Men’s Health Awareness and Improvement Act
Bill: H.R.5986 | Sponsor: Rep. Payne, Donald M., Jr. (D-NJ)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Men's Health Awareness and Improvement Act
This bill establishes the Office of Men's Health within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and requires other activities to improve men's health in the United States.
The office must support and promote men's health programs and initiatives, including by working with relevant federal agencies (e.g., the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs) and consulting with other HHS offices and agencies on activities related to men's health. HHS must issue associated guidance and recommendations on improving men's health outcomes that include short-term and long-term objectives for disease prevention, health promotion, and other areas of concern.
The bill also requires studies and reports on men's health topics. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health must study men's use of health screenings and services, and the Government Accountability Office must report on the effectiveness of federal outreach related to men's health initiatives.

To improve men's health initiatives, and for other purposes.

    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's Health Awareness and 
Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    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 
        on, awareness of, and pursuit of preventive screening and care. 
        For instance--
                    (A) men are leading in 9 out of the top 10 causes 
                of death;
                    (B) the life expectancy gap persists with the 
                average age of death for men being 76.2 years versus 
                81.2 years for women; and
                    (C) in the United States, men die at an overall 
                rate 1.4 times higher than women.
            (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) Men's health is a concern to the Federal Government and 
        State governments, which absorb the enormous costs of premature 
        death and disability, including the costs of caring for 
        dependents who are left behind.
            (4) According to the Social Security Administration, 16.3 
        percent of widows age 65 and over are impoverished, compared to 
        4.9 percent of married women age 65 and over.
            (5) Educating men, their families, and health care 
        providers about the importance of early detection of health 
        issues that can impact men, such as cardiovascular disease, 
        mental health, HIV/AIDS, osteoporosis, cancer (lung, prostate, 
        skin, colorectal, testicular, and more), and other pertinent 
        health issues, can result in reducing rates of mortality of 
        diseases impacting males, as well as improve the health of the 
        Nation's males and its overall economic well-being.
            (6) Of concern is the physical, mental, and emotional well-
        being of our military men (and women) returning from war zones 
        and our veterans.
            (7) Recent scientific studies have shown that regular 
        medical exams, preventive screenings, regular exercise, and 
        healthy eating habits can save lives.
            (8) According to the American Foundation for Suicide 
        Prevention, men are nearly four times as likely to commit 
        suicide.
            (9) Appropriate use of tests such as prostate cancer 
        screening exams, blood pressure tests, blood glucose testing, 
        lipid panel testing, and colorectal screenings, in conjunction 
        with clinical exams or self-testing, can result in the early 
        detection of many problems and increased survival rates.
            (10) Men's health is a concern for employers who pay the 
        costs of medical care and lose productive employees.
            (11) According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer 
        mortality is higher among men than women (185.5 per 100,000 men 
        and 133.5 per 100,000 women).
            (12) In 2018, national expenditures for cancer care in the 
        United States were $150.8 billion.
            (13) Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed 
        cancer in the United States among men. One in 9 men will be 
        diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. This year 
        alone, over 248,530 men will be newly diagnosed with prostate 
        cancer and 34,130 men with prostate cancer will die. Costs 
        associated with prostate cancer detection and treatments were 
        $15.3 billion in 2018 in the United States and such costs are 
        estimated to increase. Prostate cancer rates increase sharply 
        with age, and more than 90 percent of such cases are diagnosed 
        in men age 55 and older. The incidence of prostate cancer is 50 
        percent higher in African-American men, who are twice as likely 
        to die from such cancer. There are over 3,100,000 men in the 
        United States living with prostate cancer.
            (14) It is estimated that, in 2021, approximately 119,100 
        men in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer, 
        and an estimated 69,410 men will die from lung cancer.
            (15) It is estimated that, in 2021, approximately 79,520 
        men in the United States will be diagnosed with colorectal 
        cancer, and 28,520 men will die from colorectal cancer.
            (16) Men make up over half the diabetes patients aged 18 
        and over in the United States (17.9 million men total) and over 
        \1/3\ of them don't know it. Approximately 34.2 million people 
        in the United States are living with diabetes, and men are more 
        likely to die from the disease. In the United States, 88 
        million people aged 18 and older, 40.9 million men, and 47.1 
        million women have prediabetes. People with diagnosed diabetes 
        have medical expenditures that are 2.3 times higher than 
        patients without diabetes, and the estimated cost of diabetes 
        in 2017 was $327 million.
            (17) A research study found that premature death and 
        morbidity in men costs Federal, State, and local governments in 
        excess of $142 billion annually. It also costs United States 
        employers, and society as a whole, in excess of $156 billion 
        annually and an additional $181 billion annually in decreased 
        quality of life.
            (18) Over 9,470 men will be diagnosed in 2021 with 
        testicular cancer, and 440 of these men will die from this 
        disease. A common reason for delay in treatment of this disease 
        is a delay in seeking medical attention after discovering a 
        testicular mass.
            (19) Men over the past decade have shown poorer health 
        outcomes than women across all racial and ethnic groups as well 
        as socioeconomic status.
            (20) Healthy fathers can be role models for their children, 
        leading by example, and encouraging them to lead healthy 
        lifestyles.
            (21) Establishing an Office of Men's Health is needed to 
        investigate these findings and take further action 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, which shall be headed by a director to be 
appointed by the Secretary.
    ``(b) Activities.--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 Office of 
        Personnel Management; and
            ``(2) consult with the 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, with an emphasis on colorectal cancer, prostate 
                cancer, diabetes, cholesterol, and mental health 
                screening programs for men identified as being at 
                increased risk of developing such conditions and 
                diseases;
                    ``(B) coordinating programs and activities under 
                title XVIII of the Social Security Act relating to 
                men's health, including colorectal cancer, prostate 
                cancer, diabetes, cholesterol, and mental health 
                screening programs; and
                    ``(C) establishing and maintaining a database of 
                best practices, clinical guidelines, current clinical 
                research published, and funded and active requests for 
                grant proposals in order to promote quality assurance 
                and improved understanding of clinical issues affecting 
                men.
    ``(c) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Director shall submit to the Congress a 
report describing the activities of such Office, including findings by 
the Director regarding men's health.''.

SEC. 4. GUIDANCE.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue guidance 
regarding the improvement of men's health outcomes under section 1711 
of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 3, that 
includes--
            (1) the development of short-range and long-range goals and 
        objectives within the Department of Health and Human Services, 
        in coordination with other appropriate offices of the 
        Department, that relate to disease prevention, health 
        promotion, service delivery, research, and public and health 
        care professional education for issues of particular concern to 
        men throughout their lifespan; and
            (2) recommendations for enhancing the Department's outreach 
        with respect to men's health.

SEC. 5. STUDY AND REPORTS.

    (a) OASH Study.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary for Health of the 
Department of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as 
the ``Assistant Secretary''), in collaboration with the Director of the 
National Cancer Institute and the Director of the National Institute of 
Mental Health, shall conduct a study on the following:
            (1) Whether underscreening or underdiagnosis of men's 
        health issues exist, with emphasis on colorectal cancer, 
        prostate cancer, mental health, and other health concerns for 
        which men are at a great risk.
            (2) Causes of any such underscreening or underdiagnosis.
            (3) Whether men underutilize health services.
            (4) Causes of any such underutilization.
    (b) OASH Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the findings of the 
study conducted under subsection (a) and include any recommendations 
resulting from such findings.
    (c) GAO Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, 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 initiatives.
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