I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1283 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for arthritis research 
and public health, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 1, 2007 
Ms. ESHOO (for herself, Mr. PICKERING, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. BARTLETT of Mary-
land, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. CON-
YERS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee, Mr. DOYLE, 
Mr. FARR, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. GORDON of 
Tennessee, Mr. GRAVES, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 
KUCINICH, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LANTOS, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. MCDERMOTT, 
Mr. MCNULTY, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. MATHESON, Mr. 
GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. 
RAMSTAD, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. REYES, Mr. ROSS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
SCHIFF, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Mr. SESSIONS, Mrs. TAUSCHER, 
Mr. TOWNS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. WU, Mrs. BOYDA of 
Kansas, Mr. CARNEY, Ms. CLARKE, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. TOM DAVIS of 
Virginia, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. TIERNEY, Ms. WATSON, Mr. HOLT, Mr. 
MCHUGH, and Mr. WOLF) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
arthritis research and public health, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Arthritis Prevention, 
Control, and Cure Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases are 
among the most common chronic conditions in the 
United States. There are more than 100 different 
forms of arthritis, which affect joints, the tissues 
which surround the joint, and other connective tis-
sue. Two of the most common forms are osteo-
arthritis, which affects approximately 21,000,000 
Americans, and rheumatoid arthritis. 
(2) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases 
cause severe and chronic pain, swollen tissue, liga-
ment and joint destruction, deformities, permanent 
disability, and death. Arthritis and other rheumatic 
diseases erode patients’ quality of life and can di-
minish their mental health, impose significant limi-
tations on their daily activities, and disrupt the lives 
of their family members and caregivers. 
(3) One out of every 5 or 46 million adults in 
the United States suffers from arthritis. The num-
ber of individuals in the United States with arthritis 
will grow as the number of older Americans con-
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tinues to increase dramatically in the next few dec-
ades. 
(4) By 2030, nearly 67,000,000 or 25 percent 
of the projected United States adult population will 
have arthritis, and arthritis will limit the daily ac-
tivities of nearly 25,000,000 individuals. These esti-
mates may be conservative as they do not account 
for the current trends in obesity, which may con-
tribute to future cases of osteoarthritis. 
(5) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, the total costs attributable to 
arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the 
United 
States 
in 
2003 
was 
approximately 
$128,000,000,000. This equaled 1.2 percent of the 
2003 
United 
States 
gross 
domestic 
product. 
$80,800,000,000 of such costs consisted of direct 
costs for medical care, and $47,000,000,000 con-
sisted of indirect costs for lost earnings. National 
medical costs attributable to arthritis grew by 24 
percent between 1997 and 2003. This rise in med-
ical costs resulted from an increase in the number 
of people with arthritis and other rheumatic condi-
tions. 
(6) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases af-
fect all types of people of the United States, not just 
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older individuals. Arthritis and other rheumatic dis-
eases disproportionately affect women in the United 
States. 8,700,000 young adults ages 18 through 44 
have arthritis, and millions of others are at risk for 
developing the disease. 
(7) Nearly 300,000 children in the United 
States, or 3 children out of every 1,000, have some 
form of arthritis or other rheumatic disease. It is the 
sense of the Congress that the substantial morbidity 
associated with pediatric arthritis warrants a greater 
Federal investment in research to identify new and 
more effective treatments for these diseases. 
(8) Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases are 
the leading cause of disability among adults in the 
United 
States. 
Over 
percent, 
or 
nearly 
19,000,000, adults with arthritis are limited in their 
activities because of their arthritis. In addition to 
activity limitations, 31 percent or 8,200,000 of 
working age adults with arthritis report being lim-
ited in work activities due to arthritis. 
(9) Obese adults are up to 4 times more likely 
to develop knee osteoarthritis than normal weight 
adults. Excess body weight is also associated with 
worse progression of arthritis, contributing to func-
tional limitation, mobility problems, and disability. 
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About 35 percent of adults with arthritis are obese 
compared to only 21 percent of those without arthri-
tis. 
(10) Arthritis results in 744,000 hospitaliza-
tions and 36,500,000 outpatient care visits every 
year. 
(11) In 1975, the National Arthritis Act of 
1974 (Public Law 93–640) was enacted to promote 
basic and clinical arthritis research, establish multi-
purpose arthritis centers, and expand clinical knowl-
edge in the field of arthritis. The Act was success-
fully implemented, and continued funding of arthri-
tis-related research has led to important advances in 
arthritis control, treatment, and prevention. 
(12) Early diagnosis, treatment, and appro-
priate management of arthritis can control symp-
toms and improve quality of life. Weight control and 
exercise can demonstrably lower health risks from 
arthritis, as can other forms of patient education, 
training, and self-management. The genetics of ar-
thritis are being actively investigated. New, innova-
tive, and increasingly effective drug therapies, joint 
replacements, and other therapeutic options are 
being developed. 
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