WASHINGTON, DC – The House of Representatives last night approved four Energy and Commerce Committee bills to improve public health, building on the committee’s proven record of bipartisan success. Each measure was approved by voice vote.

H.R. 4067 will help ensure patients, including Medicare patients and those in rural communities, have access to health care they need. The bill would delay until the end of the year enforcement of supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access hospitals. This delay would give CMS and provider groups time to identify which services will fall under the requirement.

H.R. 669, the Sudden Unexpected Death and Data Enhancement and Awareness Act, introduced by Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Peter King (R-NY), provides for activities to help improve the understanding of stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained death in children.

H.R. 4290, the Wakefield Act, introduced by Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) and Rep. Pete King (R-NY), reauthorizes grant programs that support the expansion, improvement, and evaluation of emergency medical services for children. The program supports the training and education of EMS providers and identifies innovative models that can increase pediatric care in rural and tribal communities. The bill also would support the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network that facilitates collaborative research on pediatric EMSC. 

H.R. 4701, the Vector-Borne Disease Research Accountability and Transparency Act, introduced by Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY), establishes a working group to review federal activities at the Department of Health and Human Services related to Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

"Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States…The Center for Disease Control now estimates that around 300,000 people in the Unites States are diagnosed each year with Lyme’s disease, making it a substantial public health problem," said Health Subcommittee Vice Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) during the floor debate. "H.R. 4701 is an important bill that addresses the growing threat of Lyme disease in the United States, it prioritizes federal research on Lyme and related diseases, and gives patients a seat at the table."

"We have had great success in public health in the 113th Congress, with a proven record of bipartisan results that will truly make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans," said Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA). "But we can do better. With these four health bills that have passed the House with broad support, we now have over four-dozen Energy and Commerce Committee bills sitting on the Senate’s doorstep, waiting for consideration. We have made great progress on advancing solutions to help all Americans, and it is time for the Senate to do its job." 

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