Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021 or the CONNECT for Health Act of 2021 This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Among other provisions, the bill allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to waive certain restrictions, such as restrictions on the types of technology that may be used; permanently removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) and allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services; permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); and allows the CMS to generally waive coverage restrictions during any public health emergency. Additionally, the CMS must report on the effects of expanded telehealth services during the COVID-19 public health emergency, including with respect to the utilization, quality, and outcomes of services. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation may also test alternative payment models relating to expanded telehealth services.
Sponsored bills
Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), during FY2022, to establish and maintain three new centers of the Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (RANGE) Program in areas with interest from personnel and a need for additional mental health care for rural veterans. The RANGE Program serves veterans in rural areas who are experiencing mental illness. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study and report on whether the VA has sufficient resources to serve rural veterans who need mental health care that is more intensive than traditional outpatient therapy.
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the President to provide assistance to implement a comprehensive five-year strategy to contribute toward the global goal of ending preventable child and maternal deaths by 2030.
World Bank Integrity Preservation Act of 2021 This bill requires the U.S. Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to oppose any extension of financial or technical assistance by the bank to a country that both exceeds the graduation threshold of the bank and is designated as a country of particular concern for religious freedom.
Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2021 This bill allows a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms. A qualified individual must (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid state-issued concealed carry permit, or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence.
Net Price Calculator Improvement Act This bill establishes requirements concerning the information that must be provided to prospective students about the cost of attendance at an institution of higher education (IHE). Specifically, the bill establishes the minimum requirements for the net price calculator that an IHE must include on its website. An IHE's net price is the average yearly price actually charged to first-time, full-time undergraduate students receiving student aid at the IHE after deducting such aid. The bill also authorizes the Department of Education to develop a universal net price calculator that enables users to answer one set of questions and receive net prices for several IHEs and compare those prices.
Health Care Prices Revealed and Information to Consumers Explained Transparency Act or the Health Care PRICE Transparency Act This bill provides statutory authority for requirements for hospitals and health insurance plans to disclose certain information about the costs for items and services. Specifically, hospitals must publish in their list of standard charges certain rates negotiated with insurers, discounts for cash payments, and billing codes. Further, hospitals generally must publish the standard charges for the services provided by the hospital that may be scheduled in advance. Additionally, insurance plans must publish the in-network and out-of-network charges for covered items and services and the negotiated prices for covered prescription drugs. Plans must provide a tool for consumers to search for this cost information. Consumers also may request additional information about the costs of specific items or services under their plans.
Understanding the True Cost of College Act of 2021 This bill requires standardized financial aid terminology and offer forms. Specifically, the Department of Education (ED) must develop standard terminology and a format for financial aid offer forms based on recommendations from representatives of certain groups, including students, veterans, and institutions of higher education (IHEs). The consumer-friendly form must include specified details and disclosures, including the estimated cost of attendance, the net price that a student or family is estimated to pay, and the terms and conditions of financial aid. In addition, ED must (1) test the form with representatives of students, students' families, IHEs, secondary school and postsecondary counselors, and nonprofit consumer groups; and (2) use the results to develop the final form. Each IHE that participates in federal student-aid programs must (1) use the standard form when offering financial aid to students, and (2) use the standard terminology and definitions developed by ED for all communications related to financial aid offers.
Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act of 2021 This bill expands lender disclosure requirements and revises loan counseling requirements. First, the bill requires a lender to provide a quarterly statement to a Federal Family Education Loan or Direct Loan borrower during a period when loan payments are not required. The statement must include specified information on the loan and interest amounts and explain the option to pay accrued interest while in deferment or forbearance. In addition, the bill requires an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student-aid programs to provide pre-loan counseling to a student borrower of a federal student loan upon or prior to the first disbursement of each new loan. Currently, an IHE must provide one-time entrance counseling to a student who is a first-time federal student loan borrower. The bill also revises and expands required elements of pre-loan counseling to include an estimate of the borrower's monthly payment amount compared to the borrower's estimated monthly income after taxes and other expenses, a statement to borrow the minimum necessary amount, a warning that a high debt-to-income ratio makes repayment more difficult, options to reduce borrowing, and an explanation of the importance of on-time graduation. Prior to certifying a Federal Direct Loan disbursement to a student, an IHE must ensure that the student manually enters the exact dollar amount of the loan.
Inventor Diversity for Economic Advancement Act of 2021 or the IDEA Act This bill requires the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to request demographic information from the inventor on each patent application submitted to the USPTO. Inventors shall not be required to provide the requested information, which shall include gender, race, and military or veteran status. The USPTO shall (1) publish an annual public report about the collected data, including the collected data broken down by the types of technology covered by the patent applications; and (2) make the underlying data publicly available.