Skip to main content
HR 4138 111th Congress House Health Administrative law and regulatory procedures Civil actions and liability Department of Health and Human Services Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation Government trust funds Health care quality Health information and medical records Health personnel Intellectual property Judicial procedure and administration Legal fees and court costs Licensing and registrations Medicare

Medicare SGR Improvement and Reform Act of 2009

Introduced: November 19, 2009 See on congress.gov
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
 Everywhere this bill has been 6 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 1, 2009
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Nov 19, 2009
Referred to House Judiciary
Nov 19, 2009
Referred to House Ways and Means
Nov 19, 2009
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, 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.
Nov 19, 2009
Referred to House Energy and Commerce
Nov 19, 2009
Introduced in House
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Medicare SGR Improvement and Reform Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide an increased annual update for the Sustainable Growth Mechanism (SGR) formula for determining rates in the fee schedule for Medicare physician payments.

Sets a three-year time limit for the commencement of a health care lawsuit.

Prescribes requirements for: (1) unlimited damages for a claimant's actual economic losses in health care lawsuits; (2) court supervision of arrangements for payment of such damages, including limitation of contingent attorney fees; (3) restrictions on punitive damages; and (4) payment of future damages to claimants in health care suits.

Terminates funding of the Medicare Improvement Fund as of January 1, 2010.

Amends the Public Health Service Act to prescribe requirements for the licensure of biological products as biosimilar or interchangeable.

Includes under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act fees relating to the licensure of a biological product.

Amends patent law with respect to biosimilar products.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to adopt a single set of consensus-based operating rules for each health information transaction.

What's happening now December 1, 2009

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
 Cosponsors 7
All 7 Republican 7