[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 29, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H1966-H1968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WOMEN'S HEALTH ISSUES
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Roemer] is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to hopefully wrap up this
very successful special order on women's health issues and congratulate
my classmate, the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia [Ms.
Norton], and the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Mrs. Johnson] for a
very, very successful hour of discussion on very critical matters of
women's health.
I would like to be the last speaker on that particular issue and talk
about an issue that is very important to me as a Congressman, as a
father, as a taxpayer, as somebody that believes in a woman's health
issue known as the WIC program.
What is the WIC Program? It is the Women, Infants and Children
Program, and it is a program that has always enjoyed wide bipartisan
support. Republicans and Democrats alike have supported this program
because it accomplishes some very important things.
First, it reduces low birth weight in babies. Second, it reduces the
infant mortality rates, death rates for babies born prematurely. Third,
it reduces child anemia. And last, it has been directly linked to
improving cognitive development for children.
Now why am I as a Member of Congress concerned about this? I am
concerned, Mr. Speaker, because milk prices have increased this year
and last, and the caseload experience and the caseload numbers have
increased in the WIC Programs in an alarming rate. So the White House
has very, very wisely asked for a $76 million increase to take care of
this increase in milk prices and caseload.
Mr. Speaker, just recently in a Committee on Appropriations markup,
the Republicans cut this $76 million increase in half, cut $36 million
out of the WIC Program. Now at a time, Mr. Speaker, when we are
learning from Newsweek and Time Magazine, on the front covers of these
magazines, that everything we can do when that child is in the womb,
the fetus, or when that child is between 1 and 5 is critical to help
these children to learn and grow and that this is the most critical
time for a child to maybe pick up a new language and learn intellectual
skills and cognitive development.
We are talking about cutting this program by $36 million. What does a
$36 million cut result in?
It results in 180,000 children not getting access to this good
program. One hundred and eighty thousand children. Now I do not think
that is smart.
I support balancing the budget, and I am willing to cut a space
station that does not work, I am willing to cut Star Wars in half, but
I am not willing to cut children and women out of the WIC Program. Why?
The General Accounting Office has said not only is this the best thing
for children and young mothers, but for every dollar we invest in the
WIC Program, we save $3.50 on Social Security disability payments and
on Medicaid and on other government programs.
So, if we cut $36 million and cut 180,000 children out of this
program, we are probably going to cost the taxpayer $120 million later
on down the line in increased costs.
So I strongly urge this body to adopt an amendment and put this $36
million back into the WIC Program this week when we consider the
emergency supplemental program and continue to do what the White House
urged us to do last week in their conference on early childhood
development. Let us invest in our children. Let us not just talk about
an America that puts their children and their families first. Let us
put our money where our mouth is. Let us make sure that the WIC Program
is adequately funded.
Mr. Speaker, I would just say in conclusion that I am strongly
committed to this program, I am strongly committed to making sure that
our children have access, all children across America, and I would just
say that I am honored to be the last speaker on this special order on
women's health and delighted that it went so well.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak about
an issue of vital importance to the women of this Nation--breast
cancer. As a woman and a mother, I feel that there are few issues as
important as the breast cancer epidemic facing our Nation.
As you may know, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer
in American women today. An estimated 2.6 million women in the United
States are living with breast cancer. Currently, there are 1.8 million
women in this country who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and 1
million more who do not yet know that they have the disease. It was
estimated that in 1996, 184,300 new cases of breast cancer would be
diagnosed and 44,300 women would die from the disease. Breast cancer
costs this country more than $6 billion each year in medical expenses
and lost productivity.
These statistics are powerful indeed, but they cannot possibly
capture the heartbreak of this disease which impacts not only the women
who are diagnosed, but their husbands, children, and families.
Sadly, the death rate from breast cancer has not been reduced in more
than 50 years.
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One out of four women with breast cancer dies within the first 5 years;
40 percent die within 10 years of diagnosis. Furthermore, the incidence
of breast cancer among American women is rising each year. One out of
eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her
lifetime--a risk that was one in fourteen in 1960. For women ages 30 to
34, the incidence rate tripled between 1973 and 1987; the rate
quadrupled for women ages 35 to 39 during the same period.
I am particularly concerned about studies which have found that
African-American women are twice as likely as white women to have their
breast cancer diagnosed at a later stage, after it has already spread
to the lymph nodes. One study by the Agency for Health Care Policy and
Research found that African-American women were significantly more
likely than white women to have never had a mammogram or to have had no
mammogram in the 3-year period before development of symptoms or
diagnosis. Mammography was protective against later-stage diagnosis in
white women but not in black women.
We have made progress in the past few years by bringing this issue to
the Nation's attention. Events such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month
are crucial to sustaining this attention. There is, however, more to be
done.
It is clear that more research and testing needs to be done in this
area. We also need to increase education and outreach efforts to reach
those women who are not getting mammograms and physical exams.
We cannot allow these negative trends in women's health to continue.
We owe it to our daughters, sisters, mothers, and grandmothers to do
more. Money for research must be increased and must focus on the
detection, treatment, and prevention of this devastating disease.
Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, as history has proven,
research for women's health issues has consistently been underfunded. I
rise today to recognize yet another case of injustice concerning
women's health. Currently there are 10 million U.S. citizens suffering
from temporomandibular jaw disorder, (TMD). This disorder targets
women; nearly 90 percent of TMD patients are female. TMD is a very
painful condition that can lead to severe dysfunction of the muscles
that control chewing.
Complicating the disorder even further, in 1973, medical devices
containing silicone were approved to replace part of the jaw in an
irreversible surgery. This procedure, although not adequately
researched, was aggressively marketed by alloplastic device suppliers.
Approximately 150,000 women with TMD received implants between 1973 and
1990. Today, these implants have proven disastrous.
In 1989, nearly 20 years after they went on the market, the FDA
declared alloplastic implants unsafe. The medical complications caused
by the sharding of the silicone in TMD implants over time has resulted
in bone and tissue deterioration as the alloplastic particles travel
throughout the body. Bone loss in some cases has resulted in holes in
the skull leading to the brain. Many women have been left disfigured;
lacking bone structure and/or muscular control. The magnitude of
suffering undergone by TMD patients with implants can only be
categorized as a medical catastrophe.
Compounding the issue, there is currently no procedure to treat women
with silicone implants other than removal. In the case of TMD, however,
the implants often cannot be removed because there are no good
alternative materials and the ramus of the jaw cannot be replaced.
Women who have undergone alloplastic surgery now require life-long
dependency on medical technology. It is not uncommon to find patients
with 15, 20, 30 or more surgeries on their TM joint. This only
exasperates the emotional and financial complications that accompany
the disorder. I quote from Stan Mendenhall's article in Orthopedic
Network News:
One woman had over five surgeries on her joints and was
unable to find a dentist in three states who would treat her
and is now suicidal. A 30-year old woman must now be cared
for by her parents after 32 surgeries and $300,000 in medical
expenses. Another patient received a bill from an oral
surgeon in excess of $30,000 for a procedure which was a
revision for a previous surgery and will, at best, only
provide temporary relief from constant pain. One physician
wrote on behalf of one of his patients who had applied for
social security disability payments: ``As Leigh's physician,
I've witnessed her decline throughout 7 of her surgeries and
seen her travel all the avenues of TMJ surgery. Instead of
improving after each method, she has developed more daily
pain. Unfortunately the surgeries that she has had, I feel,
have probably left her joint in much worse shape. Her
depression has now reached a dangerously high level in which
she describes herself as having nothing left, having no
hopes, no dreams. She states only that she hopes her life
will be short in duration so that she will not have to exist
in the constant painful state that she is in.''
The silicone TMD implants, so hastily marketed, have victimized women
with TMD.
To make matters worse, women suffering from TMD have a hard time
finding a health insurance program that will carry them. Because there
is not a clear diagnosis of TMD and treatment is often considered
experimental, health insurance companies refuse to underwrite patients.
Without the proper research, there will never be proper diagnosis and
without proper diagnosis, there will never be proper coverage.
This is very unfair. These women have been served a great injustice
and have no where to turn. Women suffering from TMD are paying the
price for someone else's mistakes. Should TMD victims have to pay the
consequences for devices that the FDA approved and their doctors
recommended? Should patients have to pay for high-cost long-term
medical bills because the government has not properly funded basic
research? Temporomandibular joint disorder is a medical tragedy and it
is time to do something about it.
The question we must ask now is--how do we help these women that have
been treated so unjustly?
I urge the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues to take up the
cause of women suffering from TMD and help them in finding a solution
to this tragedy. We must better define TMD and properly fund research
to find effective treatment for people who have TMD implants. We must
encourage the National Institute of Health to make TMD research a
higher priority. We can no longer tolerate the lack of concern for
these women.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, the high number of minority
women infected with the HIV virus reflects their reduced access to
health care which is associated with disadvantaged socio-economic
status, cultural or language barriers that may limit access to
prevention information as well as differences in HIV risk behaviors.
Among minority women, the most prevalent modes of contacting HIV are
injecting drug use, 37 percent, and heterosexual contact, almost 38
percent.
Rates of heterosexual anal and oral intercourse in minority youths
are comparable with estimated rates in adults.
In the inner-city community, there are often greater perceived
notions that sex is not as good if a condom is used. Frequently women
do not encourage their sexual partners to use condoms for fear of
retribution. Their low-income status makes them feel more dependent
upon their partners and they do not want to risk losing them insisting
on safe sex.
Minority youths have a higher tendency to engage in sex with multiple
partners, therefore creating higher risks for HIV infection. Minority
communities are in need of better efforts to promote condom use and
discourage multiple partners.
AIDS rates are highest among Blacks and Hispanics.
AIDS rates among Blacks are six times greater than among whites, and
two times greater than among Hispanics.
In 1995, racial and/or ethnic minorities accounted for over 77
percent of AIDS cases among adolescent and adult females, and over 84
percent of AIDS cases among children.
By the year 2000, between 72,000 and 100,000 children and teens will
have lost their mothers to HIV/AIDS. The cities that will be the
hardest hit are Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Newark, New York City,
Miami, and San Juan.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank Representative
Connie Morella and Representative Louise Slaughter and Members of the
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues for the opportunity to
participate in this special order on women's health.
I come before you today to speak on an issue of great importance to
all women, and in particular women of color, that has yet to reach
prominence on the national agenda. I am speaking of heart diseases.
Cardiovascular diseases--which include heart attacks, strokes, and
high blood pressure--are the No. 1 cause of death and disability among
American women, yet most Americans aren't even aware of the risks
facing women.
I want to talk with you about a bill to do something about this--the
Women's Cardiovascular Diseases Research and Prevention Act--that I am
introducing which aims to prevent and aggressively treat heart diseases
among women and educate the public and health professionals alike about
the grave risks of these diseases to women.
Although most people believe cancer, specifically breast cancer, is
the No. 1 women's health risk, in reality five times as many women die
from cardiovascular diseases than die from breast cancer. The threat is
so great in fact, that 479,000 women die each year from heart disease--
almost double the number of deaths from all forms of cancer combined.
And heart disease strikes broadly, affecting one in five women in the
Nation. Even more ominous is the unusually silent approach of
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this killer. Amazingly, nearly two-thirds of women who died suddenly of
heart attack had no prior history of heart disease, and no risk was
detected.
Public health experts have drawn many links between the difficulties
poor and working women face and increased risk of disease.
Cardiovascular diseases are no exception to these health effects of
inequality.
Furthermore, cardiovascular diseases strike African-American women
particular hard. African-American women die of heart attacks at twice
the rate of other women, and die from strokes at a 33-percent higher
rate that white women.
The risk factors that increase likelihood of cardiovascular diseases
are also greater for African-American women than white women, including
a higher incidence of diabetes, higher percentage with elevated
cholesterol levels, less physical activity, and a greater rate of
obesity.
These factors--often stemming from stress and struggle of trying to
make ends meet--are commonly known with health care professionals--yet
these factors and the deadly cardiovascular diseases that result are
almost invisible in the policy debates and public discussions of our
Nation's health and welfare.
That is why I urge you to join me in supporting the Women's
Cardiovascular Diseases Research and Prevention Act. We who know better
must create the kind of pressure, through broad education and study
that will put this issue at the center of our public health
initiatives, not stuck on the fringes, while striking, literally, at
the heart of the women in America.
This bill aims to lay the critical foundation for the research and
public education that is needed to turn around this largely silent
killer of America's women. The bill authorizes $140 million to the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of
Health to expand studies on heart diseases to include women and conduct
outreach that will reach women. This authorization will start to make
up for the many years in which women and minorities have been greatly
underrepresented in heart and stroke research.
Currently, most if not all, diagnostic equipment and treatments are
based on studies limited to men. The results of this research bias has
meant many health care professionals remain unaware of the varied and
often subtle symptoms of heart diseases women may have, like dizziness,
breathlessness, and arm pain.
This bill will provide those responsible for detecting and treating
women with the knowledge necessary to combat these diseases among
women.
This bill seeks to use the results of this research as well,
spreading this knowledge beyond the hospitals and laboratories. This
bill would establish targeted outreach programs for women and health
care providers alike to educate all of us on the common symptoms of and
risk factors contributing to cardiovascular diseases among women.
The Women's Cardiovascular Diseases Research and Prevention Act can
be a crucial first step in getting timely diagnosis, effective
treatment and broad, effective prevention measures for the leading
killer of American women. I look forward to working with the members of
the Congressional Caucus of Women's Issues, and all other interested
Members of Congress to pass this legislation. Again, I would like to
thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.
____________________