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.