expectancy (66.7 years of age), followed by 
Southern rural Black men, at 67.7 years of age. 
(C) African American men are more likely 
to suffer serious side effects from chronic dis-
eases and have higher mortality rates from 
heart disease and obesity than any other racial 
or ethnic group. 
(D) African American men generally access 
medical facilities in later disease stages, thus 
reducing their chances for adequate treatment 
and recovery and increasing the cost of care. 
This affects mortality rates in a wide range of 
chronic diseases, including testicular disease 
and end-stage renal disease related to diabetes. 
(E) American Indian and African Amer-
ican men, 15 to 29 years of age, have higher 
overall death rates than Hispanic, White, and 
Asian American men of the same age group. 
(F) Since 2001, the only men of color for 
whom HIV disease is a major cause of death 
are African Americans (fourth ranked) and 
Latinos (tenth ranked). 
(G) Diabetes mellitus is the fifth ranked 
cause of death for American Indian and Alaska 
Native men, the sixth ranked cause among 
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Latino men and White men, and the seventh 
ranked cause among Asian and Pacific Islander 
men and African American men. 
(5) ORAL HEALTH.—Oral diseases are preva-
lent among men of color, particularly African Ameri-
cans. Men suffer disproportionately from oral dis-
eases, many of which can be treated and prevented 
with appropriate diagnosis and care. 
(A) More than 50 percent of African 
American men have untreated dental decay 
compared to only 28 percent of White men. 
(B) African American men have the high-
est incidence of oral cancer and the lowest sur-
vival rates of any group. 
(6) MENTAL HEALTH.—Mental health is often 
ignored in discussions and intervention strategies re-
lated to men’s health. However, mental health is an 
indispensable component of personal health and well- 
being. Mental health defines and affects inter-
personal relationships, the ability to adapt and cope 
with adversity, and an individual’s relationship to his 
family, community, and society. The mental health 
status of men is a growing concern for this country 
and can have significant health consequences. From 
1980–1995, the suicide rate among African Amer-
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ican males ages 10 to 14 increased 233 percent, 
compared to 120 percent of comparable non-His-
panic White men. Additionally, research indicates 
that suicide death rates are more than four times 
higher among men than women. 
(7) NATIONAL IMPACT.—Nationally, the men’s 
health crisis has a profound and often detrimental 
impact not only on the health, well-being, and pro-
ductivity of men, but also on the strength and viabil-
ity of the communities in which they live, work, and 
do business. 
(A) This health crisis has had a negative 
impact on the national economy. As a con-
sequence, substantial additional burdens have 
been placed upon a significant portion of our 
Nation’s labor force. 
(B) The current men’s health crisis is a 
major concern for the private sector, labor 
unions, health providers, and government— 
from local governments to the Federal Govern-
ment. Both the private sector and the public 
sector experience substantial additional costs 
related to absorbing the burden of health dis-
parities related to men. These disparities are 
exacerbated even further in terms of men who 
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are unable to afford or gain access to reliable 
and appropriate care in their communities and 
men of color who bear a dual burden related to 
ethnicity and gender. 
(C) The inequities in men’s health are a 
core concern for employers, particularly those 
offering health benefits to employees and their 
dependants. 
(i) Men’s health issues challenge em-
ployers’ efforts to contain the direct and 
indirect costs associated with providing 
health care insurance for employees. 
(ii) Disparities in men’s health, par-
ticularly in communities of color, leave 
men in the workforce in poorer health and 
at greater risk for the most costly chronic 
and acute conditions. These communities 
are especially at risk for increased rates of 
absenteeism and lower rates of productivity 
for health-only reasons. 
(8) HEALTH
INSURANCE.—Access to medical 
care in this country is largely predicated upon hav-
ing health insurance coverage. Dramatically higher 
rates of uninsured men of color have had major con-
sequences for the health of our Nation, our States, 
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and our communities. This lack of health insurance 
creates barriers to access to appropriate health care 
services and treatments and may have a profound 
impact on the health status and health outcomes of 
men, their families, and their communities. Health 
insurance is a primary source of health care for both 
prevention services and treatment of illnesses. Over-
all, racial and ethnic minority men are dispropor-
tionately more likely than White men to be unin-
sured, as well as to suffer from chronic and acute 
conditions, and die prematurely from often prevent-
able conditions during their most productive life 
years. 
(A) More than half (56 percent) of all His-
panic men, about 45 percent of all American 
Indian and Alaska Native men, 47 percent of 
all Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander men, 
and 38 percent of all African American men, 18 
to 29 years of age, were uninsured in 2004, 
compared to 26 percent of all White men in the 
same age group. 
(B) In 2004, the percentage of all unin-
sured men of color, 30 to 44 years of age, was 
higher than that of white men of the same age 
group. The percentage of uninsured Hispanic 
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