WASHINGTON, April 9 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released a draft legislative proposal to address the Long COVID crisis that is negatively impacting the health of some 22 million Americans.

Before formally introducing this legislation in the Senate, the HELP Committee wants to hear from the Long COVID community to get their views on how this proposal can be improved and strengthened to effectively deal with this public health emergency. The committee is particularly interested in hearing from Long COVID patients and their families, scientific researchers, and medical professionals.

The public input on the proposal will help inform the legislation that Chair Sanders introduces.

“In my view, the time is long overdue for Congress to treat Long COVID as the public health emergency that it is,” said Sanders. “Congress must act now to ensure a treatment is found for this terrible disease that affects millions of Americans and their families. Far too many patients with Long COVID have struggled to get their symptoms taken seriously. Far too many medical professionals have either dismissed or misdiagnosed their health problems. That has got to change. We cannot turn our backs on the millions of Americans who continue to suffer from Long COVID. I look forward to hearing from patients, experts, and researchers about what we must do to address this crisis.”

In January, the HELP Committee held a hearing on Long COVID that featured testimony from patients and the country’s leading Long COVID researchers to consider how the United States can advance treatments and improve the health of those living with the illness.

Read the full request for input, which includes additional details on the legislative proposal, here.