,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ffch ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #bh1 #bjbj,mrs4 ,hayes introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to increase the annual funding for the ,chronic ,disease ,prevention and ,health ,promotion ,fund1 the ,national ,institute on ,minority ,health and ,health ,disparities1 and the ,offices of ,minority ,health within the ,office of the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 the ,agency for ,healthcare ,research and ,quality1 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 the ,centers for ,medicare ,medicaid ,services1 the ,food and ,drug ,administration1 the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration1 and the ,substance ,abuse and ,mental ,health ,services ,administration to enable the ,united ,states and ,state departments of public health to better combat disparities that have emerged during the ,,covid-#ai crisis and beyond1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,reducing ,,covid-#ai ,disparities by ,investing in ,public ,health ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,funding under this ,act is essential to core efforts at the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services and in local and ,state health departments to prevent and control the spread of chronic disease and conditions4 ,the ,national ,center for ,chronic ,disease ,prevention and ,health ,promotion works to raise awareness of health disparities faced by minority populations of the ,united ,states such as ,american ,indians1 ,alaska ,natives1 ,asian ,americans1 ,african ,americans1 ,latino ,americans1 and ,native ,hawaiians or other ,pacific ,islanders4 ,one of the primary functions of the ,center is to reduce risk factors for groups affected by health disparities4 7#b7 ,six in ten ,americans live with at least one chronic disease1 like heart disease and stroke1 cancer1 or diabetes4 ,these and other chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in ,america4 ,specifically1 chronic diseases are responsible for #g in #aj deaths each year4 ,according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention 7,,cdc71 individuals who are at high risk for severe illness from ,,covid-#ai are people with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma1 people with serious heart conditions1 people who are immunocompromised--sometimes because of cancer or ,,hiv_/,,aids1 people with diabetes1 people with liver disease1 people with severe obesity1 and people with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis4 7#c7 ,according to hospital data from the first month of the ,,covid-#ai epidemic in the ,united ,states released by the ,,cdc1 roughly #a in #c people who required hospitalizations from ,,covid-#ai were ,african ,american4 ,while #cc percent of total hospitalized patients are ,black1 ,african ,americans constitute just #ac percent of the entire ,american population4 ,early data released by ,states and municipalities show that ,african ,americans suffer higher mortality rates from ,,covid-#ai4 ,socioeconomic factors further contribute to racial disparities seen in both prevalence of chronic conditions and exposure to ,,covid-#ai4 ,individuals in low-income communities and people of color are more likely to have many of the chronic health conditions that have been identified as risk factors for complications from ,,covid-#ai1 yet suffer decreased access to care1 compounded by a decreased likelihood of undergoing appropriate treatment4 7#d7 ,according to the ,american ,diabetes ,association1 #ab4a percent of ,hispanic ,americans1 #ab4g percent of ,african ,americans1 #h percent of ,asian ,americans1 and #ae4a percent of ,american ,indians_/,alaska ,natives have been diagnosed with diabetes1 compared to just #g4d percent of ,white ,americans4 ,the ,,cdc calculated that compared to non-,hispanic ,whites1 ,hispanics are #dj percent more likely to die from diabetes1 ,african ,americans are twice as likely to die from diabetes1 and ,american ,indians_/,alaska ,natives are almost twice as likely to die from the disease4 7#e7 ,according to the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 ,african ,americans are more than #cj percent more likely to die from heart disease1 are twice as likely to have a stroke--which tends to be more severe with a higher morbidity and results in higher mortality1 are #dj percent more likely to have high blood pressure1 and have a higher rate of hypertension and heart failure than their ,white counterparts4 7#f7 ,minority groups suffer from asthma at a disproportionate rate1 have the highest number of emergency room visits and hospital stays due to asthma1 and have higher mortality rates from asthma than their ,white counterparts4 ,the prevalence of childhood asthma for ,african ,americans is #ab4g percent compared to #h percent for ,white ,americans1 while mortality rates in children and adults are eightfold and threefold higher1 respectively1 for ,african ,americans compared to ,white ,americans4 7#g7 ,president ,trump has consistently proposed budgets that would cut the ,chronic ,disease ,prevention and ,health ,promotion ,fund4 ,in fiscal year #bjba1 the ,president proposed to consolidate the ,,cdc's primary chronic disease prevention activities1 including tobacco1 diabetes1 heart disease1 and stroke1 and nutrition and physical activity1 into a single block grant to ,states1 while proposing a #dbg1jjj1jjj cut to the account4 ,in fiscal year #bjbj1 the ,president proposed a #bcf1ejj1jjj cut to the account4 ,in fiscal year #bjai1 the ,president proposed a #ach1cjj1jjj cut to the account4 ,in fiscal year #bjah1 the ,president proposed a #bbb1cjj1jjj cut to the account4 7#h7 ,cuts to this ,fund and other public health prevention efforts undermine efforts to create an affordable and accessible health care system1 and a better quality of life for ,americans of all ethnic1 racial1 and socioeconomic backgrounds4 ,cuts to this ,fund would also exacerbate existing disparities and underlying health conditions that have created seemingly vast disparities in hospitalization and mortality rates due to ,,covid-#ai4 7#i7 ,prevention efforts have proven to be effective4 ,funding increases for community-based public health programs reduce preventable disease caused by diabetes1 cancer1 and cardiovascular disease4 ,improved access to intervention1 treatment1 and affordable care is also proven to mitigate the development of associated chronic diseases and mortality rates4 7#aj7 ,increasing the ,chronic ,disease ,prevention and ,health ,promotion ,fund funding to #b1djj1jjj1jjj annually will allow the ,fund to invest in more innovative1 evidence-based public health programs1 maintain and expand investments in programs with demonstrated success1 and help reduce racial health disparities and rates of chronic disease that can put persons of color at greater risk of hospitalization or death from ,,covid-#ai4 7#aa7 ,further1 the ,office of ,minority ,health in the ,office of the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7established by section #agjg of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjju-#f77 was designed for the purpose of improving minority health and the quality of health care minorities receive1 and eliminating racial and ethnic disparities4 ,the ,office of ,minority ,health and ,health ,equity at the ,,cdc serves to decrease health disparities1 address social determinants of health1 and promote access to high-quality preventative health care4 ,the ,office of ,minority ,health and ,health ,equity at the ,food and ,drug ,administration promotes and protects the health of diverse populations through research and communication of science that addresses health disparities4 ,the ,national ,institute on ,minority ,health and ,health ,disparities leads scientific research that advances understanding of minority health and health disparities4 7#ab7 ,increasing funding for these and other critical health programs will enable the ,united ,states and ,state departments of public health to better combat disparities that have emerged during the ,,covid-#ai crisis and beyond4 #c4 ,reducing ,,covid-#ai disparities by investing in public health 7a7 ,chronic ,disease ,prevention and ,health ,promotion ,there is authorized to be appropriated1 and there is hereby appropriated1 out of any money in the ,treasury not otherwise appropriated1 for ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention--,chronic ,disease ,prevention and ,health ,promotion1 for fiscal year #bjbj and each subsequent fiscal year1 #b1djj1jjj1jjj4 7b7 ,national ,institute on ,minority ,health and ,health ,disparities ,there is authorized to be appropriated1 and there is hereby appropriated1 out of any money in the ,treasury not otherwise appropriated1 to the ,national ,institute on ,minority ,health and ,health ,disparities1 for fiscal year #bjbj and each subsequent fiscal year1 #fgb1jjj1jjj4 7c7 ,office of ,minority ,health ,there is authorized to be appropriated1 and there is hereby appropriated1 out of any money in the ,treasury not otherwise appropriated1 to the ,office of ,minority ,health in the ,office of the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7established by section #agjg of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjju-#f771 for fiscal year #bjba and each subsequent fiscal year1 the amount that is twice the amount of funds made available to such ,office of ,minority ,health for fiscal year #bjbj4 7d7 ,other ,offices of ,minority ,health within the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services ,there is authorized to be appropriated1 and there is hereby appropriated1 out of any money in the ,treasury not otherwise appropriated1 to the ,office of ,minority ,health of the ,agency for ,healthcare ,research and ,quality1 the ,office of ,minority ,health of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 the ,office of ,minority ,health of the ,centers for ,medicare ,medicaid ,services1 the ,office of ,minority ,health of the ,food and ,drug ,administration1 the ,office of ,minority ,health of the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration1 and the ,office of ,minority ,health of ,substance ,abuse and ,mental ,health ,services ,administration 7as established pursuant to section #agjg;,a of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjju-#f;a771 for fiscal year #bjba and each subsequent fiscal year1 the amount that is twice the amount of funds made available to the respective ,office of ,minority ,health for fiscal year #bjbj4