medical errors. Requires the eligible entity, among other things, to have in place procedures to control fraud, abuse, and waste.Authorizes the Secretary to develop and implement an Employer Incentive Program, including incentive payments, that encourages employers and other sponsors of employment-based health care coverage to provide adequate prescription drug benefits to retired individuals by subsidizing, in part, the sponsor's cost of providing coverage under qualifying plans. Outlines sponsor requirements. Authorizes appropriations.Establishes a Medicare Pharmacy and Therapeutics Advisory Committee for development of: (1) guidelines for administration of the outpatient prescription drug benefit program; (2) standards for required pharmacy and therapeutics committees of eligible entities; (3) procedures for determining if a drug is medically necessary to prevent or to slow the deterioration of, or improve or maintain, the health of an eligible beneficiary; (4) standards for defining therapeutic classes and other specified matters; (5) procedures to evaluate the bids submitted by eligible entities under SSA title XVIII part D; and (6) procedures to ensure that eligible entities under contract are in compliance with requirements. Authorizes appropriations.Applies to SSA title XVIII part D the coverage exclusions under Medicare parts A or B for any expenses incurred for certain items or services. Provides that prescription drugs are not excluded from such coverage if reasonable and necessary.(Sec. 3) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to: (1) require each Medicare+Choice plan, with specified exceptions, to provide enrolled members items and services for which benefits are available under part D; (2) permit a Medicare+Choice organization offering a Medicare+Choice plan to elect a benefit provider as long as the organization complies with outpatient drug access requirements; (3) require the Secretary to determine a Medicare+Choice capitation rate for outpatient drug benefits for enrollees in accordance with specified payment rules; and (4) prohibit a Medicare+Choice organization from requiring an enrollee to pay an outpatient prescription drug benefit deductible or a coinsurance percentage exceeding the applicable amount.(Sec. 4) Amends SSA title XVIII part D to exclude Medicare part D costs from determination of the part B monthly premium.(Sec. 5) Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to: (1) include in Medicare cost-sharing for qualified Medicare beneficiaries premiums under the Outpatient Prescription Drug Benefit Program; and (2) provide for expanding medical assistance with regard to the coinsurance and deductible under such Program. Sets at 100 percent the Federal Medicaid percentage with respect to such medical assistance. Provides for the nonapplicability of payment differential requirements to SSA title XVIII part D cost-sharing.Amends SSA title XI to increase according to a certain formula Medicaid payments to territories for FY 2002 and thereafter.(Sec. 6) Amends SSA title XVIII to revise requirements for benefit packages for Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policies.(Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of: (1) establishing a uniform format for pharmacy benefit cards provided to beneficiaries by eligible entities under the Outpatient Prescription Drug Benefit Program; and (2) developing systems to transfer prescriptions electronically under such program from the prescriber to the pharmacist.(Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:17:37Z,
106-s-3112,106,s,3112,Medicare Access to Digital Mammography Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-26,2000-09-26,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Abraham, Spencer [R-MI]",MI,R,A000355,7,"Medicare Access to Digital Mammography Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise requirements for payments and standards for screening mammography that pertain to the limit for screening mammography performed in 1991 to: (1) specify the screening mammography performed in 1991 as nondigital; (2) establish a separate limit for digital screening mammography performed in 2001 and thereafter; and (3) replace the current reduction of limit provision with a provision for adjustment of limit (up or down), requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make at least annual reviews (currently, reviews from time to time) on the appropriateness of such applicable limits and make adjustments accordingly.",2025-08-20T14:19:50Z,
106-hr-5274,106,hr,5274,Consumer Assurance of Radiologic Excellence Act ,Health,2000-09-25,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Lazio, Rick [R-NY-2]",NY,R,L000155,12,"Consumer Assurance of Radiologic Excellence Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit certain payments to States for expenditures for medical imaging procedures or radiation therapy procedures, unless the State meets specified requirements for State medical radiation licenses, including minimum licensing standards the Secretary establishes.",2025-08-20T14:17:33Z,
106-hr-5276,106,hr,5276,Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-25,2000-11-09,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Camp, Dave [R-MI-4]",MI,R,C000071,1,Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to remove time limitations on the coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for individuals who have received organ transplants. (Current law only provides coverage for such drugs for certain time periods after the transplant procedure.)Applies certain secondary payer requirements with respect to individuals with end stage renal disease without regard to any time limitations in the case of immunosuppressive drugs furnished after this Act's enactment.,2025-08-20T14:18:17Z,
106-hr-5281,106,hr,5281,Equity in SCHIP Act,Health,2000-09-25,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Peterson, Collin C. [D-MN-7]",MN,D,P000258,3,Equity in SCHIP Act - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to increase from 50 percent to 100 percent the number of low-income children in a State counted in the ratio for determining State allotments under SCHIP.,2025-08-20T14:21:21Z,
106-hr-5282,106,hr,5282,Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Services Quality Improvement Demonstration Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-25,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Ryan, Paul [R-WI-1]",WI,R,R000570,0,Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Services Quality Improvement Demonstration Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a five-year demonstration project under which nurse aide training requirements are waived in up to five eligible States in the case of specially trained individuals with respect to specific nursing tasks.,2025-08-20T14:19:11Z,
106-hr-5286,106,hr,5286,"To provide for a study of anesthesia services furnished under the Medicare Program, and to expand arrangements under which certified registered nurse anesthetists may furnish such services.",Health,2000-09-25,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Weldon, Dave [R-FL-15]",FL,R,W000267,1,Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a multistate comparative study for a report to Congress on mortality and adverse outcome rates of Medicare patients by providers of anesthesia services and by type of such providers.,2025-01-02T17:15:08Z,
106-hr-5288,106,hr,5288,To amend part C of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase the minimum payment amount to Medicare+Choice organizations offering Medicare+Choice plans to correct inequities in amounts paid in rural and urban areas.,Health,2000-09-25,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Sherwood, Don [R-PA-10]",PA,R,S001146,7,Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to increase the minimum payment amount component of the capitation rate for Medicare+Choice organizations offering Medicare+Choice plans.,2025-01-02T17:15:05Z,
106-s-3102,106,s,3102,Putting Parents First Act,Health,2000-09-25,2000-09-25,Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Ashcroft, John [R-MO]",MO,R,A000356,0,"Putting Parents First Act - Prohibits any person from knowingly performing an abortion upon or prescribing an abortifacient to a pregnant woman under age 18 unless the attending physician has secured: (1) the informed written consent of the minor; and (2) the informed written consent of the minor's parent or guardian; or (3) a court order waiving the need for the parent's or guardian's consent pursuant to a judicial bypass procedure. Requires a court to issue such an order if it finds by clear and convincing evidence on an individual basis that: (1) the process of obtaining such consent is not in the best interests of the minor petitioner; or (2) the minor petitioner is an emancipated minor. Sets forth procedures regarding confidentiality, filing of the petition, preference over other proceedings, findings, and expedited appellate review.",2025-08-20T14:19:34Z,
106-s-3106,106,s,3106,Home Health Care Protection Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-25,2000-09-25,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Jeffords, James M. [R-VT]",VT,R,J000072,4,The Home Health Care Protection Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with regard to the Medicare home health benefit to declare that absences from home to receive medical treatment shall not disqualify an individual from such benefit.,2025-08-20T14:17:18Z,
106-hr-5243,106,hr,5243,Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Improvement Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-21,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Holt, Rush [D-NJ-12]",NJ,D,H001032,3,Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Improvement Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program of competitive grants to eligible States for the purpose of improving the quality of care furnished in nursing homes operating in the State.  Makes appropriations.Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to add requirements for skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities to report to the Secretary on data regarding staffing levels and information regarding patient classification.Establishes the Nursing Facility Civil Money Penalties Collection Account to be used for awarding grants under this Act.,2025-08-20T14:20:00Z,
106-hr-5246,106,hr,5246,To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require home health agencies participating in the Medicare Program to conduct criminal background checks for all applicants for employment as patient care providers.,Health,2000-09-21,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Andrews, Robert E. [D-NJ-1]",NJ,D,A000210,0,Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require home health agencies participating in the Medicare program to conduct criminal background checks through the Attorney General on all applicants for employment as patient care providers.,2025-01-02T17:15:07Z,
106-hr-5247,106,hr,5247,GAAP Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-21,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Baldacci, John Elias [D-ME-2]",ME,D,B000081,6,"Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act or GAAP Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to include in a required abbreviated new drug application information concerning certification of each patent which claims any active ingredient for a listed drug (currently, only the listed drug itself), either alone or in combination with other active ingredients, or which claims the first approved use for such drug for which an applicant is seeking approval.States that the filing of a citizen petition review shall not cause the Secretary of Health and Human Services to delay review and approval of an abbreviated  new drug application unless the petition demonstrates through substantial scientific proof that approval would pose a threat to public health and safety.Allows a drug to be considered a bioequivalent to a listed drug if the effects of such drug and the listed drug do not show a significant difference based on certain tests or studies.Provides for an accelerated date of approval of a generic drug application.Expresses the sense of Congress that measures should be taken to effectuate the purpose of the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 to make generic drugs more available and accessible, thereby reducing health care costs.",2025-08-20T14:19:58Z,
106-hr-5248,106,hr,5248,To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations regarding allowable costs under the Medicaid Program for school based services provided to children with disabilities.,Health,2000-09-21,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Bonior, David E. [D-MI-10]",MI,D,B000619,1,Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to issue proposed regulations relating to allowable costs under the administrative outreach program of the school based services program that is part of the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act with respect to services provided to children with disabilities.,2025-01-02T17:15:01Z,
106-hr-5251,106,hr,5251,To provide for Medicare payment for medically unsurpervised certified registered nurse anesthetists at the same level as nurse anesthetists who are medically supervised if the Medicare regulations permit certified registered nurse anesthetists to provide anesthesia services in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers without medical supervision.,Health,2000-09-21,2000-09-29,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.,House,"Rep. Burr, Richard [R-NC-5]",NC,R,B001135,0,"Declares that, if the Secretary of Health and Human Services changes regulations under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit certified registered nurse anesthetists to furnish anesthesia services in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers without medical supervision, then the level of payment for such services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetist who is not medically supervised in such a hospital or center shall be the same as the level of payment for such services furnished by the anesthetist in such a facility when the anesthetist is medically supervised.",2025-01-02T17:15:17Z,
106-hr-5260,106,hr,5260,Hereditary Disorders Newborn Screening Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-21,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Pallone, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-6]",NJ,D,P000034,5,"Hereditary Disorders Newborn Screening Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants to eligible entities to enhance, improve or expand the ability of State and local public health agencies to provide screening, counseling or preventive care services to newborns and children having or at risk for heritable disorders. Authorizes appropriations.Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible entities to provide for the conduct of demonstration programs to evaluate the effectiveness of screening, counseling or preventive care services in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by heritable disorders in newborns and children.Direct the Secretary to establish an advisory committee to be known as the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children.",2025-08-20T14:20:39Z,
106-s-3088,106,s,3088,A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations regarding allowable costs under the medicaid program for school based services provided to children with disabilities.,Health,2000-09-21,2000-09-21,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Levin, Carl [D-MI]",MI,D,L000261,1,Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to issue proposed regulations relating to allowable costs under the administrative outreach program of the school based services program that is part of the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act with respect to services provided to children with disabilities.,2025-01-14T18:59:41Z,
106-hr-5220,106,hr,5220,Essential Rural Hospital Preservation Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-20,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Paul, Ron [R-TX-14]",TX,R,P000583,15,"Essential Rural Hospital Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the Medicare program with regard to essential rural hospitals by: (1) treating as allowable costs 100 percent of bad debts attributable to uncollectible copayments and deductions; (2) exempting such hospitals from the hospital outpatient prospective payment system; and (3) providing for disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments (with a minimum DSH adjustment percentage of 20 percent) for essential rural hospital discharges between May 1, 1986, and October 1, 1997.",2025-08-20T14:19:29Z,
106-hr-5222,106,hr,5222,To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide attending physicians greater authority in determining whether a Medicare beneficiary is eligible for hospice care under the Medicare Program.,Health,2000-09-20,2000-10-02,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.,House,"Rep. Salmon, Matt [R-AZ-1]",AZ,R,S000018,8,Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the definition of terminally ill with respect to hospice care to allow attending physicians to determine whether a Medicare beneficiary is eligible for hospice care under the Medicare program without regard to current law requirements that the individual's life expectancy be six months or less.,2025-01-02T17:15:07Z,
106-hr-5228,106,hr,5228,Essential and Critical Hospital Preservation Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-20,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Kanjorski, Paul E. [D-PA-11]",PA,D,K000008,2,Essential and Critical Hospital Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for special payments to hospitals deemed essential hospitals. Requires such a hospital to submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services an economic recovery plan for long-range (post-deemed status) financial viability for possible receipt of an additional payment to ensure successful completion of the plan.,2025-08-20T14:17:21Z,
106-hr-5231,106,hr,5231,Pharmaceutical Reform Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-20,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Mollohan, Alan B. [D-WV-1]",WV,D,M000844,3,"Pharmaceutical Reform Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to cease consideration of, and to terminate, a petition to approve an abbreviated drug application for a new drug if the Secretary determines that the person submitting the petition received valuable consideration from an entity whose financial interests are served by an order approving such application.Prohibits a patent from being considered to claim a listed drug unless, with respect to such drug, the patent claims an active ingredient.Provides the effective date of the approval of an abbreviated application for a new drug containing a certification that its patent is invalid or will not be infringed by the manufacture, use, or sale of the new drug for which the application is submitted.Prohibits any State or political subdivision from: (1) taking any action with respect to a drug approved under such Act that is different from or in addition to any listed requirement; or (2) establishing or continuing in effect a prohibition against the use of a drug as a substitute for any listed drug to which the drug is therapeutically equivalent.Expresses the sense of Congress that a specified provision of the Public Health Service Act authorizes the submission of an abbreviated application for the approval of a new drug that is a biological product.",2025-08-20T14:19:30Z,
106-hr-5235,106,hr,5235,Prescription Drug Competition Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-20,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Waxman, Henry A. [D-CA-29]",CA,D,W000215,5,"Prescription Drug Competition Act of 2000 - Requires a brand name drug company and a generic drug applicant that enter into an agreement regarding the sale or manufacture of a generic drug determined or likely to be the therapeutic equivalent of such brand name drug, when such agreement could limit the research, development, manufacture, marketing, or sale of such generic drug, to file with the Federal Trade Commission and the Secretary of Health and Human Services the text of such agreement and an explanation of whether such agreement could delay, restrain, limit, or otherwise interfere with the production, manufacture, or sale of the generic drug in question. Requires such filing within ten days of agreement execution. Provides civil penalties for violation.",2025-08-20T14:21:15Z,
106-s-3077,106,s,3077,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000",Health,2000-09-20,2000-09-20,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S8826-8851),Senate,"Sen. Moynihan, Daniel Patrick [D-NY]",NY,D,M001054,32,"Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) market basket update.(Sec. 102) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) to revise the BBRA increase for SNFs in FY 2001 and 2002.(Sec. 103) Requires a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) study and report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress on nursing home costs to determine the adequacy of Medicare payment rates for items and services furnished by SNFs. Grants the Secretary the authority to make payment adjustments for covered SNF services if appropriate as a result of the study.Subtitle B: PPS Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) revise the reduction of indirect graduate medical education payments; (2) eliminate the reduction in the Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospital payment update; (3) eliminate the reduction in disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments; and (4) change the payment formulas for DSH hospitals; and (5) modify the payment rate for Puerto Rico hospitals.(Sec. 115) Increases the DSH allotments under Medicaid for the District of Columbia.Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) to provide for the optional eligibility of certain alien pregnant women and children for Medicaid and SCHIP.(Sec. 117) Requires a MedPAC study on hospital area wage indexes for a report to the Secretary and Congress.Subtitle C: PPS Exempt Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain cancer hospitals  (Sec. 122) Makes certain changes with regard to the PPS for inpatient rehabilitation services and payment during the transition period under current law.Subtitle D: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise payments for hospice care.Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to outline various provisions concerned with: (1) hospital compliance with the Bloodborne Pathogens standard; (2) an Informatics and Data Systems Grant Program; and (3) relief from the Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) late enrollment penalty for a group buy-in for State and local retirees. Authorizes appropriations.Subtitle F: Transitional Provisions - Reclassifies certain counties and areas in specified States for purposes of reimbursement under the Medicare program.Title II: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for reduction of the effective hospital outpatient department (HOPD) coinsurance rate to 20 percent by 2019.(Sec. 202) Revises the formula for calculating the base payment-to-cost-ratio component of HOPD PPS transitional corridor payments to include in such formula (and so cover) certain hospitals that did not submit cost reports for 1996.(Sec. 203) Provides a permanent guarantee of pre-Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) payment levels for HOPD services furnished by children's hospitals.Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to grant medical students a deferment on their student loans for a period not to exceed the length of their full initial residency period.(Sec. 212) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as it applies to physicians; and (2) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare.(Sec. 213) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare.Subtitle C: Ambulance Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the establishment of a fee schedule for ambulance services to allow a supplier of ambulance services to elect to forego phase-in of such schedule and receive payments based only upon it.(Sec. 222) Establishes a prudent layperson standard for emergency ambulance services.(Sec. 223) Eliminates the reduction in inflation adjustments for ambulance services.(Sec. 224) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the means by which rural areas with low population densities can be identified for the purpose of designating areas in which the cost of providing ambulance services would be expected to be higher than similar services provided in more heavily populated areas because of low usage.(Sec. 225) Outlines provisions for interim payments for rural ground ambulance services until such time as the established fee schedule is modified by a specified regulation.(Sec. 226) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided.Subtitle D: Preventive Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) prohibit deductibles and coinsurance for various specified preventive benefits; (2) add lancets to the definition of durable medical equipment; and (3) provide coverage of counseling for cessation of tobacco use, glaucoma detection tests, and medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes, a cardiovascular disease, or a renal disease.(Sec. 235) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a series of studies, for an annual report to the Congress, designed to identify preventive interventions that can be delivered in the primary care setting that are most valuable to older Americans; and (2) contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to study and report periodically to the President on current literature and best practices in the field of health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries.(Sec. 237) Provides for fast-track consideration of preventive benefit legislation resulting from recommendations accompanying such study reports.Subtitle E: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) revision of the moratorium on caps for therapy services; (2) revision of coverage of immunosuppressive drugs; (3) extension of certain secondary payer requirements; (4) State accreditation of diabetes self-management training programs; (5) elimination of the reduction in payment amounts for orthotics and prosthetics, parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment and oxygen and oxygen equipment; (6) standards regarding payment for certain orthotics and prosthetics; (7) revision of the definition of orthotics; (8) new pap smear technologies and other new clinical laboratory test technologies; (9) increase in payments for certified nurse-midwife services; and (10) payment for administration services associated with chemotherapy and for blood clotting drug-related activities.(Sec. 249) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the provision of in-home infusion therapy nursing services.Title III: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare PPS.(Sec. 302) Excludes from such PPS certain nonroutine medical supplies furnished by a home health agency. Details certain study and reporting requirements with regard to such exclusion.(Sec. 303) Permits home health patients with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia to participate in adult-day care programs.(Sec. 304) Directs the Secretary to establish standards for the operation of a branch office, a service site for home health services controlled and supervised by a home health agency.(Sec. 305) Provides for the treatment of home health services provided in certain counties in the State of New York.Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Provides that, for cost reporting periods between October 1, 2000, and October 1, 2005, in applying the limitations regarding the total number of full-time equivalent interns and residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine under Medicare for a hospital, the Secretary shall not take into account a maximum of three interns or residents in the field of geriatric medicine to the extent the hospital increases the number of geriatric interns or residents above the number of such interns or residents for the hospital's most recent cost reporting period ending before October 1, 2000.(Sec. 312) Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to establish a program of payments to children's hospitals that operate graduate medical education programs. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 313) Provides that, effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1999, for purposes of Medicare payments to hospitals for costs of approved educational activities, such activities shall include the clinical portion of professional educational training programs recognized by the Secretary for clinical psychologists.(Sec. 314) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain newly established residency programs in computing Medicare payments for the costs of medical education.Subtitle C: Miscellaneous - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Title IV: Rural Provider Provisions - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payments to critical access hospitals for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests.(Sec. 402) Amends SSA title XVIII, as amended by BBRA, to revise the payment for professional services provided by a critical access hospital.(Sec. 403) Amends SSA title XVIII to permit critical access hospitals to operate PPS-exempt distinct part psychiatric and rehabilitation units.Subtitle B: Medicare Dependent, Small Rural Hospital Program - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) make the Medicare-dependent, small rural hospital program permanent; and (2) give any hospital under such program the option of basing eligibility for payment on discharges during any of the three most recent audited cost reporting periods in lieu of the current basing of eligibility for payment on discharges during the cost reporting period beginning in FY 1987.Subtitle C: Sole Community Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to extend the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals.(Sec. 422) States that, for purposes of discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2000, the Greensville Memorial Hospital located in Emporia, Virginia, shall be deemed to have satisfied the travel time criteria under applicable Medicare provisions for classification as a sole community hospital.Subtitle D: Other Rural Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to exempt Medicare swing bed hospitals from the PPS for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).(Sec. 431) Amends BBRA to make January 1, 2001, the effective date of the elimination of certain restrictions with respect to the hospital swing bed program.(Sec. 432) Amends SSA title XVIII to mandate pre-BBA '97 payment levels for outpatient services furnished by rural hospitals.(Sec. 433) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare.Subtitle E: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to bonus payments in the case of physicians' services furnished to an individual who is covered under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) and who incurs expenses for such services in a health professional shortage area. Extends such bonus payments to physician assistant and nurse practitioner services. Eliminates the requirement to make such payments on a monthly or a quarterly basis.(Sec. 442) Modifies: (1) the exemption to the limits established on payment for provider-based rural health clinic services in the case of such clinics in rural hospitals with less than 50 beds; and (2) payment for certain physician assistant services.(Sec. 444) Directs the Secretary to provide for bonus payments for rural home health agencies in the case of home health services furnished in a rural area in 2001 and 2002.(Sec. 445) Excludes clinical social worker services and worker services performed under a contract with a rural health clinic or a Federally-qualified health center from the PPS for SNFs.(Sec. 446) Covers marriage and family therapist services provided in rural health clinics under Medicare.(Sec. 447) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to: (1) create a capital infrastructure revolving loan program for rural entities for projects for capital improvements; (2) provide for grants to assist eligible small rural hospitals in offsetting the costs of establishing data systems to implement PPSs under Medicare, and to comply with administrative simplification requirements under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice), or to reduce medication errors; (3) provide for grants to eligible small rural hospitals to provide relief for financial distress that has a negative impact on access to care for Medicare beneficiaries who reside in a rural area. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 450) Amends BBA '97 to revise provisions for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services with respect to: (1) the methodology for determining the amount of payments; (2) reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries who do not reside in a health professional shortage area; (3) telehealth coverage for direct patient care; (4) eligibility for telehealth reimbursement for all physicians and practitioners; and (5) telehealth services provided using store-and-forward technologies.(Sec. 451) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare.Title V: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with regard to eligibility, election, and enrollment to provide for restoring the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII  part D (Miscellaneous) with regard to certification of Medicare supplemental health insurance (Medigap) policies. Sets forth a special Medigap enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries.(Sec. 503) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; and (2) modify area-specific and national percentages provisions with respect to calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates.(Sec. 505) Delays from July 1, 2000, to November 1, 2000, the deadline for a Medicare+Choice organization to withdraw the offering of a Medicare+Choice plan under part C (or otherwise to submit information required for the offering of such a plan) for 2001.(Sec. 506) Amends SSA title XVIII to make certain amounts in the Medicare trust funds available for the Secretary's share of Medicare+Choice education and enrollment-related costs.(Sec. 507) Amends BBRA to revise terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects.(Sec. 508) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to modify payment rules for certain frail elderly Medicare beneficiaries.Title VI: Provisions Relating to Individuals with End-Stage Renal Disease - Amends SSA title XVIII part D with respect to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to change the methodology for determining the update in the renal dialysis composite rate for end state renal dialysis services furnished after January 1, 2001.(Sec. 602) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans.(Sec. 603) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated.(Sec. 604) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for the coverage of certain vascular access services for ESRD beneficiaries provided by ambulatory surgical centers.(Sec. 605) Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect information on the satisfaction of each ESRD Medicare beneficiary with the quality of health care under the original fee-for-service Medicare program and the Medicare+Choice program, and the access of each beneficiary to that care; (2) analyze such information to determine, among other things, the kinds of health care that each nondialysis health care provider provides to each ESRD Medicare beneficiary for the treatment of ESRD and each comorbidity and the quality of health care provided to each such beneficiary enrolled under the Medicare+Choice program compared to each beneficiary enrolled under the original fee-for-service Medicare program; and (3) make such information collected and analysis conducted available to the public each year.Title VII: Access to Care Improvements Through Medicaid and SCHIP - Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to create a new PPS for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.(Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to make permanent the extension of eligibility for medical assistance, and give States the option of electing a 12-month initial eligibility period in lieu of the current six month initial eligibility period.(Sec. 703) Amends SSA title XIX with regard to State Medicaid plans to provide for coordination with Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under SSA title XXI of the application of resource and income eligibility standards for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals under certain conditions, as well as providing for the automatic reassessment of eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP benefits for children losing Medicaid- or SCHIP-eligibility.(Sec. 704) Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to qualify additional entities to determine presumptive eligibility for low-income children under Medicaid and SCHIP.(Sec. 705) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to: (1) increase the authorization of appropriations; and (2) provide for coordination with Medicaid and SCHIP.(Sec. 706) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for increased access to Medicare cost-sharing assistance for low-income beneficiaries.(Sec. 707) Provides for: (1) optional State Medicaid coverage of breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment coverage for certain breast and cervical cancer patients; (2) optional State Medicaid presumptive eligibility for certain breast or cervical cancer patients; and (3) an enhanced Federal match to be used under SCHIP with respect to medical assistance provided to such breast and cervical cancer patients receiving such optional State Medicaid coverage.Title VIII: Other Provisions - Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001.(Sec. 802) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to increase appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type 1 diabetes and for Indians.(Sec. 803) Directs the Secretary to award demonstration grants to up to seven States to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to homeless individuals and families under specified Social Security programs with respect to enrollment and the provision of services under such programs. Makes appropriations.(Sec. 804) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit health insurance provided through a managed care organization under a group health plan, or through a health insurance issuer providing coverage in connection with a group health plan, (and, for the PHSA, health insurance in the individual market) from denying coverage of services provided by a continuing care retirement community or other qualified facility if they are: (1) post-hospitalization services in the same community or facility as in pre-hospitalization; (2) skilled nursing services, without a preceding hospitalization, which are necessary to prevent hospitalization; or (3) furnished in the same facility the participant's or beneficiary's spouse already resides in. Makes the prohibition: (1) depend on whether such services are otherwise covered; and (2) regardless of whether the organization is under contract with the community or facility. Prohibits related denial of enrollment or renewal, incentives to enrollees, and penalties or incentives to physicians. Declares that State laws are not preempted which meet certain requirements, including any more protective of participants or beneficiaries than those of this Act. Provides for enforcement.(Sec. 805) Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible States to support real choice systems change initiatives that establish specific action steps and specific timetables to: (1) achieve enduring system improvements; and (2) provide consumer-responsive long-term services and supports to eligible individuals in the most integrated setting appropriate based on the unique strengths and needs of the individual, the priorities and concerns of the individual (or, as appropriate, the individual's representative), and the individual's desires with regard to participation in community life.Requires each State, in order to receive such a grant, to establish a Consumer Task Force to assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of real choice systems change initiatives.Provides funding.",2025-08-20T14:18:44Z,
106-s-3079,106,s,3079,A  bill to amend the Public Health Services Act to provide for suicide prevention activities with respect to children and adolescents.,Health,2000-09-20,2000-09-20,"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.",Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,0,"Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to States and political subdivisions, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and public and private nonprofit organizations to establish programs to reduce suicide deaths among children and adolescents. Requires the Secretary to ensure that awards made will focus on the needs of communities or groups that experience high or rapidly rising rates of suicide. Requires a geographical distribution of such awards between urban and rural settings. Requires each award grantee to prepare and submit to the Secretary an evaluation of activities funded. Limits to five years the duration of projects funded by such awards.Requires the Secretary to initiate a study concerning suicide or attempted suicide by children and youth.",2025-04-21T12:24:17Z,
106-s-3080,106,s,3080,Early Childhood Oral Health Improvement Act,Health,2000-09-20,2000-09-20,"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.",Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,0,"Early Childhood Oral Health Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to assist innovative oral health activities to improve the oral health of children under six years of age who are eligible for services under a Federal health program. Provides for program grants or contracts to dental training institutions, community dental programs, and  Indian health programs. Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:17:52Z,
106-s-3081,106,s,3081,Traumatic Brain Injury Act Amendments of 2000,Health,2000-09-20,2000-09-26,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9260-9262),Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,0,"Traumatic Brain Injury Act Amendments of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement a national traumatic brain injury education and awareness campaign in conjunction with Health People 2010. Requires the Secretary to determine: (1) the incidence and prevalence of such injury in all age groups; and (2) appropriate methodological strategies to obtain data on the incidence and prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury.Requires certain programs of the National Institutes of Health to include research on brain injury, its treatment, and nuerobehavioral consequences of such injury.Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out projects (currently, demonstration projects) to improve access to health and other services regarding traumatic brain injury. Allows such grant funds to be used: (1) for community services and support for those with such injuries and their families; and (2) to build a State's capacity to address and treat such injuries. Requires such services and support to reflect best practices in the field of traumatic brain injury and to be supported by quality assurance measures.",2025-08-20T14:18:07Z,
106-s-3082,106,s,3082,Medicare Access to Technology Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-20,2000-09-20,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,0,"Medicare Access to Technology Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) annual reports to Congress by the Secretary of Health and Human Services with regard to national coverage determinations; (2) inclusion on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) of individuals with expertise in new medical devices; and (3) annual adjustments to Medicare payment systems for changes in technology and medical practice.(Sec. 3) Amends SSA title XI to revise the Medicare advisory committee process to require assurance of full participation of nonvoting members in committee deliberations.(Sec. 6) Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to submit annual reports to Congress on elimination of barriers to the use of new medical devices in hospital outpatient departments (HODs).Requires MEDPAC to: (1) monitor Medicare beneficiary access to medical devices in HODs, assess the impact in making new devices available in HODs, and the impact of including or excluding a device under the prospective payment system (PPS) on beneficiary access to such device; and (2) make any recommendations MEDPAC determines would increase the availability of such devices to individuals entitled to Medicare benefits.(Sec. 7) Amends SSA title XVIII to prohibit the exclusion of a drug or biological from Medicare coverage because it is not reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed body member, if such drug or biological has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is prescribed for an FDA-approved use or a use supported in medical compendia.(Sec. 8) Directs the Secretary to: (1) assign a temporary code to an FDA-reviewed drug or device after receiving a written request of a product sponsor; (2) accept recommendations from the public throughout the year for Health Care Financing Administration Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) level II code modifications; (3) cause determinations on recommendations to be made within 30 days after receipt of the recommendation; and (4) incorporate modifications to HCPCS level II codes that are approved during the three months preceding the last month of a calendar quarter into the payment systems established under Medicare not later than the first day of the following calendar quarter.Prohibits the Secretary from requiring a minimum period of marketing experience with respect to a drug or device as a condition of consideration or approval of a recommendation for an HCPCS level II code modification.Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the feasibility and desirability of opening meetings of the HHS Alpha-Numeric Editorial Panel to the public.(Sec. 9) Directs the Secretary to maintain and continue the use of HCPCS level III codes (as in effect on June 1, 1999), and to make them available to the public.(Sec. 10) Outlines provisions for establishing: (1) a process for the stated purpose of making and implementing ICD-9-CM coding modifications with respect to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services into the payment systems established under Medicare; (2) procedures for Medicare coding and payment determinations for new clinical diagnostic laboratory tests for which payment is made on a fee schedule basis; and (3) payment rates for new clinical diagnostic laboratory tests.Prohibits the Secretary from requiring a minimum period of marketing experience with respect to an item, service, or device for which payment is made under the system for payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services as a condition of consideration or approval of a recommendation for an ICD-9-CM modification.Prohibits the Secretary from assigning a code for a new clinical diagnostic laboratory test that differs from that recommended by the American Medical Association Common Procedure Terminology Editorial Panel and results in lower payment than would be made under certain conditions.",2025-08-20T14:19:27Z,
106-s-3084,106,s,3084,A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for State accreditation of diabetes self-management training programs under the Medicare Program.,Health,2000-09-20,2000-09-20,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,0,Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for State accreditation of diabetes self-management training programs under the Medicare Program.,2025-01-14T18:59:41Z,
106-hr-5204,106,hr,5204,Benign Brain Tumor Cancer Registries Amendment Act,Health,2000-09-19,2000-10-19,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-9]",CA,D,L000551,12,"Benign Brain Tumor Cancer Registries Amendment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add the collection of data on benign brain-related tumors to provisions authorizing grants to States for the operation of statewide registries (currently, statewide cancer registries).",2025-08-20T14:19:14Z,
106-hr-5208,106,hr,5208,"Medicare, Medicaid, and MCH Smoking Cessation Promotion Act of 2000",Health,2000-09-19,2000-10-19,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1]",CO,D,D000197,19,"Medicare, Medicaid, and MCH Smoking Cessation Promotion Act of 2000 - Amends titles V (Maternal and Child Health Services),  XVIII (Medicare), and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of counseling for cessation of tobacco use under the Maternal and Child Health Services, Medicare, and Medicaid programs.",2025-08-20T14:18:54Z,
106-hr-5209,106,hr,5209,Physician Pathology Services Fair Payment Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-19,2000-10-19,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Foley, Mark [R-FL-16]",FL,R,F000238,1,Physician Pathology Services Fair Payment Act of 2000 - Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services for payments to laboratories under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.,2025-08-20T14:21:41Z,
106-s-3066,106,s,3066,Senior Care Safety Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-19,2000-09-19,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S8760-8761),Senate,"Sen. Ashcroft, John [R-MO]",MO,R,A000356,0,"Senior Care Safety Act of 2000 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities, respectively, to conduct criminal background checks on applicants for employment. Establishes civil money penalties for noncompliance.Directs the Attorney General to study and report to Congress on the effects of background checks in nursing facilities.",2025-08-20T14:20:43Z,
106-s-3073,106,s,3073,"Medicare, Medicaid, and MCH Smoking Cessation Promotion Act of 2000",Health,2000-09-19,2000-09-19,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]",IL,D,D000563,2,"Medicare, Medicaid, and MCH Smoking Cessation Promotion Act of 2000 - Amends titles V (Maternal and Child Health Services),  XVIII (Medicare), and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of counseling for cessation of tobacco use under the Maternal and Child Health Services, Medicare, and Medicaid programs.",2025-08-20T14:18:15Z,
106-hr-5197,106,hr,5197,Medicare Welcome Back Act of 2000,Health,2000-09-18,2000-10-19,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Andrews, Robert E. [D-NJ-1]",NJ,D,A000210,0,"Medicare Welcome Back Act of 2000 - Provides for a Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) part B (Supplemental Security Income) special enrollment period and waiver of part B late enrollment penalty, and for Medicare supplemental insurance policy (Medigap) special open enrollment period, for certain individuals who were residing abroad at the time they first became eligible for such benefits.",2025-08-20T14:20:32Z,