H.R 2115 : Men and Families Healthcare Act of 2009

**musicman.2** · 24th-May-2009

Men and Families Health Care Act of 2009 (Introduced in House)
HR 2115 IH
111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2115
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of Men's Health.
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.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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

SEC. 2. 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.

SEC. 3. 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:

`SEC. 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.'.

Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)

**Feckless** · 25th-May-2009

Is this for real? A mens health office?

**Incognito** · 25th-May-2009

If it is for real HURRAY!!!!! It's about damn time!

A great find, MM! We should write our Congressmen and show our support for this!

**Feckless** · 25th-May-2009

Hm....

To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of Men's Health.
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

Again was this approved? Will this happen nationally? What is going on?

**paul parmenter** · 25th-May-2009

All you guys in the US, go for it and ensure this bill gets massive support at every turn. And above all don't let the bloody feminists blow it off course. They will try their utmost, but they must be defeated. Your lives are at stake.

**Incognito** · 25th-May-2009

Dated May 8, 2009:

Men and Families Health Care Act of 2009

U.S. Government To Consider Protecting Men’s Health

Legislation is pending to add an Office of Men’s Health to the Department of Health and Human Services.

By Leah Zerbe Topics: prostate cancer, Cholesterol

Tell your elected representatives to support the legislation that will create an office to address men’s health-care concerns.

Most guys think they're invulnerable, but men die sooner than women.

5-8-09 RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—In the 1920s, the average life expectancy of men and women was relatively close—ladies lived about a year longer. Today, however, men are more likely to die at least 5 years earlier than women. In an effort to help improve the health of men across the nation, representatives from both sides of the aisle recently introduced H.R. 2115, the “Men and Families Health Care Act of 2009.”

THE DETAILS: Representatives Barron Hill (D-IN) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) have introduced legislation that would create an Office of Men’s Health within the Department of Health and Human Services, with the goal of improving the lives of men and their families. In the early 1990s, an Office of Women’s Health was established. “The goal of this bill is to raise awareness about men’s health issues, and ways we can prevent and detect men’s health problems. The Office of Men’s Health will bring this issue to the federal stage and result in more men getting the treatment they need, which will save lives,” says Murphy. “For too long the health needs of men have gone unaddressed. This bill will help men’s health take its rightful place in our federal government’s health-care priorities.” The bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce at the end of April.

WHAT IT MEANS: “The act is a step in the right direction, to be sure,” says Matt Bean, senior editor at Men’s Health magazine, “but we still have much ground to cover before health care for men is adequately addressed in this country.” He points out that breast cancer studies are funded at nearly triple the level of prostate cancer studies, despite that fact that both diseases kill about 40,000 people each year.

Some other sobering statistics:

Men die at higher rates than women from the top 10 causes of death.
Male victims account for 92 percent of workplace deaths.
Men are 4 times as likely to commit suicide than women.
“There is a silent health crisis in America: On average, American men live sicker and die younger than American women,” says David Gremillion, MD, spokesman for Men’s Health Network.

Here are some steps men can take to better their odds of a long, healthy life:

• Speak up. Make improving the lives of men and their families a high priority for the government. The Men and Families Health Care Act is still in the early phase of the legislative process, in which the bill goes to a committee where lawmakers look it over, deliberate, and make changes. Keep in mind that most bills never make it out of committee. Track the progress of the bill, and let members of Congress know you support the idea of creating an Office of Men’s Health. If you don’t want to write an original letter, you can fill one out online.

• Get checkups. The top 10 causes of death in men over 45 are heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, prostate cancer, pneumonia, diabetes, unintentional injuries, colorectal cancer, and liver disease, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers. Many of these problems are preventable, and many of the diseases can be caught in the early stages if you see your doctor routinely. When it’s time for a checkup, be prepared:

1. Bring a list of all the over-the-counter and prescription medicines and supplements you take, including dosage information.

2. Review your family history. Tell your doctor if a close relative has a new condition or disease since your last visit.

3. Find out if you’re due for any vaccines or general screenings, such as those for prostate or colorectal cancers.

4. Write down questions or concerns before you arrive for your appointment. Ask yourself: Have I noticed any body changes, including lumps or skin changes? Am I experiencing pain, dizziness, fatigue, or problems with urine or stool? Have my eating habits changed? Am I experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, distress, or sleep problems?

5. Talk about your future with doc. Do you want to quit smoking or lose weight? Doctors can offer useful advice to help get you on track for making better lifestyle choices.

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**Incognito** · 25th-May-2009

"We are happy to see that this bill has been introduced. An Office of Men's Health is an effective way to reach men with valuable information and ultimately save lives, keeping families healthy and happy," says Theresa Morrow of Women Against Prostate Cancer.

The office will be designed to monitor and coordinate efforts to improve the health and well-being of men by streamlining government efforts on the federal and state levels in the areas of prevention, health education, outreach, and research. You can learn more and take action by visiting the Men's Health Office Resource Center at www.menshealthoffice.com.

Men's Health Network is a national educational non-profit organization whose mission is to reach men and their families where they live, work, play, and pray with health prevention messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities, and patient navigation.

SOURCE Men's Health Network

**Incognito** · 25th-May-2009

Office of Men's Health Legislation

Look for both the Senate and the House to introduce bills in 2009 which will establish an Office of Men's Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This office will mirror the work of the existing Office of Women's Health, which has helped to save thousands of women's lives and has improved the lives of many more.
Why do we need an Office of Men's Health?

Alarming statistics show that men's health is at great risk. On average, men die almost 6 years younger than women and suffer higher mortality rates for the top causes of death. The lives of hundreds of thousands of men will continue to be threatened unless immediate action is taken to combat this growing crisis. The Office of Men's Health will coordinate the fragmented men's health awareness, prevention, and research efforts now being conducted by federal and state government.
An Office of Men's Health, styled after the Office of Women's Health, will be well placed to coordinate outreach and awareness efforts on the federal and state levels, promote preventative health behaviors, and provide a vehicle whereby researchers on men's health can network and share information and findings.
Show your support!

You can show your support for the Office of Men's Health by writing a letter to your Senators and Representative. We make it easy.
Click here to write a send a pre-drafted letter to your Representatives