CARING for Social Determinants Act of 2021

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of seven bills that originated in the Health Subcommittee of Energy & Commerce. I'm proud of my Subcommittee's bipartisan work on these critical bills which tackle hard problems, including substance use treatment, vaccine access, and the social inequities that result in poor health outcomes, especially for mothers and people of color.

Two of the bills we're considering help address the overdose crisis our nation currently faces. According to the CDC, overdose deaths spiked after the start of the pandemic. There were 93,000 overdose deaths in 2020, a 30 percent increase from the year prior, making 2020 the deadliest year for overdoses on record, with synthetic opioids the primary driver of the overall increase in overdose deaths across America.

H.R. 2355, the ``Opioid Prescription Verification Act of 2021,'' enables HHS and the CDC to help combat this urgent overdose epidemic by facilitating responsible, informed dispensing of controlled substances. I thank my colleagues Reps. Rodney Davis, Gus Bilirakis, and Ann Wagner for authoring this legislation.

H.R. 2364, the ``Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act,'' directs the CDC to conduct a public awareness campaign on the dangers of synthetic opioids and available treatments. It also requires the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to make educational materials for first responders about synthetic opioid exposure prevention. I thank my colleagues Reps. Andy Kim and Chris Pappas for authoring this legislation.

The next three bills aim to ensure that every American, no matter their age. race, or income, are empowered to receive the ``dose of hope'' from vaccine protection. As we've seen during the pandemic, there are lifesaving benefits of safe, effective, and free vaccines.

H.R. 951, the ``Maternal Vaccination Act,'' helps to enhance maternal health care quality and outcomes. It authorizes $2 million annually for the next four years to increase awareness of the importance of combatting vaccine-preventable infection diseases during pregnancy. In the United States, pregnant women and infants are disproportionately susceptible to complications of infectious diseases such as influenza and whooping cough. Available vaccine data shows that vaccinations against these diseases confer protection to both mothers and newborns with no increased risk of adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes, and they are highly recommended by the CDC. I thank my colleague Rep. Terri Sewell for authoring this legislation.

H.R. 550, the ``Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2021,'' will create a national policy framework and provide resources to improve immunization information systems allowing for better management of routine vaccinations and enhancing our public health response to future pandemics. I thank my colleagues Reps. Ann Kuster and Larry Bucshon for their leadership authoring this legislation.

H.R. 1550, the ``PREVENT HPV Cancers Act of 2021,'' will create a national CDC public awareness campaign targeted to communities with the lowest HPV vaccination rates to increase vaccinations and prevent HPV cancers. I thank my colleague Rep. Kathy Castor for her leadership authoring this legislation.

The final two bills address social inequities that result in poor health outcomes and hurt the most vulnerable amongst us.

H.R. 4026, the ``Social Determinants of Health Data Analysis Act of 2021,'' calls for a GAO report on the HHS Secretary's actions to help inform Congress' next steps in addressing the factors that are at the heart of the health disparities across the country. I thank my colleagues Reps. Michael Burgess and Lisa Blunt Rochester for authoring this legislation.

H.R. 3894, the ``CARING for Social Determinants Act of 2021,'' directs the HHS to provide guidance to states on how to address social determinants of health through Medicaid and CHIP. I thank my colleagues Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Gus Bilirakis for authoring this legislation.

I urge my colleagues to vote for these bills and I thank the members of the House Health Subcommittee and the bipartisan sponsors of each bill for their good work.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3894) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue and disseminate guidance to States to clarify strategies to address social determinants of health under the Medicaid program and the Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3894.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, environmental factors can have a tremendous effect on an individual's health. Where a person lives, their level of education, their food security, and many other aspects of a person's life, can affect their health and well-being. These are often called the social determinants of health.

Healthcare providers and insurance plans are looking more and more at addressing some of these social determinants in order to improve individual health. State Medicaid programs have been especially engaged on this front.

Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult for States and insurance plans to understand the various authorities available in Medicaid to address the social determinants of health. Likewise, it can also be difficult to see how other States are using those authorities in creative new ways.

H.R. 3894, the Collecting and Analyzing Resources Integral and Necessary for Guidance for Social Determinants Act, will give States a valuable new resource to ensure that they are able to use Medicaid to the fullest extent possible.

H.R. 3894 will ensure that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regularly updates its guidance to States on how they can use Medicaid to address the social determinants of health. It will also require CMS to provide examples of how other States are using Medicaid to address the social and environmental factors that can affect people's health.

I want to thank Representatives Blunt Rochester and Burgess for their work on this important bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no Members who wish to speak, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3894, the CARING for Social Determinants Act of 2021, a bill led by

Representatives Blunt Rochester and Bilirakis.

Research shows that socioeconomic conditions, such as job loss, lack of transportation, inadequate housing, among others, can contribute to poor health outcomes.

The Trump administration took a key step at the beginning of this year by releasing guidance to States on how to better utilize Medicaid to support social determinants of health. It provided real-world examples that States are taking to improve outcomes for beneficiaries.

For example, Medicaid managed care plans in my home State of Kentucky are leading the way by using care coordinators to connect vulnerable beneficiaries to social support services like food pantries and daycare services.

The CARING for Social Determinants Act would require HHS to update this guidance every 3 years in order to drive future innovation in State Medicaid programs.

I am proud of the important steps this bill takes to improve health outcomes for some of our most vulnerable populations.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member and the chairman of the committee and, of course, the ranking member of the full committee, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, for their work on this bill.

I am honored to be here today to speak in support of H.R. 3894 and would like to thank my colleague and friend, Representative Blunt Rochester, for sponsoring this important piece of legislation. This is a really good bill.

I also want to thank my esteemed colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for their continued bipartisan efforts to benefit American patients under innovative delivery models through increased data.

The CARING for Social Determinants Act, which I proudly co-lead, would provide routine guidance and strategies to States to address the social determinants of health under the Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP program.

This bill also solidifies States' authority to continue innovative waiver payment models, which consequently improves Medicaid beneficiaries' health outcomes.

This is really a great bill, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the chairman. We truly do work in a bipartisan fashion in this committee, in most cases.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.