,i #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #eihf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #af1 #bjba,mr4 ,payne 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,sires1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,bowman1 ,mr4 ,mfume1 ,mr4 ,veasey1 ,mr4 ,bishop of ,georgia1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 and ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to improve men's health initiatives1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,men's ,health ,awareness and ,improvement ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,risks to the health and well-being of the ,nation's men 7and our families7 are on the rise due to a lack of education on1 awareness of1 and pursuit of preventive screening and care4 ,for instance-- 7,a7 men are leading in #i out of the top #aj causes of death2 7,b7 the life expectancy gap persists with the average age of death for men being #gf4b years versus #ha4b years for women2 and 7,c7 in the ,united ,states1 men die at an overall rate #a4d times higher than women4 7#b7 ,while this health crisis is of particular concern to men1 it is also a concern for women regarding their fathers1 husbands1 sons1 and brothers4 7#c7 ,men's health is a concern to the ,federal ,government and ,state governments1 which absorb the enormous costs of premature death and disability1 including the costs of caring for dependents who are left behind4 7#d7 ,according to the ,social ,security ,administration1 #af4c percent of widows age #fe and over are impoverished1 compared to #d4i percent of married women age #fe and over4 7#e7 ,educating men1 their families1 and health care providers about the importance of early detection of health issues that can impact men1 such as cardiovascular disease1 mental health1 ,,hiv_/,,aids1 osteoporosis1 cancer 7lung1 prostate1 skin1 colorectal1 testicular1 and more71 and other pertinent health issues1 can result in reducing rates of mortality of diseases impacting males1 as well as improve the health of the ,nation's males and its overall economic well-being4 7#f7 ,of concern is the physical1 mental1 and emotional well-being of our military men 7and women7 returning from war zones and our veterans4 7#g7 ,recent scientific studies have shown that regular medical exams1 preventive screenings1 regular exercise1 and healthy eating habits can save lives4 7#h7 ,according to the ,american ,foundation for ,suicide ,prevention1 men are nearly four times as likely to commit suicide4 7#i7 ,appropriate use of tests such as prostate cancer screening exams1 blood pressure tests1 blood glucose testing1 lipid panel testing1 and colorectal screenings1 in conjunction with clinical exams or self-testing1 can result in the early detection of many problems and increased survival rates4 7#aj7 ,men's health is a concern for employers who pay the costs of medical care and lose productive employees4 7#aa7 ,according to the ,national ,cancer ,institute1 cancer mortality is higher among men than women 7#ahe4e per #ajj1jjj men and #acc4e per #ajj1jjj women74 7#ab7 ,in #bjah1 national expenditures for cancer care in the ,united ,states were #aej4h billion4 7#ac7 ,prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the ,united ,states among men4 ,one in #i men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime4 ,this year alone1 over #bdh1ecj men will be newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and #cd1acj men with prostate cancer will die4 ,costs associated with prostate cancer detection and treatments were #ae4c billion in #bjah in the ,united ,states and such costs are estimated to increase4 ,prostate cancer rates increase sharply with age1 and more than #ij percent of such cases are diagnosed in men age #ee and older4 ,the incidence of prostate cancer is #ej percent higher in ,african-,american men1 who are twice as likely to die from such cancer4 ,there are over #c1ajj1jjj men in the ,united ,states living with prostate cancer4 7#ad7 ,it is estimated that1 in #bjba1 approximately #aai1ajj men in the ,united ,states will be diagnosed with lung cancer1 and an estimated #fi1daj men will die from lung cancer4 7#ae7 ,it is estimated that1 in #bjba1 approximately #gi1ebj men in the ,united ,states will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer1 and #bh1ebj men will die from colorectal cancer4 7#af7 ,men make up over half the diabetes patients aged #ah and over in the ,united ,states 7#ag4i million men total7 and over #a_/c of them don't know it4 ,approximately #cd4b million people in the ,united ,states are living with diabetes1 and men are more likely to die from the disease4 ,in the ,united ,states1 #hh million people aged #ah and older1 #dj4i million men1 and #dg4a million women have prediabetes4 ,people with diagnosed diabetes have medical expenditures that are #b4c times higher than patients without diabetes1 and the estimated cost of diabetes in #bjag was #cbg million4 7#ag7 ,a research study found that premature death and morbidity in men costs ,federal1 ,state1 and local governments in excess of #adb billion annually4 ,it also costs ,united ,states employers1 and society as a whole1 in excess of #aef billion annually and an additional #aha billion annually in decreased quality of life4 7#ah7 ,over #i1dgj men will be diagnosed in #bjba with testicular cancer1 and #ddj of these men will die from this disease4 ,a common reason for delay in treatment of this disease is a delay in seeking medical attention after discovering a testicular mass4 7#ai7 ,men over the past decade have shown poorer health outcomes than women across all racial and ethnic groups as well as socioeconomic status4 7#bj7 ,healthy fathers can be role models for their children1 leading by example1 and encouraging them to lead healthy lifestyles4 7#ba7 ,establishing an ,office of ,men's ,health is needed to investigate these findings and take further action to promote awareness of men's health needs4 #c4 ,establishment of ,office of ,men's ,health ,title ,,xvii of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjju et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #agaa4 ,office of ,men's ,health 7a7 ,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 ,health1 which shall be headed by a director to be appointed by the ,secretary4 7b7 ,activities ,the ,director of the ,office of ,men's ,health shall-- 7#a7 conduct1 support1 coordinate1 and promote programs and activities to improve the state of men's health in the ,united ,states1 including by working with the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 the ,department of ,defense1 and the ,office of ,personnel ,management2 and 7#b7 consult with the offices and agencies of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services for the purposes of-- 7,a7 coordinating public awareness1 education1 and screening programs and activities relating to men's health1 with an emphasis on colorectal cancer1 prostate cancer1 diabetes1 cholesterol1 and mental health screening programs for men identified as being at increased risk of developing such conditions and diseases2 7,b7 coordinating programs and activities under title ,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act relating to men's health1 including colorectal cancer1 prostate cancer1 diabetes1 cholesterol1 and mental health screening programs2 and 7,c7 establishing and maintaining a database of best practices1 clinical guidelines1 current clinical research published1 and funded and active requests for grant proposals in order to promote quality assurance and improved understanding of clinical issues affecting men4 7c7 ,report ,not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this section1 the ,director shall submit to the ,congress a report describing the activities of such ,office1 including findings by the ,director regarding men's health4 4 #d4 ,guidance ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall issue guidance regarding the improvement of men's health outcomes under section #agaa of the ,public ,health ,service ,act1 as added by section #c1 that includes-- 7#a7 the development of short-range and long-range goals and objectives within the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 in coordination with other appropriate offices of the ,department1 that relate to disease prevention1 health promotion1 service delivery1 research1 and public and health care professional education for issues of particular concern to men throughout their lifespan2 and 7#b7 recommendations for enhancing the ,department's outreach with respect to men's health4 #e4 ,study and reports 7a7 ,,oash study ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,assistant ,secretary for ,health of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services 7referred to in this section as the ,assistant ,secretary71 in collaboration with the ,director of the ,national ,cancer ,institute and the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,mental ,health1 shall conduct a study on the following3 7#a7 ,whether underscreening or underdiagnosis of men's health issues exist1 with emphasis on colorectal cancer1 prostate cancer1 mental health1 and other health concerns for which men are at a great risk4 7#b7 ,causes of any such underscreening or underdiagnosis4 7#c7 ,whether men underutilize health services4 7#d7 ,causes of any such underutilization4 7b7 ,,oash report ,not later than #ah months after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,assistant ,secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress a report on the findings of the study conducted under subsection 7a7 and include any recommendations resulting from such findings4 7c7 ,,gao report ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress a report detailing the effectiveness of ,federal agency outreach with respect to men's health initiatives4