I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1734
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of Men’s 
Health. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2003
Mr. CUNNINGHAM (for himself, Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mr. HOLDEN, 
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. FOSSELLA, Mr. 
MCINTYRE, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. WYNN, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mr. 
MORAN of Virginia, Mr. ISSA, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. 
ISAKSON, Mr. WATT, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. WHITFIELD, Mr. HOEFFEL, 
Mr. KING of New York, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. WELDON 
of Pennsylvania, Mr. HOLT, Mr. OWENS, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. FROST, 
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. MCCOTTER, 
Mr. PLATTS, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. PALLONE, 
Mr. DEAL of Georgia, Mr. FORD, Mr. NEY, Mrs. DAVIS of California, 
Mr. SAXTON, Mr. RANGEL, and Mr. STEARNS) 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 Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Men’s Health Act of 
2003’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) A silent health crisis is affecting the health 
and well-being of America’s men. 
(2) While this health crisis is of particular con-
cern to men, it is also a concern for women regard-
ing their fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers. 
(3) Men’s health is a concern for employers who 
pay the costs of medical care, and lose productive 
employees. 
(4) 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. 
(5) The life expectancy gap between men and 
women has increased from one year in 1920 to al-
most six years in 1998. 
(6) Prostate cancer is the most frequently diag-
nosed cancer in the United States among men, ac-
counting for 36 percent of all cancer cases. 
(7) An estimated 180,000 men will be newly di-
agnosed with prostate cancer this year alone, and 
37,000 will die. 
(8) Prostate cancer rates increase sharply with 
age, and more than 75 percent of such cases are di-
agnosed in men age 65 and older.
(9) The incidence of prostate cancer and the re-
sulting mortality rate in African American men is 
twice that in white men. 
(10) An estimated 7,200 men, ages 15 to 40, 
will be diagnosed this year with testicular cancer, 
and 400 of these men will die of this disease in 
2001. A common reason for delay in treatment of 
this disease is a delay in seeking medical attention 
after discovering a testicular mass. 
(11) Studies show that men are at least 25 per-
cent less likely than women to visit a doctor, and are 
significantly less likely to have regular physician 
check-ups and obtain preventive screening tests for 
serious diseases. 
(12) Appropriate use of tests such as prostate 
specific antigen (PSA) exams and blood pressure, 
blood sugar, and cholesterol screens, in conjunction 
with clinical exams and self-testing, can result in the 
early detection of many problems and in increased 
survival rates. 
(13) Educating men, their families, and health 
care providers about the importance of early detec-
tion of male health problems can result in reducing 
rates of mortality for male-specific diseases, as well
as improve the health of America’s men and its over-
all economic well-being. 
(14) Recent scientific studies have shown that 
regular medical exams, preventive screenings, reg-
ular exercise, and healthy eating habits can help 
save lives. 
(15) Establishing an Office of Men’s Health is 
needed to investigate these findings and take such 
further actions as may be needed to promote men’s 
health. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF MEN’S HEALTH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title XVII of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following section: 
‘‘OFFICE OF MEN’S HEALTH 
‘‘SEC. 1711. The Secretary shall establish within the 
Department of Health and Human Services an office to 
be known as the Office of Men’s Health, which shall be 
headed by a director appointed by the Secretary. The Sec-
retary, acting through the Director of the Office, shall co-
ordinate and promote the status of men’s health in the 
United States.’’. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, 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 
that the Director has made regarding men’s health.
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