This bill creates a comprehensive federal program to help people dealing with Long COVID—the persistent symptoms some people experience long after their initial COVID-19 infection has cleared. The government would provide grants to help clinics and doctors treat Long COVID patients, including addressing related problems like food insecurity that might get in the way of recovery. It also funds the creation of specialized Long COVID clinics that use a team approach with different types of medical professionals working together.

The bill invests in research to better understand Long COVID, particularly in children, and creates patient registries to track the condition. It requires the federal government to set up a website educating doctors and the public about Long COVID, and to figure out how to help Long COVID patients through existing insurance programs like Medicaid and CHIP (the children's health insurance program). The bill also makes sure that researchers can access medical data about Long COVID patients (with personal information removed) to improve treatments and our understanding of the disease.

Essentially, this bill treats Long COVID as a serious public health issue deserving dedicated funding and attention, aiming to improve how patients are treated, help doctors understand the condition better, and expand insurance coverage for Long COVID care.

Long COVID RECOVERY NOW Act

Blunt Rochester, Lisa

Long COVID Response is Care Optimized and Vitally Essential Resources that Yield New Opportunities for Wellness Act or the Long COVID RECOVERY NOW Act This bill establishes grants and requires actions to support treatment, research, and other efforts to address Long COVID (persistent, long-term symptoms following recovery from acute COVID-19 infection). Specifically, the bill establishes grants for treating individuals with Long COVID. These include grants for <ul> <li>certain health clinics and primary care providers to treat patients, including by addressing food insecurity and other social needs that could interfere with treatment;</li> <li>health care providers or public health departments to set up or expand specialized clinics or programs using a multidisciplinary approach; and</li> <li>primary care providers to support the development of evidence and other resources related to treatments.</li> </ul> The bill also establishes grants for Long COVID patient registries and research on Long COVID in pediatric populations. Additionally, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology must convene stakeholders to identify best practices to make de-identified data related to Long COVID available to researchers. The office must also recommend policies for data standardization and related approaches to further a greater understanding of Long COVID. Further, the Department of Health and Human Services must (1) set up a website to educate health care providers and the public about Long COVID, and (2) issue guidance on ways to assist individuals with Long COVID through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The bill also expands access for treating Long COVID through Medicaid, CHIP, and the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant.