,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fhig ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #ah1 #bjbe,ms4 ,stevens 7for herself and ,ms4 ,underwood7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to advance research1 promote awareness and education1 and improve health care1 with respect to thyroid disease1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,thyroid ,disease ,coverage1 ,awareness1 ,research1 and ,education ,act of #bjbe or the ,thyroid ,disease ,,care ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,thyroid disease research 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,national ,academies of ,sciences1 ,engineering1 and ,medicine1 shall-- 7#a7 conduct or support research and related activities regarding thyroid disease1 including research-- 7,a7 to investigate the root causes of thyroid disease2 7,b7 to improve diagnostic techniques and develop improved treatments2 7,c7 to improve thyroid cancer-related care1 including the prevention1 diagnosis1 and treatment of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer2 7,d7 to enhance the quality of thyroid cancer survivorship1 including understanding how a thyroid cancer diagnosis impacts women of reproductive years and beyond2 7,e7 to understand the symptoms of patients treated for thyroid disease and to design studies to improve symptom management2 7,f7 to assess-- 7i7 thyroid disease prevalence1 detection1 treatment1 and outcome disparties by race1 ethnicity1 geography1 primary language1 sex1 sexual orientation1 gender identity1 disability status1 and insurance status1 and related topics as determined by the ,secretary2 and 7ii7 with respect to thyroid cancer patients1 such disparities relating to primary tumor site1 tumor morphology1 stage at diagnosis1 and first course of treatment2 and 7,g7 to study the effects of thyroid disease1 including subclinical hypothyroidism1 in patients who continue to experience symptoms despite their test results becoming normal2 and 7#b7 propose recommendations on how to address research gaps relating to disparities referred to in paragraph 7#a77;,f74 7b7 ,interim report ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 not later than #bd months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 transmit an interim report on the status and results of the research and related activities under this section to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate2 and 7#b7 make such report publicly available4 7c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #cj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 #c4 ,analyzing research gaps and disproportionate impacts with respect to thyroid disease 7a7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 identify and analyze gaps in research on diagnosing and treating thyroid disease2 7#b7 analyze-- 7,a7 the disproportionate impacts of thyroid disease on specific populations1 disaggregated by race1 ethnicity1 geography1 primary language1 sex1 sexual orientation1 gender identity1 disability status1 and insurance status1 with a particular focus on such disproportionate impacts on women2 7,b7 the reasons for the disproportionate impacts referred to in subparagraph 7,a7 in such specific populations1 including with respect to disproportionate access to specialized care2 and 7,c7 the level of knowledge of health care professionals about such disproportionate impacts2 and 7#c7 analyze1 and formulate recommendations with respect to1 better options for-- 7,a7 diagnosing and treating thyroid disease in such populations2 and 7,b7 paying for such diagnosis and treatment4 7b7 ,topics ,in carrying out the analysis under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary may assess-- 7#a7 data from the ,transformed ,medicaid ,statistical ,information ,system related to services furnished to individuals diagnosed with thyroid disease for the treatment of thyroid disease symptoms under ,state ,medicaid programs and ,state children's health insurance programs2 7#b7 data collected through the ,surveillance1 ,epidemiology1 and ,end ,results 7,,seer7 program of the ,national ,cancer ,institute2 7#c7 data collected through the ,medicare program under title ,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acie et seq472 7#d7 data related to services furnished to individuals diagnosed with thyroid disease for the treatment of thyroid disease symptoms under group health plans or group or individual health insurance coverage offered by a health insurance issuer2 7#e7 data from nationally representative sample surveys 7such as the ,national ,health ,interview ,survey of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention 7or any successor survey772 and 7#f7 such other data as the ,secretary determines relevant4 7c7 ,data collection ,to carry out the analysis under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary may request-- 7#a7 group health plans 7as defined in section #bgia of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;gg-#ia771 health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage 7as so defined71 and health benefits plans offered under the ,federal ,employee ,health ,benefits ,program under chapter #hi of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 to provide such information as may be required to assess barriers that individuals diagnosed with thyroid disease face in accessing treatments for thyroid disease symptoms1 including a lack of insurance coverage and cost-sharing requirements for such treatments2 and 7#b7 ,state ,medicaid programs and ,state children's health insurance programs to collect and report1 through the ,transformed ,medicaid ,statistical ,information ,system1 data related to services furnished to individuals diagnosed with thyroid disease for the treatment of thyroid disease symptoms1 including data stratified by relevant demographic characteristics4 7d7 ,privacy requirements ,in carrying out the analysis under subsection 7a71 including making requests under subsection 7c71 and in submitting the report under subsection 7e71 the ,secretary shall ensure that the privacy and confidentiality of individual patients are protected in a manner consistent with relevant privacy and confidentiality laws4 7e7 ,report ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 submit to ,congress and make publicly available on the website of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services a preliminary report on the analysis carried out under this section2 and 7#b7 not later than the end of fiscal year #bjcj1 submit to ,congress and make publicly available on the website of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services a final report on such analysis4 7f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #cj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 #d4 ,public awareness campaign with respect to thyroid disease 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out a public awareness campaign regarding thyroid disease1 including by developing and disseminating information on-- 7#a7 the awareness1 incidence1 and prevalence of thyroid disease and associated impacts1 with a particular focus on the disparities and disproportionate impacts described in sections #b7;a77#a77;,f7 and #c7;a77#b71 especially on women2 7#b7 the availability1 as medically appropriate1 of the range of treatment options for symptoms of thyroid disease2 7#c7 how patients can better recognize the signs and symptoms of thyroid disease2 and 7#d7 whether there are benefits of routine screening1 especially during pregnancy and reproductive stages4 7b7 ,information to health care providers ,in carrying out the public awareness campaign under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary1 in consultation with relevant health care professional societies and associations1 shall disseminate information to health care professionals1 health care-related organizations1 and health systems to promote evidence-based care for individuals with thyroid disease1 including information related to-- 7#a7 detecting and diagnosing thyroid disease with an emphasis on better addressing thyroid disease in populations at increased risk for the disease2 7#b7 providing care for individuals with thyroid disease2 7#c7 communicating with patients about thyroid disease2 7#d7 enhancing the prevention of implicit bias in the provision of care2 and 7#e7 related topics1 including research on the reasons why thyroid disease occurs4 7c7 ,dissemination of information ,the ,secretary may disseminate information under subsection 7a7 directly or through arrangements with intra-agency initiatives1 nonprofit organizations1 consumer groups1 institutions of higher education1 or ,federal1 ,state1 or local public-private partnerships4 7d7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #c1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 #e4 ,collaboration with relevant professional societies ,in carrying out this ,act1 the ,secretary shall collaborate with-- 7#a7 relevant professional societies2 and 7#b7 relevant agencies of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 including the ,national ,institutes of ,health4 #f4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given to such term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja74 7#b7 ,racial and ethnic minority group ,the term racial and ethnic minority group has the meaning given such term in section #agjg7;g7 of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjju-#f7;g774 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services4 7#d7 ,thyroid disease ,the term thyroid disease means-- 7,a7 disorders and abnormalities of thyroid gland function2 and 7,b7 abnormalities of thyroid structure1 including thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer4