Congressional Panel Considers Two Cardiac Health Bills
On February 14th, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health convened a legislative hearing to consider proposals to support patients and caregivers.
During the hearing lawmakers heard testimony from a panel of witnesses including Dr. Gordon Tomaselli, MD, former president of the American Heart Association. Dr. Tomaselli spoke in support of both H.R. 7189, the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act and H.R. 6829, the Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Research, and Training in the Schools (HEARTS) Act.
The Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act, introduced by Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Maria Salazar (R-Fla.), and Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), extends funding for public health efforts to improve childhood survival rates, prevent premature death and disability, and increase quality of life for Americans living with congenital heart disease. The HEARTS Act, introduced by Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), aims to combat sudden cardiac arrest in young people through the development of educational materials and resources on cardiomyopathy for public awareness and distribution. The bill also calls for guidelines regarding the placement of automated external defibrillators in schools.
The Committee also discussed reauthorization of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (H.R. 7153), which supports programs to help improve mental health training and awareness for health care professionals. During his testimony, Corey Feist, Co-Founder and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation, underscored the need for systemic efforts to reduce and eliminate administrative burdens as critical to addressing health care provider burnout. HRS will continue to monitor the committee's action on the legislation.