[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 18 (Tuesday, February 14, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1176-S1177]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. STABENOW (for herself and Ms. Murkowski):
  S. 2278. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve the 
prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease, stroke, and 
other cardiovascular diseases in women; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``HEART 
for Women Act of 2006.'' I want to thank Senator Lisa Murkowski for 
joining me on this important legislation. I am also pleased that 
Congresswomen Lois Capps and Barbara Cubin are introducing companion 
legislation in the House of Representatives.
  We face an alarming situation in this country. While over the last 25 
years we have made good progress in reducing the death rate for men 
with heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases, the same 
does not hold true for women. Not only have we not lowered the 
cardiovascular disease mortality rate for women--the death rate has 
actually gone up for women during that same period.
  A lot of people think of heart disease as a ``man's disease.'' But 
while heart disease is certainly a significant problem for men, it is 
an equally important problem for women.
  Fact: Heart disease and stroke actually kill more women each year 
than men.
  Fact: Heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases are 
the number 1 killer in the United States and in my home State of 
Michigan. In Michigan, 43 percent of all deaths in women are due to 
cardiovascular disease.
  Fact: 1 in 3 adult women has some form of cardiovascular disease.
  Fact: Minority women, particularly African American, Hispanic and 
Native American women are at even greater risk from heart disease and 
stroke.
  The first step in addressing any problem is acknowledging it--that's 
why efforts to educate women about their risk of heart disease are so 
important.
  The good news is that we have made progress in educating women: 
nearly half of women can now identify heart disease as the leading 
cause of death in women. The bad news is that while women are now more 
aware of their risk of heart disease many of their doctors are not.
  Astoundingly, 4 out of 5 doctors do not know that more women die of 
heart disease each year than men. Those numbers are alarming because 
doctors decide how aggressively to treat their patients based on the 
amount of risk they perceive for that patient.
  I suspect we all know women who have been to their doctors or to 
emergency rooms exhibiting symptoms of a heart attack, only to be told 
they were suffering from ``stress'' or indigestion.
  As a result, women don't get the same care that men do. Even though 
women make up 53 percent of all deaths from cardiovascular disease, 
they receive only 33 percent of coronary interventions such as 
angioplasties and stints.
  Likewise, 61 percent of total stroke deaths are in women, but only 38 
percent of the procedures to prevent stroke are performed on women.
  And when women do receive treatment, it is often based on research 
that was solely done on men. For too many years, everyone has just 
assumed that treatments that are effective for men work equally well in 
women.
  But now we know that gender really does make a difference. Diagnostic 
tests, prescription drugs, and medical devices may work differently in 
women than in men. When there is a difference, patients and their 
healthcare providers need and deserve to know this. And right now, all 
too often that kind of information simply isn't available to clinicians 
and researchers.
  That is why Senator Murkowski and I are introducing the ``HEART for 
Women Act'' to help to turn this problem around. This legislation takes 
a 3-pronged approach to reducing the heart disease death rate for 
women.
  First, the bill would authorize grants to educate doctors on how to 
prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease and strokes in women. Doctors 
and other healthcare providers first and foremost need to know that 
heart disease is a major problem in women, so that they treat it 
accordingly.
  The bill would also require that health information that is already

[[Page S1177]]

being reported to the federal government be gender-specific, and would 
require annual recommendations to Congress for improving the treatment 
of heart disease in women. Doctors need to know what medical treatments 
are safe and effective for their women patients.
  Finally, the bill would also expand a current program run by the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC called WISEWOMAN, Well-
Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation.
  The WISEWOMAN program provides free heart disease and stroke 
screening to low-income, uninsured women. While Michigan is fortunate 
to be one of the 14 States that has a WISEWOMAN program, every State 
should have this important program.
  These are simple, cost-effective, but meaningful steps that Congress 
can take that will help get the death rate for women from heart disease 
and stroke going in the right direction--down.
  Today is Valentine's Day, a day for showing our loved ones how much 
we love and appreciation them.
  As women, we tend to be really great at taking care of everyone 
around us--our children, our husbands, our aging parents. 
Unfortunately, we're not nearly so good about taking care of ourselves.
  So I hope that this Valentine's Day will also be a day to raise 
awareness about the risks of heart disease for women and to encourage 
our loved ones--our mothers, sisters, and friends--to take good care of 
themselves. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this critical 
legislation.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, February is American Heart Month, and 
heart disease remains the Nation's leading cause of death.
  Many women believe that heart disease is a man's disease and, 
unfortunately, do not view it as a serious health threat. Yet, in every 
year since 1984, cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of more women 
than men. In fact, cardiovascular disease death rates have declined in 
men since 1979, while the death rate for women during that same period 
has actually increased. The numbers are disturbing: cardiovascular 
diseases claim the lives of more than 480,000 women per year; that's 
nearly a death per minute among females and nearly 12 times as many 
lives as claimed by breast cancer. One in four females has some form of 
cardiovascular disease.
  That is why I am pleased to join with my colleague from Michigan, 
Senator Stabenow, to introduce important legislation, the HEART for 
Women Act, or Heart disease Education, Analysis and Research, and 
Treatment for Women Act. This important bill improves the prevention, 
diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and stroke in women.
  In Alaska, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death, 
totaling nearly 800 deaths each year. Women in Alaska have higher death 
rates from stroke than do women nationally. Mortality among Native 
Alaskan women is dramatically on the rise, whereas, it is declining 
among Caucasian women in the Lower 48.
  Despite being the number one killer, many women and their health care 
providers do not know that the biggest health care threat to women is 
heart disease. In fact, a recent survey found that 45 percent of women 
still don't know that heart disease is the number one killer of women.
  Perhaps even more troubling is the lack of awareness among health 
care providers. According to American Heart Association figures, less 
than one in five physicians recognize that more women suffer from heart 
disease than men. Among primary care physicians, only 8 percent of 
primary care physicians--and even more astounding--only 17 percent of 
cardiologists recognize that more women die of heart disease than men. 
Additionally, studies show that women are less likely to receive 
aggressive treatment because heart disease often manifests itself 
differently in women than men.
  This is why the HEART Act is so important. Our bill takes a three-
pronged approach to reducing the heart disease death rate for women, 
through; 1. education; 2. research; and 3. screening.
  First, the bill would authorize the Department of Health and Human 
Services to educate healthcare professionals and older women about 
unique aspects of care in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of 
women with heart disease and stroke.
  Second, the bill would require disclosure of gender-specific health 
information that is already being reported to the Federal Government. 
Many agencies already collect information based on gender, but do not 
disseminate or analyze the gender differences. This bill would release 
that information so that it could be studied, and important health 
trends in women could be detected.
  Lastly, the bill would authorize the expansion of the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention's WISEWOMAN program, the Well-Integrated 
Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation program. The 
WISEWOMAN program provides free heart disease and stroke screening to 
low-income uninsured women, but the program is currently limited to 
just 14 States.
  My State of Alaska is fortunate to have two WISEWOMAN program sites. 
These programs screen for high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose 
in Native Alaskan women and provide invaluable counseling on diet and 
exercise. One program in Alaska alone has successfully screened 1,437 
Alaskan Native women and has provided them with a culturally 
appropriate intervention program that has produced life-saving results.
  Heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases cost 
Americans more than any other disease--an estimated $403 billion in 
2006, including more than $250 billion in direct medical costs. We, as 
a nation, can control those costs--prevention through early detection 
is the most cost-effective way to combat this disease.
  Today, as we celebrate Valentine's Day and see images of hearts just 
about everywhere, let us not forget that the heart is much more than a 
symbol--it is a vital organ that can't be taken for granted. Coronary 
disease can be effectively treated and sometimes even prevented--it 
does not have to be the number one cause of death in women. And, that 
is why I encourage my colleagues to support the HEART for Women Act.
                                 ______