Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - February 13, 2007)

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, February is American Heart Month, and heart disease remains the Nation's leading cause of death.

Many women believe that heart disease is a man's disease and, unfortunately, do not review it as a serious health threat. However, every year, since 1984, cardiovascular disease claims the lives of more women than men. In fact, cardiovascular disease death rates have declined significantly in men since 1979, while the death rate for women hasn't experienced the same rate of decline. The numbers are disturbing: cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of more than 460,000 women per year; that's nearly a death a minute among females and nearly 12 times as many lives as claimed by breast cancer. One in three females has some form of cardiovascular disease. And one in four females dies from heart disease.

That is why I am pleased to join my colleague from Michigan, Senator Stabenow, to introduce important legislation, the HEART for Women Act, or Heart disease Education, Analysis and Research, and Treatment for Women Act. This important bill improves the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and stroke in women.

In my State of Alaska--taken together--heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases are also the leading cause of death, totaling nearly 800 deaths each year. Women in Alaska have higher death rates from stroke than do women nationally. Mortality among Native Alaskan women is dramatically on the rise, whereas, it is actually declining among Caucasian women in the Lower 48.

Despite being the number one killer, many women and their health care providers do not know that the biggest health care threat to women is heart disease. In fact, a recent survey found that 43 percent of women still don't know that heart disease is the number one killer of women.

Perhaps even more troubling, is the lack of awareness among health care providers. According to American Heart Association figures, less than one in five physicians recognize that more women suffer from heart disease than men. Among primary care physicians, only 8 percent of primary care physicians--and even more astounding--only 17 percent of cardiologists recognize that more women die of heart disease than men. Additionally, studies show that women are less likely to receive aggressive treatment because heart disease often manifests itself differently in women than men.

This is why the HEART Act is so important. Our bill takes a three-pronged approach to reducing the heart disease death rate for women, through; 1. education; 2. research; and, 3. screening.

First, the bill would authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to educate healthcare professionals and older women about unique aspects of care in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of women with heart disease and stroke.

Second, the bill would require disclosure of gender-specific health information that is already being reported to the Federal Government. Many agencies already collect information based on gender, but do not disseminate or analyze the gender differences. This bill would release that information so that it could be studied, and important health trends in women could be detected.

Lastly, the bill would authorize the expansion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's WISEWOMAN program (the Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation program). The WISEWOMAN program provides free heart disease and stroke screening to low-income uninsured women, but the program is currently limited to just 14 States.

My State of Alaska is fortunate to have two WISEWOMAN program sites. These programs screen for high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose in Native Alaskan women and provide invaluable counseling on diet and exercise. One program in Alaska alone has successfully screened 1,437 Alaskan Native women and has provided them with a culturally appropriate intervention program that has produced live-saving results.

Mr. President, heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases cost Americans more than any other disease--an estimated $430 billion in 2007, including more than $280 billion in direct medical costs. To put that number in perspective, that's about the same as the projected Federal deficit for 2007. We, as a nation, can control those costs--prevention through early detection is the most cost-effective way to combat this disease.

Tomorrow, as we celebrate Valentine's Day and see images of hearts just about everywhere, let us not forget that the heart is much more than a symbol--it is a vital organ that can't be taken for granted. Coronary disease can be effectively treated and sometimes even prevented--it does not have to be the number one cause of death in women. And, that is why I encourage my colleagues to support the HEART for Women Act.

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