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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10297 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10297

   To advance research, promote awareness and education, and improve 
 health care, with respect to thyroid disease, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 4, 2024

Ms. Stevens (for herself, Ms. Underwood, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mrs. 
  Dingell, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Carson) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To advance research, promote awareness and education, and improve 
 health care, with respect to thyroid disease, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Thyroid Disease Coverage, Awareness, 
Research, and Education Act of 2024'' or the ``Thyroid Disease CARE Act 
of 2024''.

SEC. 2. THYROID DISEASE RESEARCH.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the National 
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, shall--
            (1) conduct or support research and related activities 
        regarding thyroid disease, including research--
                    (A) to investigate the root causes of thyroid 
                disease;
                    (B) to improve diagnostic techniques and develop 
                improved treatments;
                    (C) to improve thyroid cancer-related care, 
                including the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of 
                thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer;
                    (D) to enhance the quality of thyroid cancer 
                survivorship, including understanding how a thyroid 
                cancer diagnosis impacts women of reproductive years 
                and beyond;
                    (E) to understand the symptoms of patients treated 
                for thyroid disease and to design studies to improve 
                symptom management;
                    (F) to assess--
                            (i) thyroid disease prevalence, detection, 
                        treatment, and outcome disparties by race, 
                        ethnicity, geography, primary language, sex, 
                        sexual orientation, gender identity, disability 
                        status, and insurance status, and related 
                        topics as determined by the Secretary; and
                            (ii) with respect to thyroid cancer 
                        patients, such disparities relating to primary 
                        tumor site, tumor morphology, stage at 
                        diagnosis, and first course of treatment; and
                    (G) to study the effects of thyroid disease, 
                including subclinical hypothyroidism, in patients who 
                continue to experience symptoms despite their test 
                results becoming normal; and
            (2) propose recommendations on how to address research gaps 
        relating to disparities referred to in paragraph (1)(F).
    (b) Interim Report.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, 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 Health, Education, Labor, 
        and Pensions of the Senate; and
            (2) make such report publicly available.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2025 through 2029.

SEC. 3. ANALYZING RESEARCH GAPS AND DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS WITH 
              RESPECT TO THYROID DISEASE.

    (a) Research.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) identify and analyze gaps in research on diagnosing and 
        treating thyroid disease;
            (2) analyze--
                    (A) the disproportionate impacts of thyroid disease 
                on specific populations, disaggregated by race, 
                ethnicity, geography, primary language, sex, sexual 
                orientation, gender identity, disability status, and 
                insurance status, with a particular focus on such 
                disproportionate impacts on women;
                    (B) the reasons for the disproportionate impacts 
                referred to in subparagraph (A) in such specific 
                populations, including with respect to disproportionate 
                access to specialized care; and
                    (C) the level of knowledge of health care 
                professionals about such disproportionate impacts; and
            (3) analyze, and formulate recommendations with respect to, 
        better options for--
                    (A) diagnosing and treating thyroid disease in such 
                populations; and
                    (B) paying for such diagnosis and treatment.
    (b) Topics.--In carrying out the analysis under subsection (a), the 
Secretary may assess--
            (1) 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 programs;
            (2) data collected through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, 
        and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer 
        Institute;
            (3) data collected through the Medicare program under title 
        XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.);
            (4) 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 issuer;
            (5) data from nationally representative sample surveys 
        (such as the National Health Interview Survey of the Centers 
        for Disease Control and Prevention (or any successor survey)); 
        and
            (6) such other data as the Secretary determines relevant.
    (c) Data Collection.--To carry out the analysis under subsection 
(a), the Secretary may request--
            (1) group health plans (as defined in section 2791 of the 
        Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-91)), health 
        insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance 
        coverage (as so defined), and health benefits plans offered 
        under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program under 
        chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code, to provide such 
        information as may be required to assess barriers that 
        individuals diagnosed with thyroid disease face in accessing 
        treatments for thyroid disease symptoms, including a lack of 
        insurance coverage and cost-sharing requirements for such 
        treatments; and
            (2) State Medicaid programs and State children's health 
        insurance programs to collect and report, through the 
        Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System, data 
        related to services furnished to individuals diagnosed with 
        thyroid disease for the treatment of thyroid disease symptoms, 
        including data stratified by relevant demographic 
        characteristics.
    (d) Privacy Requirements.--In carrying out the analysis under 
subsection (a), including making requests under subsection (c), and in 
submitting the report under subsection (e), the Secretary shall ensure 
that the privacy and confidentiality of individual patients are 
protected in a manner consistent with relevant privacy and 
confidentiality laws.
    (e) Report.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) not later than two years after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, 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 
        section; and
            (2) not later than the end of fiscal year 2029, submit to 
        Congress and make publicly available on the website of the 
        Department of Health and Human Services a final report on such 
        analysis.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2025 through 2029.

SEC. 4. PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN WITH RESPECT TO THYROID DISEASE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a public awareness 
campaign regarding thyroid disease, including by developing and 
disseminating information on--
            (1) the awareness, incidence, and prevalence of thyroid 
        disease and associated impacts, with a particular focus on the 
        disparities and disproportionate impacts described in sections 
        2(a)(1)(F) and 3(a)(2), especially on women;
            (2) the availability, as medically appropriate, of the 
        range of treatment options for symptoms of thyroid disease;
            (3) how patients can better recognize the signs and 
        symptoms of thyroid disease; and
            (4) whether there are benefits of routine screening, 
        especially during pregnancy and reproductive stages.
    (b) Information to Health Care Providers.--In carrying out the 
public awareness campaign under subsection (a), the Secretary, in 
consultation with relevant health care professional societies and 
associations, shall disseminate information to health care 
professionals, health care-related organizations, and health systems to 
promote evidence-based care for individuals with thyroid disease, 
including information related to--
            (1) detecting and diagnosing thyroid disease with an 
        emphasis on better addressing thyroid disease in populations at 
        increased risk for the disease;
            (2) providing care for individuals with thyroid disease;
            (3) communicating with patients about thyroid disease;
            (4) enhancing the prevention of implicit bias in the 
        provision of care; and
            (5) related topics, including research on the reasons why 
        thyroid disease occurs.
    (c) Dissemination of Information.--The Secretary may disseminate 
information under subsection (a) directly or through arrangements with 
intra-agency initiatives, nonprofit organizations, consumer groups, 
institutions of higher education, or Federal, State, or local public-
private partnerships.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2025 through 2029.

SEC. 5. COLLABORATION WITH RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES.

    In carrying out this Act, the Secretary shall collaborate with--
            (1) relevant professional societies; and
            (2) relevant agencies of the Department of Health and Human 
        Services, including the National Institutes of Health.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given to 
        such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
        (20 U.S.C. 1001).
            (2) Racial and ethnic minority group.--The term ``racial 
        and ethnic minority group'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
        300u-6(g)).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.
            (4) Thyroid disease.--The term ``thyroid disease'' means--
                    (A) disorders and abnormalities of thyroid gland 
                function; and
                    (B) abnormalities of thyroid structure, including 
                thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.
                                 <all>
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