[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5749 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5749
To amend the Public Health Service Act with regard to research on
asthma, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 27, 2023
Mrs. Dingell (for herself, Mr. Valadao, Ms. Blunt Rochester, and Mr.
Fitzpatrick) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act with regard to research on
asthma, 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 ``Elijah E. Cummings Family Asthma
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, in 2020 nearly 25,300,000 people in the United
States had been diagnosed with asthma, including an estimated
4,200,000 children.
(2) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, asthma is more common among Black Americans, Native
individuals (American Indians/Alaska Natives), Puerto Ricans,
and people of multiple races compared to non-Hispanic white
individuals.
(3) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, among children, males have higher rates of asthma
than females, and in adults, women have higher rates of asthma
than men. Individuals living below the poverty threshold also
had significantly higher rates of asthma in 2020 than
individuals living above the poverty threshold.
(4) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, in 2020 more than 4,100 people in the United States
died from asthma. The rate of mortality from asthma is higher
among African Americans and women.
(5) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report
that asthma accounted for approximately 183,000
hospitalizations and 1,600,000 visits to hospital emergency
departments in 2016.
(6) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the annual cost of asthma to the United States is
approximately $81,900,000,000, including $3,000,000,000 in
indirect costs from missed days of school and work.
(7) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, more than 7,900,000 school days and 10,900,000
workdays are missed annually as a result of asthma.
(8) Asthma episodes can be triggered by both outdoor air
pollution and indoor air pollution, including pollutants such
as cigarette smoke and combustion by-products. Asthma episodes
can also be triggered by indoor allergens such as animal
dander, mold, cockroaches, and rodents, and outdoor allergens
such as pollen.
(9) Public health interventions and medical care in
accordance with existing guidelines have been proven effective
in the treatment and management of asthma. Better asthma
management could reduce the numbers of emergency department
visits and hospitalizations due to asthma. Studies published in
medical journals, including the Journal of Asthma and The
Journal of Pediatrics, have shown that better asthma management
results in improved asthma outcomes at a lower cost. However,
research published in Preventing Chronic Disease has shown gaps
in consistent and comprehensive coverage of guidelines-based
asthma care across State Medicaid programs.
(10) The high health and financial burden caused by asthma
underscores the importance of adherence to the National Asthma
Education and Prevention Program Guidelines of the National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Increasing adherence to
guidelines-based care and resulting patient management
practices will enhance the quality of life for patients with
asthma and decrease asthma-related morbidity and mortality.
(11) In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reported that less than half of people with asthma
reported receiving self-management training for their asthma.
More education about triggers, proper treatment, and asthma
management methods is needed.
(12) 27 States do not receive funding through the National
Asthma Control Program of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Without this funding, State health departments have
a limited capacity to improve the reach, quality, effectiveness
and sustainability of asthma control services, conduct
comprehensive adult and pediatric surveillance, and to reduce
asthma morbidity, mortality, and disparities.
(13) The alarming rise in the prevalence of asthma, its
adverse effect on school attendance and productivity, and its
cost for hospitalizations and emergency room visits, highlight
the importance of public health interventions, including
increasing awareness of asthma as a chronic illness, its
symptoms, the role of both indoor and outdoor environmental
factors that exacerbate the disease, and other factors that
affect its exacerbations and severity. The goals of the Federal
Government and its partners in the nonprofit and private
sectors should include reducing the number and severity of
asthma attacks, asthma's financial burden, and the health
disparities associated with asthma.
SEC. 3. ASTHMA-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
AND PREVENTION.
Section 317I of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-10)
is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 317I. ASTHMA-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE
CONTROL AND PREVENTION.
``(a) Program for Providing Information and Education to the
Public.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the Director of the National Center
for Environmental Health, shall collaborate with State and local health
departments to conduct activities regarding asthma, including the
provision of information and education to the public regarding asthma,
including--
``(1) deterring the harmful consequences of uncontrolled
asthma; and
``(2) disseminating health education and information
regarding prevention of asthma episodes and strategies for
managing asthma.
``(b) Development of State Strategic Plans for Asthma Control.--The
Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, shall collaborate with State and local health
departments to develop State strategic plans for asthma control
incorporating public health responses to reduce the burden of asthma,
particularly regarding disproportionately affected populations.
``(c) Compilation of Data.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in
collaboration with State and local health departments, shall--
``(A) conduct asthma surveillance activities to
collect data on the prevalence and severity of asthma,
the effectiveness of public health asthma
interventions, and the quality of asthma management,
including--
``(i) collection of data on or among people
with asthma to monitor the impact on health and
quality of life;
``(ii) surveillance of health care
facilities; and
``(iii) collection of data from electronic
health records or other electronic
communications; and
``(B) compile and annually publish data regarding--
``(i) the prevalence of childhood asthma;
``(ii) the child mortality rate of asthma;
``(iii) the number of hospital admissions
and emergency department visits by children
associated with asthma nationally,
disaggregated by State, age, sex, race, and
ethnicity;
``(iv) the prevalence of adult asthma;
``(v) the adult mortality rate of asthma;
and
``(vi) the number of hospital admissions
and emergency department visits by adults
associated with asthma nationally,
disaggregated by State, age, sex, race, and
ethnicity.
``(2) Data privacy.--None of the data collected, compiled,
or published under paragraph (1) may contain individually
identifiable information.
``(3) Ensuring comparability.--The Secretary, acting
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, in collaboration with State and local health
departments, shall ensure that the data described in paragraph
(1) are collected and compiled using a consistent methodology
so as to maximize the comparability of results.
``(d) Collaboration With Nonprofits.--The Director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention may collaborate with national,
State, and local nonprofit organizations to provide information and
education about asthma.
``(e) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date
of enactment of the Elijah E. Cummings Family Asthma Act, and 2 years
thereafter, the Secretary shall, in collaboration with patient groups,
nonprofit organizations, medical societies, and other relevant
governmental and nongovernmental entities, submit to Congress a report
that--
``(1) catalogs, with respect to asthma prevention,
management, and surveillance--
``(A) the activities of the Federal Government,
including an assessment of the progress of the Federal
Government and States, with respect to achieving the
goals of the Healthy People 2030 initiative; and
``(B) the activities of other entities that
participate in the program under this section,
including nonprofit organizations, patient advocacy
groups, and medical societies; and
``(2) makes recommendations for the future direction of
asthma-related activities, in consultation with researchers
from the National Institutes of Health and other member bodies
of the Asthma Disparities Subcommittee, including--
``(A) a description of how the Federal Government
may improve its response to asthma, including
identifying any barriers that may exist;
``(B) a description of how the Federal Government
may continue, expand, and improve its private-public
partnerships with respect to asthma, including
identifying any barriers that may exist;
``(C) the identification of steps that may be taken
to reduce the--
``(i) morbidity, mortality, and overall
prevalence of asthma;
``(ii) financial burden of asthma on
society;
``(iii) burden of asthma on
disproportionately affected areas, particularly
those in medically underserved populations (as
defined in section 330(b)(3)); and
``(iv) burden of asthma as a chronic
disease that can be worsened by environmental
exposures;
``(D) the identification of programs and policies
that have achieved the steps described in subparagraph
(C), and steps that may be taken to expand such
programs and policies to benefit larger populations;
and
``(E) recommendations for future research and
interventions.
``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $70,000,000 for the period of
fiscal years 2024 through 2028.''.
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