National Plan for Epilepsy Act (H.R. 1189)

• •The bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create and maintain a 'National Plan for Epilepsy' to prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure the disorder.
• •An 'Advisory Council on Epilepsy Research, Care, and Services' will be established to advise the Secretary.
• •The Advisory Council must include representatives from the NIH, CMS, CDC, FDA, HRSA, Department of Defense, and Department of Veterans Affairs.
• •The Advisory Council must also include 13 non-federal members, including people living with epilepsy, caregivers, health care providers, researchers, and nonprofit representatives.
• •The Advisory Council is required to meet at least once per quarter, with all meetings open to the public.
• •The Secretary must conduct an annual assessment of the nation's progress in addressing epilepsy, starting no later than 2 years after enactment.
• •The Advisory Council must submit a report to Congress and the Secretary every 2 years, starting 18 months after enactment, evaluating federal efforts and recommending priority actions.
• •The bill notes that epilepsy affects approximately 3,000,000 adults and 456,000 children in the U.S.
• •The bill states that 32% of adults with epilepsy are unable to work and 53% of those with uncontrolled seizures live in households earning less than $25,000 per year.
• •The bill cites annual healthcare costs associated with epilepsy as exceeding $54 billion.

The bill mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services create a unified federal strategy to address epilepsy, which currently affects over 3.4 million Americans and costs the healthcare system more than $54 billion annually.

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.