A bill to ensure that all Americans have basic health literacy skills to function effectively as patients and health care consumers.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Health Literacy Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Low health literacy is a problem for half of all 
        American adults, or 100,000,000 individuals.
            (2) Health literacy problems impact health care cost, 
        quality of care, and health outcomes.
            (3) Ensuring that individuals have health literacy skills 
        is critical to their ability to function effectively as 
        patients and health care consumers.
            (4) Health literacy skills are needed to communicate with 
        health care providers, to understand self-care instructions, to 
        understand and complete medical forms, to comply with treatment 
        regimens, and to complete a host of other important health care 
        tasks.
            (5) Low health literacy costs billions of dollars each year 
        in avoidable health care expenses, the majority of which is 
        borne by the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
            (6) The elderly and chronically ill are among those most 
        at-risk of low health literacy. Those with the greatest health 
        care needs are the heaviest users of health care and may be 
        least able to respond to their health situation.
            (7) The Institute of Medicine's landmark report published 
        in 2004, ``Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion'', 
        identifies health literacy as ``critical to successful health 
        care''.
            (8) Former Surgeon General Carmona concluded that ``health 
        literacy can save lives, save money, and improve the health and 
        well-being of millions of Americans''.

SEC. 3. HEALTH LITERACY: STRATEGIC PLANNING, RESEARCH AND COORDINATION.

    Part A of title IX of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 904. HEALTH LITERACY: STRATEGIC PLANNING, RESEARCH AND 
              COORDINATION.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Health literacy.--The term `health literacy' means an 
        individual's ability to obtain, process, and understand basic 
        health information and services needed to make appropriate 
        health care decisions.
            ``(2) Center.--The term `Center' means the Health Literacy 
        Implementation Center established under subsection (b).
    ``(b) Health Literacy Implementation Center.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Director shall establish within 
        the Agency a Health Literacy Implementation Center, to be 
        headed by a Director to be appointed by the Secretary, to 
        enhance efforts to help eliminate the problem of low health 
        literacy by improving measurements, research, development, and 
        information dissemination.
            ``(2) Duties.--The Center shall--
                    ``(A) gather health literacy resources from public 
                and private sources and make such resources available 
                to researchers, health care providers, and the general 
                public;
                    ``(B) sponsor demonstration and evaluation projects 
                to establish the feasibility and utility of health 
                literacy interventions and tools in various settings;
                    ``(C) develop the next generation of health 
                literacy interventions and tools, including curricula, 
                measures, and health information decision support, with 
                specific attention placed on elementary and secondary 
                schools, colleges and universities (including community 
                colleges), and adult and vocational education programs 
                and language barriers and cultural differences that 
                contribute to low health literacy rates;
                    ``(D) identify and fill research gaps relating to 
                health literacy that have direct applicability to 
                quality improvement;
                    ``(E) assist appropriate Federal agencies in 
                establishing specific objectives and strategies for 
                carrying out the purpose of the Center and in 
                monitoring the programs of such agencies;
                    ``(F) enter into implementation partnerships with 
                organizations and agencies, including the Centers for 
                Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Joint Commission on 
                the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and the 
                National Committee for Quality Assurance, to promote 
                the adoption of interventions and tools developed under 
                this section; and
                    ``(G) enter into an interagency agreement with the 
                Secretary of Education to facilitate the coordination 
                of Federal health literacy activities within the 
                Department of Health and Human Services and the 
                Department of Education.
            ``(3) Public meetings.--The Center shall convene at least 
        one annual public meeting to help raise awareness about the 
        problem of health literacy and Federal and State efforts to 
        address the issue. The Center shall invite representatives from 
        the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department 
        of Education, State officials, private sector groups, and other 
        interested parties involved in health literacy activities.
            ``(4) Report.--The Center shall annually submit to Congress 
        a report that includes--
                    ``(A) a comprehensive and detailed description of 
                the operations, activities, financial condition, and 
                accomplishments of the Center in the field of health 
                literacy; and
                    ``(B) a description of how plans for the operation 
                of the Center for the succeeding fiscal year will 
                facilitate achievement of the goals of the Center.
            ``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection, such sums as 
        may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
    ``(c) State Health Literacy Resource Centers.--
            ``(1) Grants.--The Director of the Center shall award 
        grants to States to provide for the establishment of a network 
        of State or regional health literacy resource centers to 
        facilitate efforts to eliminate low health literacy.
            ``(2) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant under 
        subsection (a), a State shall submit to the Director of the 
        Center an application at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Director may require, 
        including a description of how the State will structure and 
        provide services through the resource center established under 
        the grant.
            ``(3) Use of funds.--A State shall use amounts received 
        under a grant under this section to--
                    ``(A) support efforts to better understand the 
                nature and scope of low health literacy among the 
                State's population;
                    ``(B) assist public and private efforts in the 
                State in coordinating and delivering health literacy 
                services;
                    ``(C) encourage State and local government and 
                industry partnerships to coordinate efforts to address 
                low health literacy;
                    ``(D) provide technical and policy assistance to 
                State and local governments and service providers; and
                    ``(E) monitor and evaluate programs conducted under 
                this grant.
            ``(4) Meetings.--A State health literacy resource center 
        shall meet at least once each year to share models of best 
        practices. A summary report with respect to such meeting shall 
        be made available to the public to facilitate the dissemination 
        of effective State-based practices
            ``(5) Report.--Not later than September 30, or each fiscal 
        year for which a grant is received by a State under this 
        section, the State shall submit to the Director of the Center a 
        report that shall describe the programs supported by the grant 
        and the results of monitoring and evaluation of those programs.
            ``(6) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection, $10,000,000 
        for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.''.

SEC. 4. INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall enter 
into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to conduct a study to 
identify opportunities within the Department of Health and Human 
Services to improve the public's health literacy through the Medicare 
and Medicaid programs under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 and 1396 et seq.) and at the Food and Drug 
Administration.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Institute of Medicine shall submit to the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services and the appropriate committees of Congress, a 
report concerning the results of the study conducted under subsection 
(a).

Summary: National Health Literacy Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to establish within the Agency a Health Literacy Implementation Center to enhance efforts to eliminate low health literacy by improving measurements, research, development, and information dissemination. Defines "health literacy" as an individual's ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health care decisions.

Directs the Center to: (1) make health literacy resources available to researchers, health care providers, and the public; (2) sponsor demonstration and evaluation projects; (3) develop the next generation of health literacy interventions and tools; (4) identify and fill research gaps relating to health literacy that have direct applicability to quality improvement; (5) assist federal agencies in establishing specific objectives and strategies for carrying out the Center's purpose and in monitoring programs; (6) enter into implementation partnerships to promote adoption of literacy interventions and tools; and (7) enter into an interagency agreement to facilitate coordination of health literacy activities within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Education.

Requires: (1) the Center to convene at least one annual public meeting to help raise awareness about the problem of health literacy and federal and state efforts to address the issue; (2) the Director of the Center to award grants to states to provide for the establishment of a network of state or regional health literacy resource centers; (3) a state health literacy resource center to meet at least annually to share a model of best practices; and (4) the HHS Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to identify opportunities within HHS to improve the public's health literacy through the Medicare and Medicaid programs and at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).