Index for HR3962: Affordable Health Care for America Act

To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.

Mr. Dingell (for himself, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Waxman, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Stark, Mr. Pallone, and Mr. Andrews) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

(a) In general.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”), acting through the Director, shall award grants to eligible entities to create, implement, and oversee infant mortality pilot programs.

(b) Period of a grant.—The period of a grant under this section shall be 5 consecutive fiscal years.

(c) Preference.—In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to eligible entities proposing to serve any of the 15 counties or groups of counties with the highest rates of infant mortality in the United States in the past 3 years.

(d) Use of Funds.—Any infant mortality pilot program funded under this section may—

(1) include the development of a plan that identifies the individual needs of each community to be served and strategies to address those needs;

(2) provide outreach to at-risk mothers through programs deemed appropriate by the Director;

(3) develop and implement standardized systems for improved access, utilization, and quality of social, educational, and clinical services to promote healthy pregnancies, full term births, and healthy infancies delivered to women and their infants, such as—

(A) counseling on infant care, feeding, and parenting;

(B) postpartum care;

(C) prevention of premature delivery; and

(D) additional counseling for at-risk mothers, including smoking cessation programs, drug treatment programs, alcohol treatment programs, nutrition and physical activity programs, postpartum depression and domestic violence programs, social and psychological services, dental care, and parenting programs;

(4) establish a rural outreach program to provide care to at-risk mothers in rural areas;

(5) establish a regional public education campaign, including a campaign to—

(A) prevent preterm births; and

(B) educate the public about infant mortality; and

(6) provide for any other activities, programs, or strategies as identified by the community plan.

(e) Limitation.—Of the funds received through a grant under this section for a fiscal year, an eligible entity shall not use more than 10 percent for program evaluation.

(f) Reports on Pilot Programs.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after receiving a grant, and annually thereafter for the duration of the grant period, each entity that receives a grant under subsection (a) shall submit a report to the Secretary detailing its infant mortality pilot program.

(2) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—The reports required under paragraph (1) shall include information such as the methodology of, and outcomes and statistics from, the grantee’s infant mortality pilot program.

(3) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall use the reports required under paragraph (1) to evaluate, and conduct statistical research on, infant mortality pilot programs funded through this section.

(g) Definitions.—For the purposes of this section:

(1) DIRECTOR.—The term “Director” means the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term “eligible entity” means a State, county, city, territorial, or tribal health department that has submitted a proposal to the Secretary that the Secretary deems likely to reduce infant mortality rates within the standard metropolitan statistical area involved.

(3) TRIBAL.—The term “tribal” refers to an Indian tribe, a Tribal organization, or an Urban Indian organization, as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

(h) Authorization of appropriations.—To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015.