The Heart Disease Education, Research and Analysis, and Treatment (HEART) For Women Act, to guarantee heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases in women are recognized more widely and treated more effectively, has recently been reintroduced. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Lisa Murkowski were the ones to reintroduce the legislation.
The HEART for Women Act would ensure that healthcare data reported to the federal government is categorized by gender, race, and ethnicity. The act would also require an annual report on the quality of and access to care for women with cardiovascular disease as well as expanding funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WISEWOMAN screenings – a program for low-income, underinsured women – to all 50 states rather than the 20 it is currently available in.
The HEART for Women Act is endorsed by over 40 leading health organizations such as the American Heart Association, Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), and Womenheart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.
“Cardiovascular disease continues to be the number one killer of women and the recent re-introduction of the HEART for Women Act shows a renewed commitment to raising awareness, improving treatment options and educating women on prevention and care,” said CEO and President of SWHR, Phyllis Greenberger.
In the U.S., every 60 seconds, someone’s mother, daughter, wife, or sister dies from heart disease, stroke, or other types of cardiovascular disease. Almost half of all African-American women will experience some type of cardiovascular disease whereas 34 percent of white women will.
“Women are underrepresented in cardiovascular trials,” said CEO of Womeheart, Lisa M. Tate. “As a result, female heart patients are treated with drugs, procedures, and devices that have been shown to be effective in men, yet not studied in a sufficient number of women.”
“The HEART for Women Act will help educate women and their doctors, increase access to screenings for women, and expand gender-specific analysis and research, so we are better equipped to fight this disease and save lives,” said Senator Stabenow. For more information, visit heartforwomen.org
