Advance Directives Improvement and Education Act of 2005

To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act and title III of the Public Health Service Act to improve access to information about individuals' health care options and legal rights for care near the end of life, to promote advance care planning and decisionmaking so that individuals' wishes are known should they become unable to speak for themselves, to engage health care providers in disseminating information about and assisting in the preparation of advance directives, which include living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care, and for other purposes.

5/3/2005--Introduced.
Advance Directives Improvement and Education Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to provide for Medicare coverage of end-of-life planning consultations. Requires a service provider, Medicare Advantage organization, or prepaid or eligible organization to give effect to an advance directive executed outside the State in which it is presented, even one that does not appear to meet the formalities of execution, form, or language required by the State in which it is presented, to the same extent as such provider or organization would give effect to an advanced directive that meets such requirements. Permits a provider or organization to decline to honor such a directive if it can be reasonably demonstrated that it is not an authentic expression of the individual's wishes. Makes such advance directive requirements applicable under Medicaid, title XIX of the Social Security Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to conduct a national public education campaign to raise public awareness of the importance of planning for care near the end of life, and specified related issues.
Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a national, toll-free, information clearinghouse as well as clearinghouses that the public may access to find out about State-specific information regarding advance directive and end-of-life decisions.
Requires General Accounting Office studies and reports on end-of-life planning issues.


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Sponsor

• Rep. Sander Levin [D, MI-12]
• and 33 Co-Sponsors
  • Rep. Neil Abercrombie [D, HI-1]
  • Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D, MD]
  • Ed Case
  • Rep. Michael Castle [R, DE-0]
  • Rep. Emanuel Cleaver [D, MO-5]
  • Rep. Elijah Cummings [D, MD-7]
  • Rep. Danny Davis [D, IL-7]
  • Rep. William Delahunt [D, MA-10]
  • Rep. Rosa DeLauro [D, CT-3]
  • Rep. Eliot Engel [D, NY-17]
  • Rep. Sam Farr [D, CA-17]
  • Rep. Charles Gonzalez [D, TX-20]
  • Rep. Raul Grijalva [D, AZ-7]
  • Rep. Maurice Hinchey [D, NY-22]
  • Rep. Tim Holden [D, PA-17]
  • Rep. Dale Kildee [D, MI-5]
  • Rep. Ronald Kind [D, WI-3]
  • Rep. Dennis Kucinich [D, OH-10]
  • Rep. John Lewis [D, GA-5]
  • Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D, NY-14]
  • Rep. Carolyn McCarthy [D, NY-4]
  • Rep. James McDermott [D, WA-7]
  • Rep. Michael McNulty [D, NY-21]
  • Rep. Kendrick Meek [D, FL-17]
  • Rep. George Miller [D, CA-7]
  • Rep. Dennis Moore [D, KS-3]
  • Major Owens
  • Rep. Mike Ross [D, AR-4]
  • Rep. Louise Slaughter [D, NY-28]
  • Rep. Victor Snyder [D, AR-2]
  • Rep. Mark Udall [D, CO-2]
  • Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz [D, FL-20]
  • Rep. Henry Waxman [D, CA-30]
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Committees

• House Energy and Commerce
• 3 more
  • House Energy and Commerce
  • House Ways and Means
  • House Ways and Means
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Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to H.R.2058

Number	Status	Purpose

Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by House		Voted on by Senate		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
May 03, 2005

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All Bill Actions

• May 23, 2005: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
• May 16, 2005: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
• Introduced on May 03, 2005.
• May 03, 2005: Referred to House Ways and Means

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Related Issue Areas:

• Health policy
• Administrative procedure
• Aged
• Budgets
• 34 more
• Civil liberties
• Coinsurance
• Congress
• Congressional investigations
• Congressional reporting requirements
• Data banks
• Federal aid to health facilities
• Federal preemption
• Finance
• Government information
• Government publicity
• Grants-in-aid
• Health counseling
• Health education
• Health maintenance organizations
• Law
• Legislation
• Living wills
• Managed care
• Medicaid
• Medical care
• Medical fees
• Medical records
• Medicare
• Medicine
• Pain
• Physicians
• Power of attorney
• Right of privacy
• State and local government
• State laws
• Technology
• Terminal care
• Welfare

Data from the Congressional Research Service

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