Congressional Research Service Reports - 21 Matching Results

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Ebola: Selected Legal Issues

Description: Several West African countries are currently grappling with an unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD). Here in the United States, where Ebola is not endemic, a handful of EVD cases have been diagnosed, and domestic transmission of the virus has occurred in only two cases to date. This report provides a brief overview of selected legal issues regarding measures to prevent transmission of Ebola virus and the civil rights of individuals affected by the disease.
Date: December 16, 2014
Creator: Cole, Jared P.; Perry, Rodney M.; Dolan, Alissa M.; Shimabukuro, Jon O.; Garcia, Michael J.; Smith, Jane M. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare: Insolvency Projections

Description: This report focuses on the two separate trust funds that fund Medicare, the Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund and Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) trust fund. Almost from its inception, the HI trust fund has faced a projected shortfall and eventual insolvency. Because of the way it is financed, the SMI trust fund cannot become insolvent; however, the Medicare Trustees continue to express concerns about the rapid growth in SMI costs.
Date: August 16, 2017
Creator: Davis, Patricia A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overview of Health Care Changes in the FY2015 House Budget

Description: This report summarizes the proposed changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance as described in H.Con.Res. 96 and accompanying documents, including the committee report and Chairman Ryan's Path to Prosperity report.
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: Davis, Patricia A.; Mitchell, Alison & Fernandez, Bernadette
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Private Health Insurance Provisions of S. 1796, America's Healthy Future Act of 2009

Description: This report summarizes key provisions affecting private health insurance in S. 1796, America's Healthy Future Act of 2009, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Finance on October 19, 2009.
Date: November 16, 2009
Creator: Fernandez, Bernadette; Chaikind, Hinda; Peterson, Chris L.; Newsom, Mark & Mulvey, Janemarie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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How Medicaid Works - Program Basics

Description: Medicaid is a means-tested entitlement program that has been in existence for over 35 years. It provides primary and acute care as well as long-term care to over 50 million Americans at a cost to federal and state governments of approximately $276.1 billion in FY2003. Of all federally supported social programs, only Medicare comes close to this level of spending, and only Social Security costs more.
Date: March 16, 2005
Creator: Herz, Elicia J.; Hearne, Jean P.; Stone-Axelrad, Julie; Tritz, Karen; Baumrucker, Evelyne P.; Scott, Christine et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Government Spending on Health Care Benefits and Programs: A Data Brief

Description: In a country where health spending accounts for more than 16% of gross domestic product (GDP), health care costs and spending are often described as a problem for consumers and their families; for employers that provide (or seek to provide) health benefits; and for government, which finances a mix of health care services, health research and training, and health safety programs. To describe government spending on health care benefits and programs, this report presents data from the Office of Ma… more
Date: June 16, 2008
Creator: Jenson, Jennifer
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Food Safety in the 111th Congress: H.R. 2749 and S. 510

Description: This report discusses whether the current food safety system has the resources, authority, and structural organization to safeguard the health of American consumers, who spend more than $1 trillion on food each year. Also at issue is whether federal food safety laws, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Renée; Lister, Sarah A.; Williams, Erin D. & Burrows, Vanessa K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Cost of Prescription Drugs for the Uninsured Elderly and Legislative Approaches

Description: The purpose of this report is to explain why many of those who are least able to afford high drug costs are those who are most frequently charged the most. This report describes the basic economic theory underlying price differentiation and, in the context of the pharmaceutical market, analyzes the role and behavior of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), pharmaceutical manufacturers, and retail pharmacies, respectively. It also looks at a number of the criticisms that have been made of the practi… more
Date: January 16, 2001
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. Resources, Science, and Industry Division.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Public Health and Medical Preparedness and Response: Issues in the 110th Congress

Description: The 2001 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and concerns about an influenza ("flu") pandemic have sharpened congressional interest in the nation's systems to track and respond to public health threats. The 109th Congress passed laws that reauthorized public health and medical preparedness and response programs in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and reorganized parts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the establishment of an Office of Health Affairs (OH… more
Date: June 16, 2008
Creator: Lister, Sarah A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 2009 Influenza Pandemic: An Overview

Description: This report provides a synopsis of key events in the H1N1 pandemic response, followed by information about selected federal emergency management authorities and actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Health and Human Services (HHS), and state and local authorities.
Date: November 16, 2009
Creator: Lister, Sarah A. & Redhead, C. Stephen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A Comparative Analysis of Private Health Insurance Provisions of H.R. 3962 and S.Amdt. 2786 to H.R. 3590

Description: This report compares many of the private health insurance provisions of H.R. 3962 and the Senate Amendment. For each of the major private health insurance reforms, the report first gives a narrative description of the context and current law, then describes where H.R. 3962 and the Senate Amendment make similar reforms and how their approaches differ.
Date: December 16, 2009
Creator: Peterson, Chris L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Abortion: Judicial History and Legislative Response

Description: This report discusses the judicial history of abortion and how legislatures respond to those decisions made by the court. The report tackles landmark cases such as Roe v. Wade as well as companion decisions such as Doe v. Bolton. The report highlights specifically how Congress has attempted to enact legislation that limits abortion practices.
Date: September 16, 2015
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Requiring Individuals to Obtain Health Insurance: A Constitutional Analysis

Description: This report first analyzes the authority of Congress to enact the minimum essential coverage requirement contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), as well as how a court might analyze this provision if challenged based on various provisions of the Fifth and Tenth Amendments. This report discusses whether there must be exceptions to a requirement to purchase health insurance based on First Amendment freedom of religion, and finally, discusses some of the legal challeng… more
Date: December 16, 2010
Creator: Staman, Jennifer; Brougher, Cynthia; Liu, Edward C.; Lunder, Erika K. & Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal and State Quarantine and Isolation Authority

Description: This report provides an overview of federal and state public health laws as they relate to the quarantine and isolation of individuals, a discussion of constitutional issues that may be raised should individual liberties be restricted in a quarantine situation, and federalism questions that may arise where federal and state authorities overlap. In addition, the possible role of the armed forces in enforcing public health measures is discussed, specifically whether the Posse Comitatus Act would … more
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Swendiman, Kathleen S. & Elsea, Jennifer K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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