On October 5, the House approved, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 918) aimed at improving the prevention, early detection, and treatment of chronic diseases among health disparity populations. The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the measure on September 30 (see The Source, 10/1/04).
Sponsored by Rep. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic Disease Prevention Act would authorize funding through FY2008 for grants to provide individuals of health disparity populations with prevention, early detection, treatment, and appropriate follow-up care services for cancer and other chronic diseases. Under the bill, grants could be used for community outreach to populations that have been identified as underserved or having health disparities, patient referrals for treatment, assistance for individuals at risk of developing cancer or other chronic diseases, and assistance for patients to overcome barriers within the health care system. The grant program would sunset on September 30, 2010.
H.R. 918 would allow states to extend Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits to the parents of eligible children, pregnant women, all children up to the age of 20, residents at or below the federal poverty line, and legal immigrants. The measure would require federal agencies and recipients of federal funds to collect data on race, ethnicity, and primary language. The bill also would expand the Offices of Civil Rights and Minority Health within the Department of Health and Human Services, and would create minority health offices within the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Rep. Menendez said that the bill would “ensure that all Americans, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, language or geography will have access to prevention screening and treatment, and that they will have an advocate at their side helping them navigate through today’s complicated health care system,” adding, “The bill addresses what I believe are the root causes of health disparities in minority and underserved communities. That is, lack of access to health care, particularly prevention and early detection. The bottom line is, the only way to stay healthy is to see a doctor when you are healthy. Unfortunately, patients in health disparity communities are less likely to receive early screening and detection, so their disease is found at a much later stage and they have less of a chance of survival. That is why we are here today, to give those people the chance they deserve for a long, healthy life.”
Stating her hope that the bill would “serve as a springboard for launching many more navigator programs,” Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH) stated, “These are extraordinary programs, and they are making real differences in the lives of people who are suffering, people who may not otherwise even know that they are sick. Or if they do, people who may not do what is necessary to get better. These are the people we need to reach, and this bill is a healthy start. By furthering collaboration between the private and the public sectors, we will maximize our resources and close in on that day when cancer and other chronic diseases no longer threaten the lives of our loved ones.”
