CONGRESS: Legislation to Deem People with Developmental Disabilities (DD) a Medically Underserved Population (Washington Update August 2, 2018)

On July 26, Representatives Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Gregg Harper (R-MS) introduced the Healthcare Extension and Accessibility for Developmentally Disabled and Underserved Population (HEADs UP) Act of 2018 (H.R. 6611). This bill would declare people with developmental disabilities to be a “medically underserved population” (MUP). Populations with this designation are entitled to priority access to certain federal programs, including community health centers and the services of the National Health Service Corps. Currently, MUPs are defined as “specific sub-groups of people living in a defined geographic area with a shortage of primary care health services who face economic, cultural, linguistic, or other barriers to health care.”