,i #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dde ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #bj1 #bjbc,ms4 ,williams of ,georgia 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,jacobs1 ,ms4 ,garcia of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,escobar1 and ,ms4 ,lee of ,california7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to establish within the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services an ,ombuds for ,reproductive and ,sexual ,health4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,hhs ,reproductive and ,sexual ,health ,ombuds ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,ombuds for ,reproductive and ,sexual ,health 7a7 ,in general 7#a7 ,position established ,there shall be within the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services 7in this section referred to as the ,department7 an ,ombuds for ,reproductive and ,sexual ,health 7in this section referred to as the ,ombuds74 7#b7 ,qualifications ,to be eligible to be appointed as the ,ombuds1 an individual shall1 prior to such appointment1 have expertise in sexual and reproductive health and demonstrated commitment to the provision of specified health care services1 including abortion and the care of ,,lgbtq individuals1 individuals belonging to a racial or ethnic minority1 individuals with disabilities1 and individuals of low socio-economic status4 7#c7 ,reporting directly to ,secretary ,the ,ombuds shall report directly to the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7in this section referred to as the ,secretary74 7b7 ,organizational independence ,the ,secretary shall take appropriate action to ensure the independence of the ,ombuds's office from other officers or employees of the ,department engaged in reproductive and sexual health activities4 7c7 ,staffing ,the ,secretary shall take appropriate action to ensure that the ,ombuds's office is sufficiently staffed and resourced to carry out its duties effectively and efficiently4 7d7 ,functions ,the functions of the ,ombuds shall be as follows3 7#a7 ,to educate the public on specified health care services1 including by making evidence-based1 medically accurate educational materials available to the public4 7#b7 ,to analyze data collected by the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services about consumer access to specified health care services4 7#c7 ,in coordination with the ,secretary of ,labor1 the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 and ,state insurance commissioners 7or their designees within the applicable agency71 to-- 7,a7 gather information about benefits for specified health care services under health plans and programs specified under subsection 7j77#a72 and 7,b7 provide an analysis of any gaps in such coverage4 7#d7 ,to disseminate information about how individuals can connect with-- 7,a7 health care providers receiving ,federal funds under title ,x of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj et seq472 7,b7 abortion funds2 and 7,c7 other clinics that provide specified health care services4 7#e7 ,to provide the public with evidence-based and medically accurate information related to medication abortions conducted outside formal medical settings4 7#f7 ,to collect information regarding1 and to address1 reproductive and sexual health misinformation being disseminated to the public4 7#g7 ,to coordinate with the ,federal ,trade ,commission to collect information about1 and address consumer protection and data privacy concerns on1 the provision of any services relating to reproductive and sexual health4 7#h7 ,in coordination with entities receiving grants under section #acaa7;i7 of the ,patient ,protection and ,affordable ,care ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ahjca7;i77 and other entities assisting individuals eligible to enroll in qualified health plans 7as defined in section #acja7;a7 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ahjba7;a777 through an ,exchange established pursuant to title ,i of such ,act1 to promote awareness of the availability of such plans and the benefits under such plans for specified health care services4 7e7 ,request for investigations ,the ,ombuds may request the ,inspector ,general of the ,department to conduct inspections1 investigations1 and audits related to any of the functions under subsection 7d74 7f7 ,protection of information ,the ,ombuds shall comply with all applicable ,federal privacy laws 7and the regulations issued thereunder7 in the collection1 analysis1 or release of any information or data1 including in any reports issued under subsection 7i74 7g7 ,coordination with department components ,not later than #fj days after a request from the ,ombuds to the ,secretary for records of the ,department necessary to execute the functions of the ,ombuds under subsection 7d71 the ,secretary shall establish procedures to provide the ,ombuds access to all such records4 7h7 ,public outreach ,the ,secretary shall take all appropriate actions to advise and engage with the public regarding the existence1 authorities1 and duties of the ,ombuds and the ,ombuds's office4 7i7 ,annual reporting ,not later than ,june #cj1 #bjbc1 and each ,june #cj thereafter1 the ,ombuds shall submit to the ,congress a report that-- 7#a7 evaluates the efforts of the ,ombuds 7or the ,secretary1 as applicable7 with respect to each of the functions specified in subsection 7d72 and 7#b7 contains such other information as the ,secretary determines is appropriate4 7j7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term health plans and programs refers to any of the following3 7,a7 ,each ,federal health care program 7as defined in section #aabh;,b of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;a-#g;b7 but including the program established under chapter #hi of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code74 7,b7 ,health insurance coverage offered in the large group market 7as such terms are defined in section #bgia of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;gg-#ia774 7,c7 ,health insurance coverage offered in the small group market 7as so defined74 7,d7 ,health insurance coverage offered in the individual market 7as so defined74 7,e7 ,self-insured group health plans4 7#b7 ,the term reproductive and sexual health misinformation includes any information relating to reproductive and sexual health that is not evidence-based or medically accurate1 including inaccuracy in the provision of any related services4 7#c7 ,the term specified health care services means evidence-based1 medically accurate medical1 surgical1 counseling1 or referral services relating to reproductive and sexual health1 including services relating to pregnancy and the termination of a pregnancy4 7k7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed as authorizing the ,ombuds to collect1 or as requiring other ,federal1 ,state1 local1 or private entities to provide to the ,ombuds1 individually identifiable information about individual patients1 including protected health information 7as defined in section #afj4ajc of title #de1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7or successor regulations77 or individually identifiable health information 7as defined in such section 7or successor regulations774