21st Century Women's Health Act of 2015
21st Century Women's Health Act of 2015
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for family planning service projects, expansion of family planning preventive health services, and training of nurse practitioners specializing in women's health care.
This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid programs to offer free preventive care, including contraceptives.
A hospital cannot receive federal funds unless it promptly provides information about emergency contraception to any woman arriving at the hospital who is a victim of sexual assault. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration must develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must study sexual assault survivors' access to emergency contraception.
The PHSA is amended to establish an Office of the Ombudsperson on Women's Health in HHS to handle complaints involving HHS regarding women's health services and to study the adequacy of health plan provider networks for women's health services.
HHS must coordinate a national public education campaign regarding preventive health services for women and families.
HHS must award states grants to establish maternal mortality review committees to investigate pregnancy-related deaths.
The National Institutes of Health must organize a national workshop on severe maternal morbidity.
To eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes, HHS must conduct research, expand access to services that improve maternity care, and compare and implement interventions for reducing disparities.Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.