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

• certain health clinics and primary care providers to treat patients, including by addressing food insecurity and other social needs that could interfere with treatment;
• health care providers or public health departments to set up or expand specialized clinics or programs using a multidisciplinary approach; and
• primary care providers to support the development of evidence and other resources related to treatments.

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.