Several bills concerning national health care issues have been introduced into Congress and are now in committee for further debate.

H.R. 855 would amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize medical simulation enhancement programs--research, evaluations, initiatives for deployment of medical simulation technologies and equipment into medical, nursing, allied health, podiatric, osteopathic, and dental education and training protocols. Because many educational institutions and health care providers--particularly in urban and rural settings--have difficulty acquiring medical simulation technology, the bill offers financial assistance through Federal grants to help these entities to acquire medical simulation technology and incorporate it into their training protocols.

Doctor Shortage

H.R. 916 is a bill to amend the Public Health Service act, acknowledging and addressing the extreme shortage of doctors in the public health field. The bill provides grants for the training of graduate medical residents in preventive medicine and public health. This includes grants for the planning, development, and operation of residency programs for preventive medicine or public health such as financial assistance (including tuition and stipends) to resident physicians (MD or DO) who plan to specialize in those areas; the grants may also defray the costs associated with developing curriculums to be used in such programs, and the costs of practicum experiences.

H.R. 847 would amend the Public Health Service Act to extend and improve protections and services to individuals directly impacted by the terrorist attack in New York City on September 11, 2001.

All of the above bills have been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Veterans Health

S. 252 is the Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009, which, among other provisions, directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a plan to improve the provision of health care services to women veterans; and to plan appropriately for the future health care needs. In addition, the bill provides for any member of the Armed Forces who serves on active duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom to be eligible for readjustment counseling and related mental health services, through the Readjustment Counseling Service of the Veterans Health Administration, regardless of current active duty status. This bill has been referred to the Senate's Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Information from the Library of Congress' THOMAS site: http://thomas.loc.gov/

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