[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7617 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7617
To provide for a national public health education campaign, grant
program, and task force for recommended preventive health care services
during the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 28, 2022
Ms. Blunt Rochester (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Ms. Wasserman
Schultz) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a national public health education campaign, grant
program, and task force for recommended preventive health care services
during the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics, 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 ``Preventive Care Awareness Act of
2022''.
SEC. 2. PUBLIC HEALTH CAMPAIGN REGARDING PREVENTATIVE HEALTH.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this Act
as the ``Secretary''), in consultation with the Director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, the Surgeon General of the Public
Health Service, and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, shall carry out a coordinated, focused national
public health education effort to enhance access by individuals and
providers to evidence-based and evidence-informed health information
about preventive health care, with particular consideration for
decreasing disparities in utilization of recommended preventive health
care services by individuals in rural and underserved communities who
have delayed or forgone receiving recommended clinical preventive
health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEC. 3. COVID-19 PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Use of Allotments.--Section 1904 of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 300w-3) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) through (G)
as subparagraphs (F) through (H), respectively;
(B) in subparagraph (G), as redesignated, by
striking ``(A) through (E)'' and inserting ``(A)
through (F)'';
(C) in subparagraph (H), as redesignated, by
striking ``(A) through (F)'' and inserting ``(A)
through (G)''; and
(D) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the
following:
``(E) Activities to increase patient uptake of recommended
clinical preventive health care services during the COVID-19
pandemic, with particular consideration for decreasing
disparities in utilization of such preventive health care
services by reaching individuals in geographically diverse
rural and underserved communities who have delayed or forgone
receiving recommended clinical preventive health care services
during the COVID-19 pandemic.''; and
(2) in subsection (b), in the matter following paragraph
(5), by striking ``subsection (a)(1)(E)'' and inserting
``subsection (a)(1)(F)''.
(b) Allotted Amount.--Subsection (a) of section 1904 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300w-3) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``(4) Of the total amount paid to the States under section 1903 for
each of fiscal years 2023 and 2024, the Secretary shall ensure that the
States, in the aggregate, use at least $50,000,000 for activities under
paragraph (1)(E).''.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1920(a) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x-9(a)) is amended by adding at the
end the following: ``In addition to the amounts authorized to be
appropriated by the preceding sentence, for the purpose of carrying out
paragraphs (1)(E) and (4) of section 1904, there is authorized to be
appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 and 2024.''.
SEC. 4. TASK FORCE ON PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE DURING PUBLIC HEALTH
EMERGENCIES.
(a) Task Force on Preventive Health Care in Response to the COVID-
19 Public Health Emergency.--
(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall convene a task
force to develop Federal recommendations regarding preventive
health care during the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics.
(2) Duties.--The task force established under paragraph (1)
shall develop and publicly post, in a manner than is accessible
for those with disabilities or limited English proficiency,
Federal recommendations to promote preventive health care
visits and improve health outcomes during and after the COVID-
19 pandemic and during future pandemics, with particular
consideration for outcomes of rural or underserved communities.
Such recommendations shall--
(A) address, with particular attention to ensuring
equitable services, reducing disparities in health
outcomes, and promoting culturally and linguistically
appropriate care--
(i) measures to facilitate preventive
health care;
(ii) strategies to increase access to care
for individuals at high risk or with elevated
risk factors;
(iii) how to identify, prevent, and treat
mental health and substance use disorders which
may have arisen or increased during the COVID-
19 pandemic;
(iv) strategies to address provision of
preventive health care services, maintain the
delivery of common health services and
preventive health care services, and increase
the ability to accommodate patient care
preferences while maintaining safety and
quality; and
(v) such other matters as the task force
determines appropriate;
(B) identify barriers to the implementation of the
recommendations;
(C) take into consideration existing State programs
and other programs that have demonstrated effectiveness
in promoting preventive health care during the COVID-19
pandemic, for purposes of future public health
emergencies; and
(D) identify--
(i) policies specific to COVID-19 that, as
the public health emergency declared with
respect to COVID-19 under section 319 of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d)
abates, can be safely discontinued when
appropriate or necessary; and
(ii) policies implemented during such
public health emergency that should be
continued.
(3) Membership.--The task force established under paragraph
(1) shall be comprised of the following:
(A) One representative of each of the following:
(i) The Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
(ii) The Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration.
(iii) The Assistant Secretary for Mental
Health and Substance Use.
(iv) The Administrator of the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services.
(v) The Director of the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality.
(vi) The Director of the Indian Health
Service.
(vii) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Minority Health.
(viii) The Director of the Office on
Women's Health.
(ix) The Assistant Secretary for
Preparedness and Response.
(B) Such other members as the Secretary determines
appropriate.
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