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Military Medical Care: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report answers selected frequently-asked questions about military health care, including: 1) How is the Military Health System structured?, 2) What is TRICARE?, 3) What are the different TRICARE plans and who is eligible?, 4) What are the costs of military health care to beneficiaries?, 5) What is the relationship of TRICARE to Medicare?, 6) How does the Affordable Care Act affect TRICARE?, 7) When can beneficiaries change their TRICARE plan?, and 8) What is the Medicare Eligible Retiree H… more
Date: November 8, 2018
Creator: Mendez, Bryce H. P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Telehealth Services Proposed for Medicare Part B Reimbursements, 2018: Fact Sheet

Description: This report discusses telehealth services covered under Medicare and describes the five conditions that a telehealth service must meet to be covered and paid for under Medicare Part B, provides an overview of how the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) adds telehealth services to Medicare's reimbursable list, and includes a table listing the proposed telehealth services to be added to the CY2018 list for Medicare reimbursement.
Date: November 15, 2017
Creator: Elliott, Victoria L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Biologics and Biosimilars: Background and Key Issues

Description: This report discusses biologic and biosimilar medicines and their production and approval by the FDA. Recent legislation regarding FDA approval regulations and federal research and drug development are also discussed.
Date: October 27, 2017
Creator: Johnson, Judith A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

CRISPR Gene Editing Research in Embryos Generates Scientific and Ethics Debate

Description: This report discusses the results of a recent experiment on the use of gene modification for decreasing the chance of children having hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which was done through the use of CRISPR to modify the genes of human embryos at a private facility. Restrictions on the use of public funds for such studies, a brief explanation of the science, and ethical concerns are discussed.
Date: September 12, 2017
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.; Sarata, Amanda K. & Johnson, Judith A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Frequently Asked Questions About Prescription Drug Pricing and Policy

Description: This report will address frequently asked questions about government and private-sector policies that affect drug prices and availability. Among the prescription drug topics covered are federally funded research and development, regulation of direct-to-consumer advertising, legal restrictions on reimportation, and federal price negotiation. The report provides a broad overview of the issues as well as references to more in-depth CRS products. The appendixes provide references to relevant congre… more
Date: May 2, 2017
Creator: Kirchhoff, Suzanne M.; Johnson, Judith A. & Thaul, Susan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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FDA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS): Description and Effect on Generic Drug Development

Description: This report provides a brief history of FDA drug regulation, describes FDA's early risk management programs, and focuses on the agency's current risk management authorities, specifically risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS). The report also discusses issues that have arisen as a result of REMS, particularly the impact on generic drug competition. It does not discuss antitrust issues raised by restricted distribution systems.
Date: April 11, 2017
Creator: Dabrowska, Agata
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer

Description: This report discusses concerns about food safety, the resources required to ensure food safety, and whether federal food safety laws themselves, 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: December 16, 2016
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Orlando Shooting Revives Debate over Restricting Blood Donations by Gay Men

Description: This report discusses new FDA guidance regarding blood donations from sexually-active gay men. Since the 1980s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that men who have sex with men (MSM) be indefinitely deferred (i.e., permanently banned) from donating blood. This action was taken to help control the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through the blood supply.
Date: August 1, 2016
Creator: Redhead, C. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The FDA Medical Device User Fee Program: MDUFA IV Reauthorization

Description: This report describes current law regarding medical device user fees, the impact of Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act (MDUFMA) on Federal Drug Administration (FDA) review time of various medical device applications, and the agency's medical device program budget.
Date: June 6, 2016
Creator: Johnson, Judith A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Title X (Public Health Service Act) Family Planning Program

Description: This report discusses various issues regarding the Family Planning Program, Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Enacted in 1970, it is the only domestic federal program devoted solely to family planning and related preventive health services.
Date: March 15, 2016
Creator: Napili, Angela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Health Care for Veterans: Suicide Prevention

Description: This report focuses on suicide prevention activities of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VHA's approach to suicide prevention is based on a public health framework, which has three major components: (1) surveillance, (2) risk and protective factors, and (3) interventions.
Date: February 23, 2016
Creator: Bagalman, Erin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Veterans Health Administration and Medical Education: A Fact Sheet

Description: This report supplies facts about the Veterans Health Administration and its medical education. It describes the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its involvement in the medical training of health care professionals. The report also gives details on the VA's academic affiliations, its funding of physician training, and its ongoing graduate medical education (GME) expansion. Figure 1 on page 3 shows the amount the VA spent on education and training from FY2010 to FY2015.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Heisler, Elayne J. & Panangala, Sidath V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program: Overview and Impact of the Affordable Care Act

Description: This report discusses the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which makes federal funds available to metropolitan areas and states to that provide a number of health care services for HIV/AIDS patients.
Date: December 21, 2015
Creator: Johnson, Judith A. & Heisler, Elayne J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Title X (Public Health Service Act) Family Planning Program

Description: This report discusses various issues regarding the Family Planning Program, Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Enacted in 1970, it is the only domestic federal program devoted solely to family planning and related preventive health services.
Date: May 6, 2015
Creator: Napili, Angela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Measles: Background and Federal Role in Vaccine Policy

Description: This report presents basic information about measles, its history in the United States, available treatments to prevent individuals from contracting measles, and the federal role in combating measles--from funding, to research, to the authority of the federal government in requiring mandatory childhood vaccinations.
Date: February 9, 2015
Creator: Barry, Matthew B. & Cole, Jared P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Health Care for Veterans: Suicide Prevention

Description: This report focuses on suicide prevention activities of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VHA's approach to suicide prevention is based on a public health framework, which has three major components: (1) surveillance, (2) risk and protective factors, and (3) interventions.
Date: January 30, 2015
Creator: Bagalman, Erin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Regulation of Clinical Tests: In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Devices, Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs), and Genetic Tests

Description: In vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices are used in the analysis of human samples, such as blood or tissue, to provide information in making health care decisions. Examples of IVDs include pregnancy test kits or blood glucose tests for home use; laboratory tests for infectious disease, such as HIV or hepatitis, and routine blood tests, such as cholesterol and anemia; and tests for various genetic diseases or conditions. More recently, a specific type of diagnostic test--called a companion diagnostic… more
Date: December 17, 2014
Creator: Sarata, Amanda K. & Johnson, Judith A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Hospital-Based Emergency Departments: Background and Policy Considerations

Description: This report describes Emergency departments (EDs), the role they play in the health care delivery system, and current federal involvement in supporting EDs. It then discusses the causes and consequences of three commonly identified and interrelated challenges that EDs face: (1) crowding, (2) providing repeat care to a subset of patients who are frequent users, and (3) providing care to a large population who have behavioral health conditions when an ED lacks the appropriate resources to provide… more
Date: December 8, 2014
Creator: Heisler, Elayne J. & Tyler, Nancy Leigh
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Veterans Affairs: Presumptive Service Connection and Disability Compensation

Description: This report discusses presumptive service connection, its legislative history, and current challenges in making evidence-based determinations of presumptions. It also discusses the Agent Orange Act (P.L. 102-4) and suggests implications of the process established by the act for future presumptive service-connected determinations.
Date: November 18, 2014
Creator: Panangala, Sidath Viranga; Shedd, Daniel T. & Moulta-Ali, Umar
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Title X (Public Health Service Act) Family Planning Program

Description: This report looks at several bills addressing the Family Planning Program (Title X of the Public Health Service Act) which have been introduced in the 112th Congress, including: funding for abortion-providing entities, elimination of the program, and prohibitions on government spending for the program.
Date: September 3, 2014
Creator: Napili, Angela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The 2014 Ebola Outbreak: International and U.S. Responses

Description: This report discusses the Ebola virus disease (Ebola or EVD), which is a severe, often fatal disease that was first detected near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1976.
Date: August 26, 2014
Creator: Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration Policies and Issues on Health-Related Grounds for Exclusion

Description: This report discusses the criteria that foreign nationals must meet before admission to the United States, specifically examining the health-related grounds for exclusion. It provides this information in the context of recent outbreaks of communicable diseases abroad such as Ebola in West Africa, avian influenza in China, polio in the middle east, and dengue fever in the Caribbean.
Date: August 13, 2014
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Safe at Home? Letting Ebola-Stricken Americans Return

Description: This report examines the U.S. practice of isolation and quarantine for citizens arriving in the country who have been infected with or exposed to a dangerous communicable disease. The report frames this information in the context of the two American healthcare workers who were brought back into the U.S. for treatment after contracting the Ebola virus in West Africa in the Summer of 2014.
Date: August 5, 2014
Creator: Lister, Sarah A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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