[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E854-E855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PROGRESS REPORT ON WOMEN'S HEALTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                              MAX SANDLIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 1997

  Mr. SANDLIN. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank Representative 
Connie Morella, Representative Louise Slaughter, and the Congressional 
Caucus for Women's Issues for holding this special order on women's 
health and for raising the awareness of women's health issues through 
the past 20 years.

[[Page E855]]

  I also come to you today to address issues of great concern to me as 
a husband, father of two sons and two daughters, concerned citizen, and 
diligent representative of east Texans. We have made tremendous strides 
in the area of women's health this century, but we have far to go. 
Women's health is more vulnerable than men's health for a number of 
reasons, ranging from demographics to specific diseases, and we must 
continue to recognize that women have special health care needs.
  While health care costs are soaring for the entire population, women 
earn, on the whole, less than men. Women of reproductive age pay 68 
percent more out-of-pocket health care costs than men, a larger 
percentage of women hold part time and clerical jobs without health 
insurance, and women tend to live longer than men. As a result, women 
are disproportionately affected by rising health care costs. Pregnant 
women in particular face significant costs and high risks. In 1991, 
only two-thirds of black, Hispanic, and American Indian women received 
early prenatal care.
  Because this segment of the population is so vulnerable, Congress 
created the supplemental nutrition program for women, children, and 
infants, called the WIC Program, 23 years ago. Since then, WIC has 
proven very effective at improving women's health and reducing health 
care costs. Pregnant women on Medicaid who participate have better 
health, are more likely to receive prenatal care, and have children 
with better learning abilities, higher rates of immunization, and 
better weight. The General Accounting Office has calculated that every 
dollar spent in the WIC Program saves $3.50 in Social Security and 
Medicaid benefits.
  Congress has threatened to reduce funding for this essential program 
below the President's request. The proposed budget cuts of $36 million 
could cut 180,000 women and children out of the program, leaving women 
with improper nutrition and potentially impairing the development of as 
many children. We will soon be voting on this issue, so let us make 
this commitment now to save money for the Government and show 
compassion for this vulnerable group in our population.
  In addition to economic vulnerability, women face unique risks simply 
because of their gender. Though awareness of breast cancer risks has 
risen for years, the death rate has not fallen and the incidence rate 
has risen steadily. Now, one in eight women will develop breast cancer 
in her lifetime; 2.6 million women are estimated to have the disease, 
and economic costs from medical expenses and lost productivity due to 
breast cancer have risen to $6 billion annually.
  These women are daughters, sisters, mothers, grandmothers, friends, 
and colleagues, and we owe it to them to redouble our efforts to 
detect, treat, and prevent this devastating disease. We must extend our 
efforts to educate and reach out to those women who are not now 
receiving regular mammograms, especially lower income women who have 
been proven to be less likely to receive a mammogram. And we can extend 
coverage of Medicare to cover more frequent and earlier mammograms to 
detect and remove breast cancer at a lower cost and with less damage.
  We have to make this commitment to the women of America. What is good 
for the women of this country is good for the country as a whole. We 
cannot allow these health risks to go unchallenged, and we must make 
improving the health of women a goal for this Congress.

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