[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6076 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6076

  To require the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
   Administration to establish a program for the medical monitoring, 
    diagnosis, and treatment of astronauts, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2016

  Mr. Babin (for himself, Ms. Edwards, Mr. Smith of Texas, Ms. Eddie 
Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Posey, Mr. Bridenstine, and Mr. Abraham) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                     Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
   Administration to establish a program for the medical monitoring, 
    diagnosis, and treatment of astronauts, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``To Research, Evaluate, Assess, and 
Treat Astronauts Act'' or the ``TREAT Astronauts Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of NASA.
            (2) Crewmember.--The term ``crewmember'' means an 
        individual certified by the Administrator to be--
                    (A) a former NASA astronaut or payload specialist 
                who has flown on at least one orbital space mission; or
                    (B) a management NASA astronaut who has flown on at 
                least one orbital space mission and is currently 
                employed by the Federal Government.
            (3) NASA.--The term ``NASA'' means the National Aeronautics 
        and Space Administration.
            (4) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the medical 
        monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment program established under 
        section 3.
            (5) Space flight-associated medical condition.--The term 
        ``space flight-associated medical condition'' means--
                    (A) for purposes of medical monitoring or diagnosis 
                under the Program, a psychological or medical condition 
                that the Administrator determines is potentially 
                associated with human space flight; and
                    (B) for purposes of medical treatment under the 
                Program, a psychological or medical condition that the 
                Administrator determines is associated with human space 
                flight.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM FOR THE MEDICAL MONITORING, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT OF 
              ASTRONAUTS.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--The Administrator shall, subject to 
section 6 and subsections (a)(2) and (b)(3) of section 4, establish a 
program that satisfies the requirements described in subsection (b) to 
provide for the medical monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment of 
crewmembers for space flight-associated medical conditions.
    (b) Program Requirements.--The requirements described in this 
subsection are the following:
            (1) No cost sharing.--Medical monitoring, diagnosis, and 
        treatment shall be provided under the Program without any 
        deductibles, copayments, or other cost sharing obligation for 
        crewmembers participating in the Program.
            (2) Access to local services.--The Administrator shall 
        design the Program to facilitate reasonable access of a 
        crewmember to medical monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment 
        under the Program, including, at the option of the crewmember--
                    (A) directly through NASA; or
                    (B) from a health care provider who the crewmember 
                selects and who enters into an agreement with the 
                Administrator, with respect to the provision by the 
                provider of medical monitoring, diagnosis, and 
                treatment services, as applicable, to such crewmember 
                under the Program, under which--
                            (i) the provider agrees to comply with the 
                        protocols issued under subsection (c) with 
                        respect to such provision of such services to 
                        such crewmember;
                            (ii) the provider agrees to submit data 
                        with respect to such provision of such services 
                        to such crewmember, as required by the 
                        Administrator for purposes of subsection (d);
                            (iii) the provider agrees to receive such 
                        training as the Administrator may require with 
                        respect to such medical monitoring, treatment, 
                        and diagnosis; and
                            (iv) the Administrator agrees to provide 
                        payment to such provider for the provision of 
                        such services to such crewmember in accordance 
                        with payment rates established by the 
                        Administrator under the Program, which shall be 
                        not less than the reasonable costs of such 
                        services.
            (3) Secondary payer.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), 
                payment or reimbursement for (or the provision of) 
                medical monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment under the 
                Program shall be secondary to any obligation of the 
                United States or any third party (including any State 
                or local governmental entity, private insurance 
                carrier, or employer) under any other provision of law 
                or contractual agreement to pay for or provide such 
                medical monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment. Any costs 
                for items and services covered under the Program that 
                are not paid for or provided under such other provision 
                of law or contractual agreement, due to the application 
                of deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, other cost 
                sharing, or otherwise, are reimbursable under the 
                Program to the extent that they are covered under the 
                Program.
                    (B) Conditional payment.--The Administrator may, 
                under the Program, provide for conditional payments for 
                (or provide) medical monitoring, diagnosis, or 
                treatment services that is obliged to be paid for or 
                provided by the United States or any third party 
                described in subparagraph (A) under any other provision 
                of law or contractual agreement if--
                            (i) payment for (or the provision of) such 
                        medical monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment 
                        services has not been made (or provided) or 
                        cannot reasonably be expected to be made (or 
                        provided) promptly by the United States or such 
                        third party, respectively; and
                            (ii) such payment (or such provision of 
                        services) by the Administrator under the 
                        Program is conditioned on reimbursement by the 
                        United States or such third party, 
                        respectively, for such medical monitoring, 
                        diagnosis, or treatment.
                    (C) Consultation.--In carrying out this paragraph, 
                the Administrator may consult with other Federal 
                officials with experience coordinating health care 
                payments with third-party payers.
            (4) Voluntary participation in program.--
                    (A) In general.--Participation by a crewmember 
                under the Program, including with respect to the 
                provision of medical monitoring, diagnosis, and 
                treatment to such crewmember, shall be voluntary and 
                pursuant to the written consent of such crewmember. 
                Such consent provided by a crewmember shall constitute 
                consent of the crewmember for the Administrator to use 
                or disclose data acquired in the course of medical 
                monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment of such crewmember 
                under the Program in accordance with subsection (d).
                    (B) Consent not a condition for employment or 
                benefits.--Providing any consent under subparagraph (A) 
                shall not be a condition for--
                            (i) employment with NASA; or
                            (ii) receiving any salary or benefits, 
                        either for current or former crewmembers.
                For purposes of clause (ii), medical monitoring, 
                diagnosis, and treatment under the Program shall not be 
                considered a benefit.
    (c) Protocols.--The Administrator shall issue such uniform 
protocols for the provision of medical monitoring, diagnosis, and 
treatment furnished under the Program.
    (d) Data Collection, Usage, and Disclosures; Privacy Protections.--
            (1) Uniform data collection.--Under the Program, subject to 
        paragraph (3), the Administrator shall provide--
                    (A) for the uniform collection of data, including 
                data on space flight-associated medical conditions and 
                the identification of new space flight-associated 
                conditions;
                    (B) that such data shall be collected with respect 
                to all crewmembers provided medical monitoring, 
                diagnosis, or treatment under the Program for such 
                conditions;
                    (C) for the integration of such data into the 
                medical monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment activities 
                under the Program;
                    (D) for the analysis of, and regular reports to the 
                Administrator on, such data; and
                    (E) notwithstanding section 7(a), that the 
                Administrator may retain access to such data.
            (2) Uses and disclosures of information.--The Administrator 
        may, subject to paragraph (3), use or disclose data acquired in 
        the course of medical monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment of 
        any crewmember under the Program for the following purposes:
                    (A) The medical monitoring, diagnosis, and 
                treatment of such crewmember under the Program.
                    (B) Other medical monitoring, diagnosis, or 
                treatment under the Program.
                    (C) Other scientific and research purposes.
                    (D) For purposes of analysis and reports under 
                section 4.
                    (E) Any other purpose deemed appropriate by the 
                Administrator.
            (3) Privacy protections.--The data collection, analysis, 
        integration, use, disclosure, and retention under this 
        subsection shall be conducted (and such data maintained) in a 
        manner that protects the confidentiality of individually 
        identifiable health information consistent with applicable 
        Federal law, including regulations.

SEC. 4. REPORTS AND COST ESTIMATE.

    (a) Annual Reports.--
            (1) Requirement.--Consistent with applicable privacy 
        protections under Federal law, including regulations, for each 
        fiscal year of the Program, the Administrator shall prepare and 
        publish a report on activities conducted under the Program, as 
        well as plans for activities to be conducted under the Program 
        during the subsequent fiscal year. Each such report shall 
        include detailed cost accounting of such activities and five-
        year budget estimates. Each report for a fiscal year shall be 
        submitted, not later than the date of submission of the 
        President's annual budget request for such fiscal year, to the 
        Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate.
            (2) Failure to submit report.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), no 
                funds are authorized to be appropriated for a fiscal 
                year to carry out the Program unless the Administrator 
                has submitted the report required under paragraph (1) 
                for that fiscal year by the deadline established under 
                such paragraph.
                    (B) Treatment of ongoing procedures.--In the case 
                of a fiscal year (after the first fiscal year for which 
                the Program has been implemented) with respect to which 
                no funds would be authorized to carry out the Program 
                pursuant to subparagraph (A), notwithstanding 
                subparagraph (A), there are authorized to be 
                appropriated, subject to section 6, for such fiscal 
                year such sums as may be necessary to provide that any 
                crewmember receiving under the Program diagnosis 
                services or a course of treatment that began on a date 
                prior to the first day of such fiscal year shall 
                continue to be provided such diagnosis services or 
                course of treatment, respectively (and payment under 
                the Program for such diagnosis services or course of 
                treatment, respectively, shall continue) after such 
                date until completion of such diagnosis services or 
                course of treatment, respectively.
    (b) Cost Estimate.--
            (1) Requirement.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall enter into an 
        arrangement with an independent external organization to 
        undertake an independent cost estimate of the cost to NASA and 
        the Federal Government to implement and administer the Program. 
        The independent external organization may not be a NASA entity, 
        such as the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance.
            (2) Submittal to congress.--Not later than one year after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
        submit the independent cost estimate undertaken pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
        Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
        Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
            (3) Provision of services.--The Administrator may not 
        implement the Program until the date that is 90 days after the 
        date of submission of the independent cost estimate under 
        paragraph (2).

SEC. 5. INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDIT.

    The Inspector General of NASA shall conduct, as appropriate, 
periodic audits or reviews of the Program as is necessary to prevent 
waste, fraud, and abuse.

SEC. 6. FUNDING.

    The Program shall be carried out, to the extent and in such amounts 
as are provided in advance by appropriation Acts, using existing 
funding available for Agency Management and Operations in the ``Safety, 
Security and Mission Services'' account of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration.

SEC. 7. SUNSET.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), the Program shall 
terminate on the date that is 10 years after the date of implementation 
of the Program.
    (b) Grandfather.--In the case of a crewmember receiving under the 
Program diagnosis services or treatment services that began on a date 
prior to the date of termination described in subsection (a), the 
Administrator shall provide that such diagnosis services or course of 
treatment, respectively, for such crewmember (and payment for such 
diagnosis services or course of treatment, respectively) may, subject 
to section 6, continue after such date until completion of such 
diagnosis services or course of treatment, respectively.
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