I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2355 
To provide for a national public outreach and education campaign to raise 
public awareness of women’s preventive health, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2015 
Mr. BERA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To provide for a national public outreach and education 
campaign to raise public awareness of women’s preven-
tive health, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Preventive 
Health Awareness Campaign’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Well-woman visits are the foundation on 
which women’s preventive care is built. Such visits 
include not only specific screening tests, but also a 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
medical history, physical examination, evaluation 
and counseling, and, as indicated, vaccinations. 
(2) Well-woman visits facilitate increased access 
to health care that is shown to identify chronic dis-
ease risk factors, promote well-being, and decrease 
the likelihood or delay the onset of a targeted dis-
ease or condition. 
(3) Heart disease, stroke, and other cardio-
vascular diseases are the number one cause of death 
in American women, responsible for 1 in every 4 fe-
male deaths. 
(4) Women are more likely than men to have 
forgone needed health care due to cost; 1 in 5 
women postponed preventive services in the past 
year due to cost. 
(5) Between 2002 and 2010, screening mam-
mography rates among women in the United States 
who were 50 years of age to 64 years of age declined 
from about 79 percent to 73 percent. 
(6) In 2010, only 45 percent of 18- to 64-year- 
olds in the United States reported having ever re-
ceived an HIV test. 
(7) Among sexually active females in the United 
States ages 16–25 years of age, only 44.7 percent 
were screened for Chlamydia. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(8) The proportion of women in the United 
States 22 years of age to 30 years of age who re-
ported never having had a Pap test increased from 
6.6 percent in 2000 to 9.0 percent in 2010 despite 
current recommendations that they receive a Pap 
test every three years. 
(9) In 2007, 29.3 percent of women in the 
United States delivering a live birth did not receive 
any prenatal care in the first trimester, even though 
first trimester prenatal care is recommended. 
(10) During the 2013–2014 flu season, almost 
48 percent of pregnant women did not receive rec-
ommended vaccination against influenza. 
(11) Over half (51 percent) of the 6.6 million 
pregnancies in the United States each year are unin-
tended. Multiple studies have shown that improved 
access to birth control significantly improves the 
health of women and their families, as it is directly 
linked to improved maternal and infant health out-
comes. Women that plan their pregnancies are more 
likely to access prenatal care, improving their own 
health and the health of their children. 
(12) Between 2006 and 2010, one-third of all 
pregnancies were conceived within 18 months of a 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
previous birth, an interval that is potentially harmful 
to the health of the mother. 
(13) Improved access to family planning also 
saves money. For every $1.00 invested in family 
planning, taxpayers save more than $5.00 in Med-
icaid-related expenses. 
SEC. 3. WOMEN’S PREVENTIVE HEALTH AWARENESS CAM-
PAIGN. 
Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 280g et al.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 399V–6. WOMEN’S PREVENTIVE HEALTH AWARENESS 
CAMPAIGN. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide for 
the planning and implementation of a national public out-
reach and education campaign to raise public awareness, 
including provider awareness, of women’s preventive 
health. Such campaign shall include the media campaign 
under subsection (b) and the website under subsection (c) 
and shall provide for the dissemination of information 
that— 
‘‘(1) describes the guidelines for women’s pre-
ventive services, including the cervical cancer rec-
ommendations updated in 2012, by the United 
States Preventive Services Task Force, by the Amer-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
ican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 
(ACOG), and by the American Cancer Society, the 
American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pa-
thology, and the American Society for Clinical Pa-
thology; 
‘‘(2) promotes well-woman visits for health as-
sessments which include screenings, evaluations, 
counseling, immunizations, and prenatal visits, as 
appropriate; 
‘‘(3) explains the women’s preventive services 
that are required under section 2713 to be covered 
without cost-sharing by a group health plan or a 
health insurance issuer offering group or individual 
health insurance coverage that is not a grand-
fathered plan (as defined in section 1251(e) of the 
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act); and 
‘‘(4) addresses health disparities in the area of 
women’s prevention. 
‘‘(b) MEDIA CAMPAIGN.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this section, as part of 
the campaign under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall establish and implement a national media cam-
paign. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT OF CAMPAIGN.—The cam-
paign implemented under paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) shall disseminate information about 
the updated guidelines for women’s preventive 
services described in subsection (a)(1), promote 
well-woman 
visits 
described 
in 
subsection 
(a)(2), and provide information on the women’s 
preventive services described in subsection 
(a)(3); and 
‘‘(B) may include the use of television, 
radio, Internet, and other commercial mar-
keting venues. 
‘‘(c) WEBSITE.—As part of the campaign under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall, in consultation with pri-
vate sector experts or through contract with a private enti-
ty including a medical association or non-profit organiza-
tion, maintain and update an Internet website to provide 
information and resources about the updated guidelines 
for women’s preventive services described in subsection 
(a)(1), promote well-woman visits, and provide informa-
tion on the women’s preventive services described in sub-
section (a)(3). 
‘‘(d) FUNDING.—The Secretary may use, out of any 
funds otherwise made available to the Department of 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Health and Human Services, such sums as may be nec-
essary to carry out this section.’’. 
SEC. 4. CLARIFICATION OF COVERAGE FOR WOMEN’S PRE-
VENTIVE HEALTH SERVICES. 
Section 2713 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 300gg–13) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(d) CLARIFICATION OF COVERAGE FOR WOMEN’S 
PREVENTIVE HEALTH SERVICES.—In applying subsection 
(a), with respect to women, the following shall apply: 
‘‘(1) Well-woman visits, in addition to such 
well-woman visits recommended in the Health Re-
sources and Services Administration guidelines shall 
be treated as described in paragraph (4) of such 
subsection, with respect to a woman, if a health care 
provider determines that such woman requires such 
additional well-woman visits to obtain all necessary 
preventive services recommended under such guide-
lines and under this section, depending on the wom-
an’s health status, health needs, and other risk fac-
tors. 
‘‘(2) The entirety of any such well-woman visit 
shall be treated as described in such paragraph (4) 
and any additional facility fee or office visit fee shall 
be in violation of the requirement under such sub-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
section to provide for coverage of such visit without 
the imposition of any cost sharing requirement. 
‘‘(3) If a recommendation or guideline pursuant 
to subsection (a) with respect to a preventive service 
does not specify the frequency, method, treatment, 
or setting for the provision of such service, the plan 
or issuer involved may use reasonable medical man-
agement techniques to determine any coverage limi-
tations with respect to frequency, method, treat-
ment, or setting for the provision of such service. 
‘‘(4) If a preventive service to which this section 
is applicable is furnished to a woman by a health 
care provider who is not within the provider network 
of the group health plan or health insurance cov-
erage in which the woman is enrolled and there is 
no health care provider who is within such network 
who has the capacity to provide the service, then 
such service furnished by such out-of-network pro-
vider shall be covered under such plan or coverage 
without the imposition of any cost sharing require-
ment. 
‘‘(5) Nothing in this section or any regulation 
implementing this section shall be construed as re-
quiring that each preventive health service to which 
this section applies be provided in a separate visit. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Efficient care delivery and the delivery of multiple 
prevention and screening services at a single visit 
shall be permissible under this section and such reg-
ulations as a reasonable medical management tech-
nique. 
‘‘(6) In determining the categorization of a 
service under this section as having a rating of ‘A’ 
or ‘B’ in the recommendations of the United States 
Preventive Services Task Force, a woman who is at 
high risk for a disease by reason of the family or 
personal history of such woman with respect to such 
disease, shall be treated in the same manner as a 
woman identified at high risk for such disease by 
reason of being among a population at high risk for 
such disease. 
‘‘(7) In applying paragraph (6), in the case that 
a health care provider determines that a woman is 
at high risk for a disease such woman shall be treat-
ed as at high risk for such disease. 
‘‘(8) 
‘‘The recommendation applied pursuant to 
subsection (a) for genetic counseling and eval-
uation for routine breast cancer susceptibility 
gene (BRCA) shall be treated as including a 
recommendation for both genetic counseling 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
and BRCA testing, if appropriate, for a woman 
as determined by the health care provider of 
such woman. 
‘‘(9) The recommendation applied pursuant to 
subsection (a) for annual HIV counseling and 
screening for all sexually active women, shall be 
treated as applying to testing as well as screening. 
‘‘(10) The recommendation applied pursuant to 
subsection (a) for breast-feeding support shall be 
treated as including comprehensive prenatal and 
postnatal lactation support, counseling, and rental or 
purchase of equipment for the duration of breast- 
feeding, subject to reasonable medical management. 
‘‘(11) The guidelines supported under sub-
section (a)(4) shall be treated as including the rec-
ommendation of one form of contraception in each 
of the methods identified by the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration in its current Birth Control Guide as 
well as clinical services needed for provision of such 
contraceptive method, including patient education 
and counseling. 
‘‘(12) In applying paragraph (11), within each 
method described in such paragraph, a group health 
plan or health insurance issuer may utilize reason-
able medical management techniques and may im-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
pose cost sharing on some items and services to en-
courage an individual to use specific items and serv-
ices within the chosen contraceptive method, such as 
for purposes of discouraging the use of brand name 
pharmacy items over generic pharmacy items or for 
purposes of encouraging the use of one of several 
intrauterine devices with progestin approved by the 
Food and Drug Administration. 
‘‘(13) Services related to follow-up and manage-
ment of side effects, counseling for continued adher-
ence, and device removal, subject to reasonable med-
ical management, shall be treated as described in 
paragraph (4) of such subsection.’’. 
SEC. 5. INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE STUDY AND REPORT. 
(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall enter into an agreement with the Institute 
of Medicine (or, if the Institute declines to enter into such 
an agreement, another appropriate entity) to conduct a 
study to provide recommendations on the appropriate bill-
ing codes that should be included in a well-woman visit 
described in subsection (d)(1) of section 2713 of the Pub-
lic Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg–13), as added 
by section 4. 
(b) REPORT.—The Secretary shall ensure that not 
later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
this Act a report containing the recommendations under 
subsection (a), including a comprehensive list of codes de-
scribed in such subsection, is submitted to Congress. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:17 May 22, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H2355.IH
H2355
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS