Equal Access to Therapeutics Act

Bill: 117-hr-6625
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Davis, Rodney [R-IL-13]
Introduced: 2022-02-07
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Civil actions and liability

Department of Health and Human Services

Drug therapy

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Federal officials

Government liability

Health care coverage and access

Health facilities and institutions

Health programs administration and funding

Immunology and vaccination

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Minority health

Racial and ethnic relations
Latest action: action_date: 2022-02-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-02-07
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Equal Access to Therapeutics Act</strong></p> <p>This bill prohibits using race or ethnicity as a factor in decisions about an individual's access to COVID-19 treatments (e.g., monoclonal antibody therapies).</p> <p>Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may not adopt any policy or guidance that allows race or ethnicity to be factored into such decisions. Furthermore, the Secretary of HHS shall be personally liable for the death of any individual who is denied access to COVID-19 treatments pursuant to a prohibited policy or guidance.</p> <p>The bill also prohibits hospitals or other health care providers that have policies restricting access to COVID-19 treatments based on race or ethnicity from receiving federal funds.</p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6625 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 7, 2022 Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois (for himself, Ms. Malliotakis , Mr. Garbarino , Mr. Graves of Missouri , Ms. Van Duyne , Mr. Feenstra , Mr. Lamborn , Mrs. Cammack , Mr. Bost , and Ms. Tenney ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from issuing guidance intended to restrict access to COVID–19 monoclonal antibody therapies and other treatments.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Equal Access to Therapeutics Act . 2. Prohibition on restrictions on direct access to COVID–19 monoclonal antibody therapies (a) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may not issue, implement, or continue in effect any policy or guidance intended to base any determination on whether an individual may access COVID–19 monoclonal antibody therapies and other COVID–19 treatments on the race or ethnicity of such individual. (b) Penalties The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall be held personally liable for the death of any individual who is denied access to COVID–19 monoclonal antibody therapies and other treatments pursuant to any policy or guidance prohibited under subsection (a). 3. Prohibition on Federal funding to hospitals and health care providers who restrict access to COVID–19 monoclonal antibody therapies No Federal funds may be disbursed to any hospital or other health care provider that has in effect a policy that restricts access by individuals to COVID–19 monoclonal antibody therapies and other COVID–19 treatments based on the race or ethnicity of such individuals.