This resolution offers the condolences of the Senate regarding the death of Senator John William Warner and expresses deep appreciation for his outstanding and important service to his country.
Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021 This bill specifies that certain Medicare payment rules applicable to imaging services shall apply to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry services used in bone mass scans beginning in 2022. The bill also establishes national minimum payment amounts for such services.
Trust in Public Service Act This bill incorporates customer experience as a central measure of performance for federal agencies. Specifically, the bill requires each agency to develop a high-quality customer experience by allocating sufficient resources to and prioritizing customer experience capabilities and initiatives, adapting government-wide and global good practices, streamlining the process for soliciting voluntary customer feedback and requiring limited internal review if the collection is within the scope of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, and using human-centered design practices. Each agency shall develop and use tools to experiment with different approaches to improve customer experience, ensure the privacy of federal customers, use the data collected to continually improve customer experience and agency performance, and share the data collected with research entities to permit external analysis. The bill sets forth agency communication responsibilities. In addition, the OMB must issue guidance for agencies in collaboration with specified entities. It may establish programs that annually recognize individuals and teams across the federal workforce meeting customer service-related goals. The bill (1) integrates customer experience provisions into the U.S. code and the Federal Citizen Services Fund, (2) directs the OMB to establish an Office of Customer Experience, and (3) integrates customer experience into the responsibilities of key agency officials. The OMB, in coordination with the Office of Customer Experience, must establish the Participatory Government and Civic Dialogue Advisory Council. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress, assessing agency efforts and examining best practices.
Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act of 2021 This bill provides for Medicare coverage and payment for multi-cancer early detection screening tests that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and that are used to screen for cancer across many cancer types. The Government Accountability Office must report on the resulting utilization and effectiveness of such tests.
Rural Physician Workforce Production Act of 2021 This bill allows certain hospitals to receive additional payment under Medicare for full-time equivalent residents who receive training in rural areas. Specifically, hospitals, critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, and rural emergency hospitals may elect to receive payment for time spent by a resident in a rural training location if the resident trains for at least eight weeks in the location and the hospital pays the salary and benefits of the resident during this time. Additionally, hospitals may receive payment for all time spent by residents in a residency program in which 50% of all training is in rural locations, regardless of where the training occurs or specialty. Payments are based on the difference between the total amount of eligible payments (as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and the amount of graduate medical education payments received (if applicable).
This resolution offers the condolences of the Senate regarding the death of Senator David Henry Gambrell and honors his life and legacy.
John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion in the provision of child welfare programs and services by entities receiving federal funding. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must provide technical assistance to help states follow this requirement, including (1) guidance for bringing state laws into compliance, (2) developing training to increase cultural competency related to social identity, and (3) training for judges and attorneys involved in child welfare cases, among other supports. Additionally, HHS must establish the National Resource Center on Safety, Well-Being, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ Children and Youth Involved with Child Welfare Services to provide training, technical assistance, and guidance to applicable state and local agencies and service providers. Further, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act may not be the basis for challenging the application or enforcement of this bill. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on states' compliance with the requirements of the bill no later than three years after enactment.
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities to facilitate patients' access to investigational drugs that diagnose or treat ALS. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other severely debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Public-Private Partnership for Neurodegenerative Diseases between the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and at least one eligible entity (generally, an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization). The partnership shall support the development and regulatory review of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. The FDA shall publish on its website a five-year action plan for fostering the development of drugs that improve or extend the lives of people living with rare neurodegenerative diseases.
Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2021 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of certain audiologist services. Specifically, the bill expands coverage to include diagnostic and treatment services that are furnished by audiologists and that would otherwise be covered if provided by a physician, including incidental services, regardless of whether such services are provided pursuant to a referral from, or under the supervision of, a physician or other health care practitioner.
Retirement Security and Savings Act of 2021 This bill modifies various tax policies, credits, and requirements that apply to employer-provided retirement plans and Individual Retirement Accounts.
