§1397h Program for Early Detection of Certain Medical Conditions Related to Environmental Health Hazards

Summary

Creates a program run by the Secretary to give competitive grants to eligible groups to do two things: screen people at risk for health problems caused by environmental hazards, and share public information about where to get screening, how to detect, prevent, and treat these conditions, and the availability of certain Medicare benefits for people diagnosed. Eligible groups that can apply include hospitals, community health centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Indian Health Service facilities, National Cancer Institute cancer centers, state or local agencies, nonprofits, and other groups the Secretary approves. An "at-risk" person is someone who lived a total of 6 months in an area covered by a public health emergency declaration during a period that ends at least 10 years before their screening application and before the cleanup actions named in the Record of Decision for Operating Unit 4 and Operating Unit 7 were finished, or someone who meets other criteria set by the Secretary; the person must apply for screening through a grant recipient. The program covers asbestos-related lung problems, mesothelioma and certain cancers (lung, colon, rectum, larynx, stomach, esophagus, pharynx, ovary), and other conditions the Secretary links to exposure at a Superfund site, using diagnosis rules the Secretary sets. It does not change any health plan’s coverage duties. Funding provided is $23,000,000 for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 and $20,000,000 for each five-fiscal-year period after that; the money stays available until spent. Most other rules in the same law do not apply to these grants, but section 1397d(a) does, except it cannot be used to stop grantees from doing the authorized screenings.