 SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH
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Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are here today to consider five important pieces of public health legislation. The first bill on the notice is H.R. 477, the “Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act”. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and a major contributor to long-term disability. The American Heart Association reports that approximately 700,000 Americans suffer from a stroke each year and more than 150,000 die annually. H.R. 477 would amend the Public Health Service Act to strengthen education, prevention, and treatment programs to improve health outcomes for stroke patients. This legislation is supported by the American Heart Association, the American Stroke Coalition, and the American Physical Therapy Association. I would like to thank Representatives Capps and Pickering for all their hard work on this bill. This is a good piece of legislation and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage. The next bill is H.R. 727, the “Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2007”. Trauma is the leading cause of death of Americans between the ages 1 and 44. This legislation would provide funds for planning, implementation, and development activities for statewide trauma care systems and improve emergency medical services, with particular emphasis on strengthening communication and coordination in rural areas. This bill has the support of many stakeholders in the medical community, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Surgeons. We will also consider H.R. 545, the “Native American Methamphetamine Enforcement and Treatment Act of 2007”. Methamphetamine abuse is a significant issue in rural and Tribal communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of meth use among Alaska Natives and American Indians is almost three times higher than the national rates for white and four times higher than the rate for Latinos. This bill would clarify that territories and Indian Tribes are eligible to receive grants for confronting the uses of methamphetamine. This legislative fix is crucial to ensuring that resources are available in communities hardest hit by the meth epidemic. The Subcommittee will also take up H.R. 1132, the “National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007”. According to the CDC, breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and it is second only to lung cancer as the most common cause of death among women. When detected early, however, the five-year survival rate for women with breast cancer is more than 95 percent. Similarly, cervical cancer was once the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Since the 1950s, however, there has been a 90 percent reduction in the mortality rate for cervical cancer. The National Cancer Institute has attributed this decline to effective Pap smear screening. H.R. 1132 would provide a five year reauthorization for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. This program provides free and low-cost breast and cervical screenings to low-income, minority, or uninsured women. These services include mammograms, pap smear tests, surgical consultations, and diagnostic testing. Additionally, this program partners with local, State, and private entities to provide education and outreach services to diverse populations of women. This is an extraordinary piece of legislation which is supported by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as well as the American Cancer Society. I would like to commend Representatives Baldwin and Myrick for all their hard work and dedication on this issue and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. Finally, we will consider H.R. 493, the “Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007”, also known as “GINA.” As we were made aware at last week’s Subcommittee Hearing, recent advances in the field of genetic research have made it possible to identify the genetic basis for human diseases. While these advances hold promise for improving the health and well-being of all people, genetic information can also be used to unfairly discriminate against or stigmatize individuals when it comes to insurance and employment. Concerns about privacy and the use and misuse of genetic information need to be balanced with the potential of genetics and genetic technology to change how care is delivered and to personalize medical care and treatment of disease. H.R. 493 ensures that discoveries made possible by genetic research are used to improve health and not to discriminate against workers or their families. In order to protect individuals from employment discrimination, this legislation would make it unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate against an individual or deprive such an individual of employment opportunities because of genetic information. Additionally, in order to protect individuals from insurance discrimination, H.R. 493 would prohibit insurers, in both the group and individual markets, from using genetic information to determine eligibility or establish differential premiums based on the genetic information of individuals or their family members. This legislation is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Cancer Society, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the March of Dimes, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, as well as President Bush. This is a good piece of legislation, which has broad bipartisan support with 215 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle. I would especially like to thank Representatives Eshoo, Pallone, Biggert and Slaughter for all their hard work on this important bill.
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