I 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2115 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 27, 2009 Mr. Hill (for himself and Mr. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of Men’s Health.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Men and Families Health Care Act of 2009.

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Findings

The Congress finds the following: (1)Risks to the health and well-being of the Nation’s men (and our families) are on the rise due to a lack of education, awareness, and pursuit of preventative screening and care— (A)men are leading in 9 out of the top 10 causes of death; (B)1 in 2 men versus 1 in 3 women in their lifetime will be diagnosed with cancer; (C)the life expectancy gap between men and women has increased from one year in 1920 to 5.2 years in 2005; and (D)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. (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)According to the Census Bureau, by the time men and women reach age 65, the ratio of men to women reduces to 85 to 100. The growing disparity in this statistic suggests that among other factors, the declining health of men increases the risk of women entering retirement age as widows. (4)According to the Administration on Aging, more than half of elderly widows now living in poverty were not poor before the death of their husbands. (5)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. (6)Educating men, their families, and health care providers about the importance of early detection of male health issues (i.e. cardiovascular, mental, prostate health, cancer (lung, prostate, skin, colorectal, testicular, and more), HIV/AIDS, osteoporosis, and other pertinent health issues) can result in reducing rates of mortality for male-specific diseases, as well as improve the health of the Nation’s men and its overall economic well-being. (7)Of concern is the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of our military men (and women) returning from war zones and our veterans. We must pay attention to their needs and the needs of their families. (8)Recent scientific studies have shown that regular medical exams, preventive screenings, regular exercise, and healthy eating habits can help save lives. (9)Appropriate use of tests such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) exams and blood pressure, blood sugar, lipid panel, and colorectal screenings in conjunction with clinical exams or self-testing, can result in the early detection of many problems and in increased survival rates. (10)Men’s health is a concern for employers who pay the costs of medical care and lose productive employees. (11)Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States among men, accounting for 25 percent of all cancer cases— (A)over 185,000 men will be newly diagnosed with prostate cancer this year alone, and almost 29,000 will die; (B)costs associated with prostate cancer detection and treatments exceed $8 billion annually and represent 8 percent of cancer and 0.4 percent of all health-related expenditures in the United States; (C)prostate cancer rates increase sharply with age, and more than 2/3 of such cases are diagnosed in men age 65 and older; (D)2/3 of annual prostate cancer expenditures in the United States are paid for by Medicare; and (E)the incidence of prostate cancer and the resulting mortality rate in African-American men is twice that of all other men. (12)It is estimated that in 2008, approximately 115,000 men were diagnosed with lung cancer, and almost 91,000 of the Nation’s men died from lung cancer. (13)It is estimated that in 2008, approximately 54,000 men were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and over 24,000 of the Nation’s men died from colorectal cancer. (14)Men make up over half of the diabetes patients aged 20 and over in the United States (10.9 million men total) and nearly 1/3 of them do not know it— (A)whereas approximately 21,000,000 Americans are living with diabetes, men are 30 percent more likely to die from the disease; (B)54 million American people have pre-diabetes and 1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in 2005; and (C)people with diagnosed diabetes have medical expenditures that are 2 to 3 times higher than patients without diabetes and the estimated cost of diabetes in 2007 was $174,000,000, including $116,000,000 in excess medical expenditures and $58,000,000 in reduced national productivity. (15)Over 8,000 men, ages 15 to 40, will be diagnosed this year with testicular cancer, and 380 of these men will die of this disease in 2008. A common reason for delay in treatment of this disease is a delay in seeking medical attention after discovering a testicular mass. (16)Men over the past decade have shown poorer health outcomes than women across all racial and ethnic groups as well as socioeconomic status. (17)Establishing an Office of Men’s Health is needed to investigate these findings and take further actions to promote awareness of men’s health needs.

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Establishment of office of men’s health

Title XVII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

1711.

OFFICE OF MEN'S HEALTH

(a)

In General

The Secretary shall establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an office to be known as the Office of Men’s Health. The Secretary shall appoint a director as head of the office. (b)

Activities

The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of Men’s Health, shall— (1)conduct, support, coordinate, and promote programs and activities to improve the state of men’s health in the United States, including by working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan; and (2)provide for consultation among offices and agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services for the purposes of— (A)coordinating public awareness, education, and screening programs and activities relating to men’s health; (B)coordinating programs and activities under title XVIII of the Social Security Act relating to men’s health, including prostate cancer, diabetes, colorectal cancer, cholesterol, and mental health screening programs; (C)coordinating public awareness programs and activities, including prostate cancer, diabetes, colorectal cancer, cholesterol, and mental health screening programs, for men identified at being at increased risk of these diseases; (D)coordinating prostate-specific antigen (PSA), diabetes, cholesterol, and colorectal cancer screening programs and activities relating to men’s prostate health, cardiovascular health, and mental health in order to conduct a comparative effectiveness review; and (E)establishing a clinical registries database to assess and measure quality improvement of programs and activities relating to men’s health. (c)

Report

Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, 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 by the Director regarding men’s health.

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