1.
This Act may be cited as the
Men's Health Act of
2005
.
2.
The Congress finds as
follows:
(1)
A silent health crisis is
affecting the health and well-being of America’s men.
(2)
While this health crisis is
of particular concern to men, it is also a concern for women regarding their
fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers.
(3)
Men’s health is a concern for
employers who pay the costs of medical care, and lose productive
employees.
(4)
Men’s health is a concern to
Federal and State governments which absorb the enormous costs of premature
death and disability, including the costs of caring for dependents left
behind.
(5)
The life expectancy gap
between men and women has increased from one year in 1920 to almost six years
in 2002.
(6)
Prostate cancer is the most
frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States among men, accounting for 33
percent of all cancer cases.
(7)
An estimated 230,000 men will
be newly diagnosed with prostate cancer this year alone, and approximately
30,000 will die.
(8)
Prostate cancer rates
increase sharply with age, and more than 75 percent of such cases are diagnosed
in men age 65 and older.
(9)
The incidence of prostate
cancer and the resulting mortality rate in African American men is twice that
in white men.
(10)
Over 8,000 men, ages 15 to
40, will be diagnosed this year with testicular cancer, and 390 of these men
will die of this disease in 2005. A common reason for delay in treatment of
this disease is a delay in seeking medical attention after discovering a
testicular mass.
(11)
Studies show that women are
100 percent more likely than men to visit a doctor, have regular physician
check-ups, and obtain preventive screening tests for serious diseases.
(12)
Appropriate use of tests such
as prostate specific antigen (PSA) exams and blood pressure, blood sugar, and
cholesterol screens, in conjunction with clinical exams and self-testing, can
result in the early detection of many problems and in increased survival
rates.
(13)
Educating men, their
families, and health care providers about the importance of early detection of
male health problems can result in reducing rates of mortality for
male-specific diseases, as well as improve the health of America’s men and its
overall economic well-being.
(14)
Recent scientific studies
have shown that regular medical exams, preventive screenings, regular exercise,
and healthy eating habits can help save lives.
(15)
Establishing an Office of
Men’s Health is needed to investigate these findings and take such further
actions as may be needed to promote men’s health.
3.
Establishment of Office of men’s health
(a)
Title XVII of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
300u et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following section:
1711.The Secretary
shall establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an office to
be known as the Office of Men’s Health, which shall be headed by a director
appointed by the Secretary. The Secretary, acting through the Director of the
Office, shall coordinate and promote the status of men’s health in the United
States.
.
(b)
Not later than two years
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, acting through the Director of the Office of Men’s Health, shall
submit to the Congress a report describing the activities of such Office,
including findings that the Director has made regarding men’s health.