[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2471 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2471

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for screenings, 
            referrals, and education regarding osteoporosis.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 12, 1999

   Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas (for herself, Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. 
  Capps, Ms. Carson, Mrs. Christensen, Mrs. Clayton, Ms. Danner, Mrs. 
Jones of Ohio, Mr. Frost, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Gonzalez, Mrs. Lowey, 
    Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mrs. Meek of Florida, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. 
   McKinney, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Ms. Waters, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. 
 Bentsen, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Clay, Mr. Rangel, 
 Mr. Dixon, Mr. Owens, Mr. Towns, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Payne, Ms. 
    Norton, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Hastings of 
Florida, Mr. Hilliard, Mr. Rush, Mr. Scott, Mr. Watt of North Carolina, 
 Mr. Wynn, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Cummings, Mr. 
 Davis of Illinois, Mr. Ford, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Lee, and Ms. 
 Kilpatrick) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for screenings, 
            referrals, and education regarding osteoporosis.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Public Health Osteoporosis 
Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Osteoporosis is a significant public health risk 
        affecting 28,000,000 Americans who either have osteoporosis or 
        are at risk of fractures due to low bone mass.
            (2) One out of two women and one in eight men over age 50 
        will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
            (3) Ten percent of African-American women over age 50 will 
        have an osteoporosis-related fracture.
            (4) While osteoporosis is often thought of as an older 
        person's disease, it can strike at any age, including in young 
        women with eating disorders or young men treated for asthma 
        with steroids.
            (5) Osteoporosis is responsible for 1,500,000 fractures 
        annually, including 300,000 hip fractures, 700,000 vertebral 
        fractures, 250,000 wrist fractures, and 300,000 fractures at 
        other sites.
            (6) A woman's risk of hip fracture is equal to her combined 
        risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.
            (7) The estimated national direct medical cost of 
        osteoporosis is $13,800,000,000 annually, which is $38,000,000 
        each day, and the cost is rising.
            (8) Osteoporosis is preventable in most people if the right 
        precautions are taken.
            (9) Only 13 percent of teen girls get the calcium necessary 
        to build their bone to peak capacity.
            (10) Most adult women are not aware of their own risk 
        factors for osteoporosis.
            (11) Women can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass in 
        the five to seven years following menopause, making them 
        susceptible to osteoporosis.
            (12) Eighty percent of fractures in adult women are 
        osteoporosis related, yet most people presenting with fractures 
        are not assessed for osteoporosis.
            (13) Only 7 percent of people with osteoporosis have been 
        diagnosed.
            (14) States are currently spending only $4,000,000 on 
        educating the public about osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis, 
        and treatment.

SEC. 3. OSTEOPOROSIS SCREENING AS REQUIRED PRIMARY HEALTH SERVICE FOR 
              FEDERAL HEALTH CENTERS.

    Section 330(b)(1)(A)(i)(III) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 254b(b)(1)(A)(i)(III)) is amended by amending item (ee) to read 
as follows:
                                            ``(ee) screenings for 
                                        elevated blood lead levels, 
                                        communicable diseases, 
                                        cholesterol, and 
                                        osteoporosis;''.

SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF STATE PROGRAMS FOR SCREENINGS, REFERRALS, AND 
              EDUCATION REGARDING OSTEOPOROSIS.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 317G the following 
section:

     ``screenings, referrals, and education regarding osteoporosis

    ``Sec. 317H. (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the 
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may make 
grants to States and political subdivisions of States for the 
establishment and operation of programs (including the expansion of 
programs)--
            ``(1) to screen individuals for osteoporosis;
            ``(2) to provide referrals for treatment of the disease; 
        and
            ``(3) to carry out activities to educate health 
        professionals and the public regarding the disease.
    ``(b) Requirement of Matching Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may make a grant under 
        subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees that, with 
        respect to the costs to be incurred by the applicant in 
        carrying out a program under such subsection, the applicant 
        will make available (directly or through donations from public 
        or private entities) non-Federal contributions toward such 
        costs in an amount that is not less than $1 for each $1 of 
        Federal funds provided in the grant.
            ``(2) Determination of amount of non-federal 
        contributions.--Non-Federal contributions required in paragraph 
        (1) may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including 
        plant, equipment, or services. Amounts provided by the Federal 
        Government, or services assisted or subsidized to any 
        significant extent by the Federal Government, may not be 
        included in determining the amount of such non-Federal 
        contributions.
    ``(c) Application for Grant.--The Secretary may make a grant under 
subsection (a) only if an application for the grant is submitted to the 
Secretary and the application is in such form, is made in such manner, 
and contains such agreements, assurances, and information as the 
Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2000 and 2001.''.

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