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United States Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan

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The HEART for Women Act of 2006
Sponsored by Senator Debbie Stabenow and Senator Lisa Murkowski

On February 14, 2006, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Heart Disease Education, Analysis and Research, and Treatment (HEART) for Women Act. This bill would improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease and stroke among women.

  • FACT:  Heart disease and stroke actually kill more women each year than men.
  • FACT:  Heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases are the #1 killer in the United States and in Michigan.
  • FACT:  Heart disease and stroke kill more women each year than the next 5 causes of death combined.  In fact, cardiovascular disease kills nearly 12 times as many women as breast cancer.
  • FACT:  In Michigan, 43% of all deaths in women are due to cardiovascular diseases.
  • FACT:  1 in 3 adult women has some form of cardiovascular disease.
  • FACT:  Minority women, particularly African American, Hispanic and Native American women, are at even greater risk from heart disease and stroke.

 

Summary of S.2278, the HEART for Women Act

The legislation takes a 3-pronged approach to reducing the heart disease death rate for women:

  • Education: 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.
  • Analysis and Research: The bill would require that health information that is already being reported to the federal government be gender-specific and would require annual recommendations to Congress for eliminating disparities in, and improving the treatment of, heart disease in women.
  • Screening: The bill would authorize the expansion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WISEWOMAN program.  The WISEWOMAN program (Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation) provides free heart disease and stroke screening to low-income uninsured women, but the program is currently limited to only 14 states.