Request for Public Comment; Public Meetings in Calendar Years 2005 and 2006; Economic Impact of Federal Health Care Regulations, 72302-72303 [05-23582]

Download as PDF 72302 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 231 / Friday, December 2, 2005 / Notices leasehold acquisitions. This collection requires contractors to submit information to the Government to substantiate an increase or decrease in real estate taxes under a leasehold acquisition so that the Government can make tax adjustments as necessary to the leasehold acquisition. Information collected under this authority is necessary to assess proper tax adjustments against each leasehold acquisition. The clearance currently expires on April 30, 2006. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. DATES: Comment Due Date: January 31, 2006. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gerald Zaffos, Contract Policy Division, GSA (202) 208–6091. ADDRESSES: Submit comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to the Regulatory Secretariat (VIR), General Services Administration, Room 4035, 1800 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20405. Please cite OMB Control No. 3090–0280, Tax Adjustment Clause 552.270–30, in all correspondence. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A. Purpose The General Services Administration (GSA) has various mission responsibilities related to the acquisition and provision supply, service, and leasehold acquisitions. These mission responsibilities generate requirements that are realized through the solicitation and award of various types of contracts. Individual solicitations and resulting contracts may impose unique information collection and reporting requirements on contractors, not required by regulation, but necessary to evaluate particular program accomplishments, measure success in meeting program objectives, or adjust acquisition requirements. Leasehold acquisitions provide for real estate tax adjustments due to changes in real estate taxes on land and buildings VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:11 Dec 01, 2005 Jkt 205001 occupied by the Government. In a leasehold acquisition, the lessor shall provide the following information regarding real estate taxes: (1) Any notice which may affect the valuation of land and buildings covered by this lease for real estate tax purposes; (2) Any notice of a tax credit or tax refund related to land and buildings covered by this lease; and (3) Each tax bill related to land and building covered by this lease. The lessor is also required to provide the contracting officer a proper invoice including evidence of payment to receive the tax adjustment. Depending on the leasehold acquisition, the tax adjustment can result in either the lessor receiving a credit or the Government receiving a credit. B. Annual Reporting Burden Respondents: 7041. Responses Per Respondent: 1. Total Responses: 7041. Hours Per Response: 6. Total Burden Hours: 42,246. OBTAINING COPIES OF PROPOSALS: Requesters may obtain a copy of the information collection documents from the General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat (VIR), 1800 F Street, NW., Room 4035, Washington, DC 20405, telephone (202) 208–7312. Please cite OMB Control No. 3090–0280, Tax Adjustment Clause 552.270–30, in all correspondence. Dated: November 28, 2005. Gerald Zaffos, Director, Contract Policy Division. [FR Doc. E5–6738 Filed 12–1–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6820–61–S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Request for Public Comment; Public Meetings in Calendar Years 2005 and 2006; Economic Impact of Federal Health Care Regulations Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: SUMMARY: This notice announces the dates and locations of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Town Hall meetings to be held in calendar years 2005 and 2006 to solicit public comment on quantifying the economic impact of major Federal regulations governing the health care industry. These public meetings provide a forum for interested parties to make oral presentations and/ or to submit written comments about PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 the impact of regulations. In particular, commenters are requested to provide an estimate of the economic impact of Federal health care regulations, guidance documents, or paperwork requirements, and also to describe the methods used to calculate the economic impact of the regulations. The Town Hall meetings will be held in several cities across the country to provide an opportunity for input. In addition, individuals may also submit written comments for consideration regardless of their ability to attend the Town Hall meetings. DATES: Meeting Dates: The first Town Hall meeting was held on November 3, 2005, in Washington, DC. The remaining meetings will be held on December 8, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois; January 12, 2006 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and February 2, 2006 in San Francisco, California. Information about the Town Hall meetings and registration procedures are available on the Web site https://aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml. Each meeting day will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. (in the respective cities’ time zones). On-site registration and sign-up for public comments will open one hour before each meeting. Participants are encouraged to preregister for the meetings (see below for registration information). ADDRESSES: The December 8, 2005 Town Hall meeting will be held at: Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel Chicago, 163 East Walton Place @ North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: 312–751–8100. Fax: 312– 751–9205. The January 12, 2006 Town Hall meeting will be held at: The Sheraton Oklahoma City, One North Broadway, Oklahoma City, OK 73102. Telephone: 405–235–2780. Fax: 405–232–4782. The February 2, 2006 Town Hall meeting will be held at: Hilton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf, 2620 Jones Street, San Francisco, CA 94133. Telephone: 415–885–4700. Fax: 415– 771–8945. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marty McGeein, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20201. Telephone: (202) 690–6443. Web site: Additional details regarding the Town Hall meeting process for public comments on the economic impact of Federal health care regulations, along with information on how to register and guidelines for an effective presentation and/or electronic comment submission, can be found on the project Web site at: https:// aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml. E:\FR\FM\02DEN1.SGM 02DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 231 / Friday, December 2, 2005 / Notices SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background House Appropriations Committee Report 108–636 includes a provision for the Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (HHS/ASPE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish an interagency committee, to be coordinated by HHS. The committee’s role is to examine major Federal regulations governing the health care industry and to make suggestions regarding how health care regulation could be coordinated and simplified to reduce costs and burdens and improve translation of biomedical research into medical practice, while continuing to protect patients. The interagency committee will examine the economic impact of the major Federal regulations governing the health care industry, and will explore both immediate steps and longer-term proposals for reducing regulatory burden, while maintaining the highest quality health care and other patient protections. In accord with the House Appropriations Committee’s intent, ASPE and OMB have undertaken several complementary activities. The HHS/OMB interagency committee is conducting a comprehensive review of Federal health care regulations, guidance, and paperwork requirements in order to identify areas for reform. In order to facilitate the work of this committee, ASPE and OMB are soliciting public nominations of regulatory reforms in several ways. First, we published a notice in the Federal Register on October 4, 2005, soliciting public nominations of reforms. Second, we are holding a series of Town Hall meetings in several cities across the country to provide an opportunity for input from health care administrators, institutional providers, physicians, practitioners, patients, and others about the impact of regulations, and to identify other potential areas for reform. The purpose of this Federal Register notice is to give potential participants in these Town Hall meetings more information regarding how their participation and the information they provide can facilitate the consideration of their suggestions for regulatory reform. In particular, participants in the Town Hall meetings and individuals who submit written comments are requested to provide, to the extent feasible, an estimate of the economic impact of health care regulations, guidance documents, or paperwork requirements, and also to describe the methods used to calculate the economic VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:11 Dec 01, 2005 Jkt 205001 impact of the regulations. The findings from the Town Hall meetings, other reform nominations and comments from the public, and the subsequent work of the HHS/OMB committee will be synthesized and included in a report to Congress. II. Registration Registration Procedures: Registration can be completed online at https:// aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml. To register by telephone, contact Bridgette Saunders of Social and Scientific Systems at (301) 628–3158. (Social and Scientific Systems is the Contractor to HHS/ASPE to provide logistical support for the Town Hall meetings.) The following information must be provided when registering: Name, organization name and address, and consent to publish contact information on a participants list and other reports to document the Town Hall Meeting. A Social & Scientific Systems, Inc. staff member will confirm your registration by mail, e-mail, or fax. 72303 to delays in receiving U.S. Postal Mail. We are able to consider only those comments received in writing and/or via e-mail by 5 p.m. EST on February 9, 2006. IV. Special Accommodations Individuals attending a meeting who are hearing- or visually-impaired and have special requirements, or a condition that requires special assistance or accommodations, must provide this information when registering for the meeting and accommodations will be made. Dated: November 29, 2005. Donald Young, Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), HHS. John D. Graham, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), OMB. [FR Doc. 05–23582 Filed 12–1–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4150–05–P III. Presentations and Comment Format DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES A. ‘‘5-Minute’’ Public Comment Presentations Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Meeting attendees can sign up at the meeting, on a first-come, first-served basis, to make 5-minute presentations. We ask that commenters focus on the economic impacts of health care regulations, and quantify these impacts to the extent possible. Depending on the number of persons who sign up to make public comments, we will decide whether additional time will be allotted. In order to offer the same opportunity to all attendees, there is no pre-registration for 5-minute speakers. Attendees can sign up only on the day of the meeting to make a 5-minute presentation. They must provide their name, title, and organization name on the sign-up sheet, and identify the general area of health care regulation that they will address. [Document Identifier: CMS–10001, CMS– 10009, CMS–10167, and CMS–10062] B. Written Comments From Meeting Attendees Written comments are welcome from the public regardless of attendance at a Town Hall Meeting or whether they make an oral presentation at a Town Hall Meeting. Written comments can be submitted either at the meeting, or before or after the meeting via e-mail to the mailboxes specified on the project Web site: https://aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/ index.shtml or via regular mail to Marty McGeein, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20201. Please note that electronic submissions are preferred due PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing the following summary of proposed collections for public comment. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including any of the following subjects: (1) The necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency’s functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden. 1. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently approved collection; Title of Information Collection: HIPAA Nondiscrimination Provisions (Regulation HCFA 2022–IFC); Form AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\02DEN1.SGM 02DEN1

Agencies

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 231 (Friday, December 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72302-72303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23582]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Request for Public Comment; Public Meetings in Calendar Years 
2005 and 2006; Economic Impact of Federal Health Care Regulations

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces the dates and locations of the 
Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Town Hall meetings to be 
held in calendar years 2005 and 2006 to solicit public comment on 
quantifying the economic impact of major Federal regulations governing 
the health care industry. These public meetings provide a forum for 
interested parties to make oral presentations and/or to submit written 
comments about the impact of regulations. In particular, commenters are 
requested to provide an estimate of the economic impact of Federal 
health care regulations, guidance documents, or paperwork requirements, 
and also to describe the methods used to calculate the economic impact 
of the regulations. The Town Hall meetings will be held in several 
cities across the country to provide an opportunity for input. In 
addition, individuals may also submit written comments for 
consideration regardless of their ability to attend the Town Hall 
meetings.

DATES: Meeting Dates: The first Town Hall meeting was held on November 
3, 2005, in Washington, DC. The remaining meetings will be held on 
December 8, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois; January 12, 2006 in Oklahoma 
City, Oklahoma; and February 2, 2006 in San Francisco, California. 
Information about the Town Hall meetings and registration procedures 
are available on the Web site https://aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml.
    Each meeting day will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. (in the 
respective cities' time zones). On-site registration and sign-up for 
public comments will open one hour before each meeting. Participants 
are encouraged to pre-register for the meetings (see below for 
registration information).

ADDRESSES: The December 8, 2005 Town Hall meeting will be held at: 
Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel Chicago, 163 East Walton Place @ North 
Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: 312-751-8100. Fax: 312-
751-9205.
    The January 12, 2006 Town Hall meeting will be held at: The 
Sheraton Oklahoma City, One North Broadway, Oklahoma City, OK 73102. 
Telephone: 405-235-2780. Fax: 405-232-4782.
    The February 2, 2006 Town Hall meeting will be held at: Hilton San 
Francisco Fisherman's Wharf, 2620 Jones Street, San Francisco, CA 
94133. Telephone: 415-885-4700. Fax: 415-771-8945.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marty McGeein, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20201. Telephone: (202) 690-6443.
    Web site: Additional details regarding the Town Hall meeting 
process for public comments on the economic impact of Federal health 
care regulations, along with information on how to register and 
guidelines for an effective presentation and/or electronic comment 
submission, can be found on the project Web site at: https://
aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml.



[[Page 72303]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    House Appropriations Committee Report 108-636 includes a provision 
for the Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and 
Evaluation (HHS/ASPE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to 
establish an interagency committee, to be coordinated by HHS. The 
committee's role is to examine major Federal regulations governing the 
health care industry and to make suggestions regarding how health care 
regulation could be coordinated and simplified to reduce costs and 
burdens and improve translation of biomedical research into medical 
practice, while continuing to protect patients. The interagency 
committee will examine the economic impact of the major Federal 
regulations governing the health care industry, and will explore both 
immediate steps and longer-term proposals for reducing regulatory 
burden, while maintaining the highest quality health care and other 
patient protections.
    In accord with the House Appropriations Committee's intent, ASPE 
and OMB have undertaken several complementary activities. The HHS/OMB 
interagency committee is conducting a comprehensive review of Federal 
health care regulations, guidance, and paperwork requirements in order 
to identify areas for reform. In order to facilitate the work of this 
committee, ASPE and OMB are soliciting public nominations of regulatory 
reforms in several ways. First, we published a notice in the Federal 
Register on October 4, 2005, soliciting public nominations of reforms. 
Second, we are holding a series of Town Hall meetings in several cities 
across the country to provide an opportunity for input from health care 
administrators, institutional providers, physicians, practitioners, 
patients, and others about the impact of regulations, and to identify 
other potential areas for reform.
    The purpose of this Federal Register notice is to give potential 
participants in these Town Hall meetings more information regarding how 
their participation and the information they provide can facilitate the 
consideration of their suggestions for regulatory reform. In 
particular, participants in the Town Hall meetings and individuals who 
submit written comments are requested to provide, to the extent 
feasible, an estimate of the economic impact of health care 
regulations, guidance documents, or paperwork requirements, and also to 
describe the methods used to calculate the economic impact of the 
regulations. The findings from the Town Hall meetings, other reform 
nominations and comments from the public, and the subsequent work of 
the HHS/OMB committee will be synthesized and included in a report to 
Congress.

II. Registration

    Registration Procedures: Registration can be completed online at 
https://aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml. To register by telephone, contact 
Bridgette Saunders of Social and Scientific Systems at (301) 628-3158. 
(Social and Scientific Systems is the Contractor to HHS/ASPE to provide 
logistical support for the Town Hall meetings.) The following 
information must be provided when registering: Name, organization name 
and address, and consent to publish contact information on a 
participants list and other reports to document the Town Hall Meeting. 
A Social & Scientific Systems, Inc. staff member will confirm your 
registration by mail, e-mail, or fax.

III. Presentations and Comment Format

A. ``5-Minute'' Public Comment Presentations

    Meeting attendees can sign up at the meeting, on a first-come, 
first-served basis, to make 5-minute presentations. We ask that 
commenters focus on the economic impacts of health care regulations, 
and quantify these impacts to the extent possible. Depending on the 
number of persons who sign up to make public comments, we will decide 
whether additional time will be allotted. In order to offer the same 
opportunity to all attendees, there is no pre-registration for 5-minute 
speakers. Attendees can sign up only on the day of the meeting to make 
a 5-minute presentation. They must provide their name, title, and 
organization name on the sign-up sheet, and identify the general area 
of health care regulation that they will address.

B. Written Comments From Meeting Attendees

    Written comments are welcome from the public regardless of 
attendance at a Town Hall Meeting or whether they make an oral 
presentation at a Town Hall Meeting. Written comments can be submitted 
either at the meeting, or before or after the meeting via e-mail to the 
mailboxes specified on the project Web site: https://aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/
index.shtml or via regular mail to Marty McGeein, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 200 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20201. Please note that electronic 
submissions are preferred due to delays in receiving U.S. Postal Mail. 
We are able to consider only those comments received in writing and/or 
via e-mail by 5 p.m. EST on February 9, 2006.

IV. Special Accommodations

    Individuals attending a meeting who are hearing- or visually-
impaired and have special requirements, or a condition that requires 
special assistance or accommodations, must provide this information 
when registering for the meeting and accommodations will be made.

    Dated: November 29, 2005.
Donald Young,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), HHS.
John D. Graham,
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), 
OMB.
[FR Doc. 05-23582 Filed 12-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-05-P

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