114-hr-5475, Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2016
Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2016 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act and the Social Security Act (SSAct) to expand the collection and analysis of data in programs of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The bill sets forth provisions regarding cultural competence in federal health care programs and services, including provisions establishing the Robert T. Matsui Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Health Care. HHS must engage in activities regarding health workforce diversity, including: (1) establishing a working group and a technical clearinghouse; (2) awarding grants to academic institutions; (3) establishing a health and health care disparities education program; and (4) providing for scholarships, student loan repayment and loan forgiveness, and research fellowships.Health Empowerment Zone Act of 2016 HHS may designate areas as health empowerment zones in communities that experience disproportionate disparities in health status and health care. HHS must engage in activities regarding the quality of and access to health care, including expanding access to health care and health care insurance for immigrants, designating centers of excellence at public hospitals and other health systems serving minority patients, increasing Medicaid payments to territories and to Native Hawaiian health centers, and providing for border health grants. The bill establishes: (1) programs to reduce health disparities affecting minorities and rural residents, and (2) an Office of Minority Health in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to revise requirements for qualified health plans, including to require plans to provide information on the availability of care in languages other than English. (Qualified health plans are sold on health insurance exchanges, are the only plans eligible for premium subsidies, and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.) The bill sets forth provisions regarding the health of women and children, including provisions to expand access to federal programs for immigrant women and children, eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes, and establish programs to reduce teenage pregnancies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must develop a multisite gestational diabetes research project. This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the SSAct to expand coverage of marriage and family therapist services, mental health counselor services, and substance abuse counselor services. Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2016 HHS must implement the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Program to achieve a reduction of at least 25% in the mortality rate of lung cancer by 2020. Prostate Research, Outreach, Screening, Testing, Access, and Treatment Effectiveness Act of 2016 or the PROSTATE Act The VA must take action to address prostate cancer, including by establishing the Interagency Prostate Cancer Coordination and Education Task Force. Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act of 2016 HHS must implement programs to address hepatitis B and C. Bone Marrow Failure Disease Research and Treatment Act of 2016 The CDC must establish the National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must develop guidelines to screen minority patient populations which have a higher than average risk for many chronic diseases and cancers. This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the SSAct, including to expand coverage to include routine medical costs when a beneficiary is in an approved clinical trial. HHS must expand HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention activities, including: (1) identification of issues that impede disease status awareness and retention in appropriate care, (2) research into treatment adherence strategies, (3) grants to public health agencies and faith-based organizations, (4) the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, and (5) health workforce training for culturally competent care. HHS must award grants for comprehensive sex education programs for adolescents. A program that supports abstinence education is eliminated. Community organizations may distribute sexual barrier protection devices (e.g., condoms) and engage in sexually transmitted infection counseling and prevention education in federal correctional facilities. Stop AIDS in Prison Act The Bureau of Prisons must develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for inmates. Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disorders Health Disparities Act The National Institutes of Health must expand research addressing sleep health disparities. The CDC must expand activities regarding sleep disorders. The bill sets forth provisions regarding the use of health information technology to reduce health disparities, particularly in racial and ethnic minority communities. The bill prohibits discrimination in federal health care programs and research activities. HHS must establish: (1) the Office of Health Disparities in the Office for Civil Rights, (2) civil rights compliance offices in each HHS agency that administers health programs, and (3) a program at the National Center for Environmental Health on health impact assessment, which is the process of determining the potential effects of a policy, program, or project on health.
