Men’s Health in Public Policy by Adam Dougherty, MPH

by Adam Dougherty, MPH July 13, 2009 Comment

As you may or may not be aware, health reform is THE topic of the summer in Washington, DC and men’s health has a lot to gain (and lose) in the talks. There are two bills making their way through Congress that deal specifically with men.

First the good news! The resolution H. Con. Res. 142: Supporting National Men’s Health Week passed the House on July 8, 2009. This resolution accompanies the Senate version (S. Res. 190, passed June 25, 2009) as an official recognition of this incredibly important week of concentrated efforts for men’s health.

Now for the tough one. The second bill to keep an eye on (and call on your representative for their support) is H.R. 2115, “Men and Families Health Care Act of 2009” which would officially establish a federal Office of Men’s Health. The bill was introduced on April 27, 2009 and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where it currently waits. The creation of such an Office would be incredibly beneficial for coordinating awareness campaigns and prevention programs, disseminating materials, and establishing clinical registries for research. Multiple Offices of Women’s Health are present, yet there is no federal Office of Men’s Health. It seems only fitting to establish such an office in this year of reform as:

Men are leading in 9 out of the top 10 causes of death
The life expectancy gap between men and women has increased to 5.3 years
1 in 2 men versus 1 in 3 women in their lifetime will be diagnosed with cancer
studies show that women are 100% more likely than men to visit a doctor, have regular check-ups, and obtain preventive screening

These issues are undoubtedly a concern for men, but should be just as equally important to a woman’s father, brother, son, and husband.Read the bill here, http://www.thomas.gov/, and be sure to contact your local congressperson to voice your support!

Author: Adam Dougherty, MPH (has written 12 posts)

Adam Dougherty is a first-year medical student at the University of California: Davis. He received a Master of Public Health from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California: Santa Barbara. His interests include health policy, health reform advocacy, and preventive medicine in addition to traveling and playing guitar. Adam previously worked as the Policy Director at Insure the Uninsured Project, is active with the California Chapter of the Men’s Health Network, and is the Policy Coordinator for the Men’s Health Caucus of the American Public Health Association (APHA).