Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a program to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequities by, for example, coordinating activities across the CDC. As part of the program, the CDC must award grants to eligible organizations to build capacity to address social determinants of health. The CDC shall provide for an independent evaluation of certain grants and report findings to Congress.
This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and revises the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. Under the program, the Department of Energy provides grants to local governments, states, and Indian tribes for energy efficiency and conservation projects and programs. This bill expands the allowable uses of grant funds to include the deployment of energy distribution technologies that significantly expand access to alternative fuels.
Jobs to Fight COVID-19 Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Labor to award grants to states and other governmental and native American entities to (1) support the recruitment, placement, and training of—and provide employment to—certain individuals seeking employment in COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) contact tracing and pandemic response positions; and (2) assist with the transition to new employment or education and training of these individuals in preparation for and upon termination of such employment. The employees must be paid at least the required prevailing wage and fringe benefit rates. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services and state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments, must establish and implement a national evidence-based system for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, surveillance, containment, and mitigation. The CDC shall also award grants or contracts to these entities for such activities and to public entities to implement multilingual and culturally appropriate COVID-19 awareness campaigns.
Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2021 This bill makes permanent several telehealth flexibilities that were initially authorized during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), particularly with respect to Medicare coverage of telehealth services. For example, the bill permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner) for telehealth services under Medicare. Payment must be made in the same manner as for non-telehealth services, rather than in accordance with a separate methodology determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The bill also permanently allows beneficiaries to receive Medicare telehealth services at any site, regardless of type or location, and grants the CMS general authority to waive any other requirements during any emergency period.
Women and Climate Change Act of 2021 This bill addresses climate change and its effects on women and girls. Specifically, the bill establishes the Federal Interagency Working Group on Women and Climate Change within the Department of State. The bill outlines the functions of the working group, including the coordination of agencies' policies and activities relating to combating the effects of climate change on women and improving the government's response to and strategy for climate change. In addition, the Office of Global Women's Issues of the State Department must submit a strategy to prevent and respond to the effects of climate change on women.
End Diaper Need Act of 2021 This bill establishes and expands programs to increase access to diapers and related supplies primarily for low-income families. The Department of Health and Human Services must award demonstration grants to entities with experience in community distribution of basic necessities or other community services to meet diapering needs of eligible families with infants and toddlers. Additionally, the bill permits states to use Medicaid funds to provide medically necessary diapers and supplies to certain low-income families. These families must have a child who is over age three and diagnosed with a serious condition such as bowel or bladder incontinence. It also allows individuals to buy medically necessary diapers and supplies with funds from health savings accounts and other tax-advantaged accounts for health care expenses.
Insular Area Medicaid Parity Act This bill eliminates Medicaid funding limitations for U.S. territories beginning in FY2021.
COVID-19 Cold Storage Expansion Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse health care providers for costs to obtain and operate certain equipment capable of maintaining cold storage of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccines. To receive this reimbursement, health care providers must sign an agreement to participate in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 Vaccination Program. The agreement sets out prioritization, reporting, and other requirements for the program.
Lung Cancer Screening Registry and Quality Improvement Act of 2021 This bill establishes several grant programs and requirements for registries that collect data from lung cancer screenings with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) under Medicare. (Currently, for purposes of Medicare coverage, radiology imaging facilities that furnish such LDCT screenings must report certain data to approved registries.) Specifically, the bill provides funds for FY2022-FY2026 for grants to help entities establish free registries, and requires registries to be interoperable in order to receive federal funds. The bill also provides grants to support the development of related quality measures for lung cancer screenings.
COVID-19 Prevention and Awareness Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award various grants to federally qualified health centers and other organizations to prevent, treat, and raise awareness of certain diseases or conditions, such as asthma or cancer, that increase the risk of mortality from COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
Protecting Life in Crisis Act This bill specifies that federal funds allocated for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts may not, in general, be used for abortions. Current law generally prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions through language included in appropriations bills, such as the Hyde Amendment. The bill also restricts the use of federal tax credits or other federal funding for health insurance coverage if the coverage includes abortions.
This concurrent resolution recognizes the difficult challenges Black veterans faced when returning home after serving in the Armed Forces, their heroic military sacrifices, and their patriotism in fighting for equal rights and for the dignity of a people and a nation. The concurrent resolution also recognizes the need for the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue to work to eliminate any health and benefit disparities for minority veterans.
