,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dfbb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #h1 #bjai ,mr4 ,cummings 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,engel1 ,mr4 ,upton1 and ,mr4 ,king of ,new ,york7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act with regard to research on asthma1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,family ,asthma ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 in #bjag more than #be1ajj1jjj people in the ,united ,states had been diagnosed with asthma1 including an estimated #f1bjj1jjj children4 7#b7 ,according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 asthma usually affects racial and ethnic minorities1 including ,african ,americans1 ,american ,indians1 ,alaska ,natives1 ,puerto ,ricans1 and people of multiple races more than non-,hispanic ,whites4 ,in #bjag1 ,puerto ,ricans and ,african ,americans had the highest lifetime prevalence of asthma at #bj4f and #ae4b percent1 respectively4 7#c7 ,according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 among children1 males have higher rates of asthma than females1 and in adults women have higher rates of asthma than men4 ,individuals living below the poverty threshold also had significantly higher rates of asthma in #bjag than individuals living above the poverty threshold4 7#d7 ,according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 in #bjag more than #c1ejj people in the ,united ,states died from asthma4 ,the rate of mortality from asthma is higher among ,african ,americans and women4 7#e7 ,the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention report that asthma accounted for approximately #ahj1jjj hospitalizations and #a1hjj1jjj visits to hospital emergency departments in #bjaf4 7#f7 ,according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 the annual cost of asthma to the ,united ,states is approximately #ha1ijj1jjj1jjj1 including #c1jjj1jjj1jjj in indirect costs from missed days of school and work4 7#g7 ,according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 #e1bjj1jjj school days and #h1ejj1jjj work days are missed annually as a result of asthma4 7#h7 ,asthma episodes can be triggered by both outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution1 including pollutants such as cigarette smoke and combustion by-products4 ,asthma episodes can also be triggered by indoor allergens such as animal dander and outdoor allergens such as pollen and molds4 7#i7 ,public health interventions and medical care in accordance with existing guidelines have been proven effective in the treatment and management of asthma4 ,better asthma management could reduce the numbers of emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to asthma4 ,studies published in medical journals1 including the ,journal of ,asthma and ,the ,journal of ,pediatrics1 have shown that better asthma management results in improved asthma outcomes at a lower cost4 7#aj7 ,in #bjaf1 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention reported that less than half of people with asthma reported receiving self-management training for their asthma4 ,more education about triggers1 proper treatment1 and asthma management methods is needed4 7#aa7 ,the alarming rise in the prevalence of asthma1 its adverse effect on school attendance and productivity1 and its cost for hospitalizations and emergency room visits1 highlight the importance of public health interventions1 including increasing awareness of asthma as a chronic illness1 its symptoms1 the role of both indoor and outdoor environmental factors that exacerbate the disease1 and other factors that affect its exacerbations and severity4 ,the goals of the ,federal ,government and its partners in the nonprofit and private sectors should include reducing the number and severity of asthma attacks1 asthma's financial burden1 and the health disparities associated with asthma4 7#ab7 ,the high health and financial burden caused by asthma underscores the importance of adherence to the ,national ,asthma ,education and ,prevention ,guidelines of the ,national ,heart1 ,lung1 and ,blood ,institute4 ,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 mortality4 #c4 ,asthma-related activities of the centers for disease control and prevention ,section #cag;,i of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bdg;b-#aj7 is amended to read as follows3 #cag;,i4 ,asthma-related activities of the centers for disease control and prevention 7a7 ,program for ,providing ,information and ,education to the ,public ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention and the ,national ,center for ,environmental ,health1 shall collaborate with ,state and local health departments to conduct activities1 including the provision of information and education to the public regarding asthma including-- 7#a7 deterring the harmful consequences of uncontrolled asthma2 and 7#b7 disseminating health education and information regarding prevention of asthma episodes and strategies for managing asthma4 7b7 ,development of ,state strategic plans for asthma control ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 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 asthma1 particularly regarding disproportionately affected populations4 7c7 ,compilation of ,data ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 shall1 in cooperation with ,state and local public health officials-- 7#a7 conduct asthma surveillance activities to collect data on the prevalence and severity of asthma1 the effectiveness of public health asthma interventions1 and the quality of asthma management1 including-- 7,a7 collection of data on or among people with asthma to monitor the impact on health and quality of life2 7,b7 surveillance of health care facilities2 and 7,c7 collection of data not containing individually identifiable information from electronic health records or other electronic communications2 7#b7 compile and annually publish data regarding the prevalence of childhood asthma1 the child mortality rate1 and the number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits by children associated with asthma nationally and in each ,state by age1 sex1 race1 and ethnicity1 as well as lifetime and current prevalence2 and 7#c7 compile and annually publish data regarding the prevalence of adult asthma1 the adult mortality rate1 and the number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits by adults associated with asthma nationally and in each ,state by age1 sex1 race1 and ethnicity1 as well as lifetime and current prevalence4 7d7 ,coordination of ,data ,collection ,the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 in conjunction with ,state and local health departments1 shall coordinate data collection activities under subsection 7c77#b7 so as to maximize the comparability of results4 7e7 ,collaboration 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention are encouraged to collaborate with national1 ,state1 and local nonprofit organizations to provide information and education about asthma1 and to strengthen such collaborations when possible4 7#b7 ,specific activities ,the ,division of ,population ,health is encouraged to expand its activities with non-,federal partners1 especially ,state-level entities4 7f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there are authorized to be appropriated #fe1jjj1jjj for the period of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbe4 7g7 ,reports to ,congress 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #c years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and once #b years thereafter1 the ,secretary shall1 in consultation with patient groups1 nonprofit organizations1 medical societies1 and other relevant governmental and nongovernmental entities1 submit to ,congress a report that-- 7,a7 catalogs1 with respect to asthma prevention1 management1 and surveillance-- 7i7 the activities of the ,federal ,government1 including an assessment of the progress of the ,federal ,government and ,states1 with respect to achieving the goals of the ,healthy ,people #bjcj initiative2 and 7ii7 the activities of other entities that participate in the program under this section1 including nonprofit organizations1 patient advocacy groups1 and medical societies2 and 7,b7 makes recommendations for the future direction of asthma activities1 in consultation with researchers from the ,national ,institutes of ,health and other member bodies of the ,asthma ,disparities ,subcommittee1 including-- 7i7 a description of how the ,federal ,government may improve its response to asthma1 including identifying any barriers that may exist2 7ii7 a description of how the ,federal ,government may continue1 expand1 and improve its private-public partnerships with respect to asthma1 including identifying any barriers that may exist2 7iii7 the identification of steps that may be taken to reduce the-- 7,i7 morbidity1 mortality1 and overall prevalence of asthma2 7,,ii7 financial burden of asthma on society2 7,,iii7 burden of asthma on disproportionately affected areas1 particularly those in medically underserved populations 7as defined in section #ccj7;b77#c772 and 7,,iv7 burden of asthma as a chronic disease that can be worsened by environmental exposures2 7iv7 the identification of programs and policies that have achieved the steps described under clause 7iii71 and steps that may be taken to expand such programs and policies to benefit larger populations2 and 7v7 recommendations for future research and interventions4 7#b7 ,subsequent reports 7,a7 ,congressional request ,during the #e-year period following the submission of the second report under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall submit updates and revisions of the report upon the request of the ,congress4 7,b7 ,five-year reevaluation ,at the end of the #e-year period referred to in subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall-- 7i7 evaluate the analyses and recommendations made in previous reports2 and 7ii7 determine whether an additional updated report is needed and if so submit such an additional updated report to the ,congress1 including appropriate recommendations4 4