[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 9, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S3695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE:
  S. 2524. A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to 
expand coverage of bone mass measurements under part B of the Medicare 
Program to all individuals at clinical risk for osteoporosis; to the 
Committee on Finance.


             MEDICARE OSTEOPOROSIS MEASUREMENT ACT OF 2000

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the 
Medicare Osteoporosis Measurement Act.
  Three years ago Congress passed the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. In 
doing so, we dramatically expanded coverage of osteoporosis screening 
through bone mass measurements for Medicare beneficiaries. Since we 
passed this law, we have learned that under the current Medicare law, 
it is very difficult for a man to be reimbursed for a bone mass 
measurement test. The bill I am introducing today, the Medicare 
Osteoporosis Measurement Act, would help all individuals enrolled in 
Medicare to receive the necessary tests if they are at risk for 
osteoporosis.
  Currently, Medicare guidelines allow for testing in five categories 
of individuals--and most ``at risk'' men do not fall into any of them. 
The first category in the guidelines is for ``an estrogen-deficient 
woman at clinical risk for osteoporosis.'' The bill I am introducing 
today changes this guideline to say that ``an individual, including an 
estrogen-deficient woman, at clinical risk for osteoporosis'' will be 
eligible for bone mass measurement. This change--of just a few words--
will vastly increase the opportunities for men to be covered for the 
important test.
  Osteoporosis is a major public health problem affecting 28 million 
Americans, who either have the disease or are at risk due to low bone 
mass. Today, two million American men have osteoporosis, and another 
three million are at risk of this disease. Osteoporosis causes 1.5 
million fractures annually at a cost of $13.8 billion--$38 million per 
day--in direct medical expenses. In their lifetime, one in two women 
and one in eight men over the age of 50 will fracture a bone due to 
osteoporosis. Each year, men suffer one-third of all the hip fractures 
that occur, and one-third of these men will not survive more than a 
year. In addition to hip fracture, men also experience painful and 
debilitating fractures of the spine, wrist, and other bones due to 
osteoporosis.
  Osteoporosis is largely preventable and thousands of fractures could 
be avoided if low bone mass were detected early and treated. Though we 
now have drugs that promise to reduce fractures by 50 percent and new 
drugs have been proven to actually rebuild bone mass, a bone mass 
measurement is needed to diagnose osteoporosis and determine one's risk 
for future fractures. And we have learned that there are some prominent 
risk facts: age, gender, race, a family history of bone fractures, 
early menopause, risky health behaviors such as smoking and excessive 
alcohol consumption, and some medications all have been identified as 
contributing factors to bone loss. But identification of risk factors 
alone cannot predict how much bone a person has and how strong bone is.
  Mr. President, we know that osteoporosis is highly preventable, but 
only if it is discovered in time. There is simply no substitute for 
early detection. My legislation will ensure that all Medicare 
beneficiaries at risk for osteoporosis will be able to be tested for 
osteoporosis.
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