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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6897 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6897
To advance research, promote awareness and education, and improve
health care, with respect to thyroid disease, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 18, 2025
Ms. Stevens (for herself and Ms. Underwood) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To advance research, promote awareness and education, and improve
health care, with respect to thyroid disease, and for other purposes.
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 ``Thyroid Disease Coverage, Awareness,
Research, and Education Act of 2025'' or the ``Thyroid Disease CARE Act
of 2025''.
SEC. 2. THYROID DISEASE RESEARCH.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, shall--
(1) conduct or support research and related activities
regarding thyroid disease, including research--
(A) to investigate the root causes of thyroid
disease;
(B) to improve diagnostic techniques and develop
improved treatments;
(C) to improve thyroid cancer-related care,
including the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of
thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer;
(D) to enhance the quality of thyroid cancer
survivorship, including understanding how a thyroid
cancer diagnosis impacts women of reproductive years
and beyond;
(E) to understand the symptoms of patients treated
for thyroid disease and to design studies to improve
symptom management;
(F) to assess--
(i) thyroid disease prevalence, detection,
treatment, and outcome disparties by race,
ethnicity, geography, primary language, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, disability
status, and insurance status, and related
topics as determined by the Secretary; and
(ii) with respect to thyroid cancer
patients, such disparities relating to primary
tumor site, tumor morphology, stage at
diagnosis, and first course of treatment; and
(G) to study the effects of thyroid disease,
including subclinical hypothyroidism, in patients who
continue to experience symptoms despite their test
results becoming normal; and
(2) propose recommendations on how to address research gaps
relating to disparities referred to in paragraph (1)(F).
(b) Interim Report.--The Secretary shall--
(1) not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, transmit an interim report on the status and results
of the research and related activities under this section to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions of the Senate; and
(2) make such report publicly available.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 3. ANALYZING RESEARCH GAPS AND DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS WITH
RESPECT TO THYROID DISEASE.
(a) Research.--The Secretary shall--
(1) identify and analyze gaps in research on diagnosing and
treating thyroid disease;
(2) analyze--
(A) the disproportionate impacts of thyroid disease
on specific populations, disaggregated by race,
ethnicity, geography, primary language, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, disability status, and
insurance status, with a particular focus on such
disproportionate impacts on women;
(B) the reasons for the disproportionate impacts
referred to in subparagraph (A) in such specific
populations, including with respect to disproportionate
access to specialized care; and
(C) the level of knowledge of health care
professionals about such disproportionate impacts; and
(3) analyze, and formulate recommendations with respect to,
better options for--
(A) diagnosing and treating thyroid disease in such
populations; and
(B) paying for such diagnosis and treatment.
(b) Topics.--In carrying out the analysis under subsection (a), the
Secretary may assess--
(1) data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical
Information System related to services furnished to individuals
diagnosed with thyroid disease for the treatment of thyroid
disease symptoms under State Medicaid programs and State
children's health insurance programs;
(2) data collected through the Surveillance, Epidemiology,
and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer
Institute;
(3) data collected through the Medicare program under title
XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.);
(4) data related to services furnished to individuals
diagnosed with thyroid disease for the treatment of thyroid
disease symptoms under group health plans or group or
individual health insurance coverage offered by a health
insurance issuer;
(5) data from nationally representative sample surveys
(such as the National Health Interview Survey of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (or any successor survey));
and
(6) such other data as the Secretary determines relevant.
(c) Data Collection.--To carry out the analysis under subsection
(a), the Secretary may request--
(1) group health plans (as defined in section 2791 of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-91)), health
insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance
coverage (as so defined), and health benefits plans offered
under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program under
chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code, to provide such
information as may be required to assess barriers that
individuals diagnosed with thyroid disease face in accessing
treatments for thyroid disease symptoms, including a lack of
insurance coverage and cost-sharing requirements for such
treatments; and
(2) State Medicaid programs and State children's health
insurance programs to collect and report, through the
Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System, data
related to services furnished to individuals diagnosed with
thyroid disease for the treatment of thyroid disease symptoms,
including data stratified by relevant demographic
characteristics.
(d) Privacy Requirements.--In carrying out the analysis under
subsection (a), including making requests under subsection (c), and in
submitting the report under subsection (e), the Secretary shall ensure
that the privacy and confidentiality of individual patients are
protected in a manner consistent with relevant privacy and
confidentiality laws.
(e) Report.--The Secretary shall--
(1) not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, submit to Congress and make publicly available on the
website of the Department of Health and Human Services a
preliminary report on the analysis carried out under this
section; and
(2) not later than the end of fiscal year 2030, submit to
Congress and make publicly available on the website of the
Department of Health and Human Services a final report on such
analysis.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 4. PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN WITH RESPECT TO THYROID DISEASE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a public awareness
campaign regarding thyroid disease, including by developing and
disseminating information on--
(1) the awareness, incidence, and prevalence of thyroid
disease and associated impacts, with a particular focus on the
disparities and disproportionate impacts described in sections
2(a)(1)(F) and 3(a)(2), especially on women;
(2) the availability, as medically appropriate, of the
range of treatment options for symptoms of thyroid disease;
(3) how patients can better recognize the signs and
symptoms of thyroid disease; and
(4) whether there are benefits of routine screening,
especially during pregnancy and reproductive stages.
(b) Information to Health Care Providers.--In carrying out the
public awareness campaign under subsection (a), the Secretary, in
consultation with relevant health care professional societies and
associations, shall disseminate information to health care
professionals, health care-related organizations, and health systems to
promote evidence-based care for individuals with thyroid disease,
including information related to--
(1) detecting and diagnosing thyroid disease with an
emphasis on better addressing thyroid disease in populations at
increased risk for the disease;
(2) providing care for individuals with thyroid disease;
(3) communicating with patients about thyroid disease;
(4) enhancing the prevention of implicit bias in the
provision of care; and
(5) related topics, including research on the reasons why
thyroid disease occurs.
(c) Dissemination of Information.--The Secretary may disseminate
information under subsection (a) directly or through arrangements with
intra-agency initiatives, nonprofit organizations, consumer groups,
institutions of higher education, or Federal, State, or local public-
private partnerships.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 5. COLLABORATION WITH RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES.
In carrying out this Act, the Secretary shall collaborate with--
(1) relevant professional societies; and
(2) relevant agencies of the Department of Health and Human
Services, including the National Institutes of Health.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given to
such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1001).
(2) Racial and ethnic minority group.--The term ``racial
and ethnic minority group'' has the meaning given such term in
section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
300u-6(g)).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
(4) Thyroid disease.--The term ``thyroid disease'' means--
(A) disorders and abnormalities of thyroid gland
function; and
(B) abnormalities of thyroid structure, including
thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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