PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5020-5022)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · May 1, 2009
Public Health Emergency Response Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to activate the coverage of short-term emergency health care services if the Secretary determines that there is a public health emergency. Sets forth factors for the Secretary to consider, including the degree to which the emergency is likely to overwhelm health care providers in the region.
Requires the Secretary to establish a medical monitoring program for monitoring and reporting on the health care needs of the affected population over time.
Limits eligibility for coverage of emergency health care services to: (1) uninsured or underinsured emergency victims who need health care services due to injuries or disease resulting from the public health emergency; or (2) uninsured individuals residing in the affected area whose ability to access care or medicine is disrupted as a result of the emergency.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a streamlined process for determining eligibility for emergency health care services; (2) report to Congress on the number and adequacy of volunteers enrolled in the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) who will be available to each state in the event of a public health emergency; and (3) conduct an outreach and public education campaign to inform health care providers and the general public about the availability of emergency health care coverage during the period of the emergency.
People & committees
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] · D–IL
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5020-5022)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Jan 21, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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