U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Angela Alsobrooks Push for Expanded Women’s Heart Health Screenings

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) introduced the Bipartisan Women's Heart Health Expansion Act to reauthorize and expand access to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) program, which provides free cardiovascular risk screenings to reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women ages 35-64.

"Americans deserve ample access to critical health services, particularly as it relates to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in our country. We know that women are at a higher risk of being affected by heart diseases as conditions often present differently in women. Through the Women's Heart Health Expansion Act, we have an opportunity to expand access to potentially lifesaving resources-like cardiovascular screenings-to those who need them most," said Senator Britt.

Introduced during American Heart Month, the program helps participants understand and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease and benefit from early detection and treatment.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and accounts for 12 percent of total U.S. health expenditures, more than any other disease. Specifically, heart disease and stroke cost the U.S. health care system $216 billion annually and cause $147 billion in lost job productivity.

"Nearly every family has been touched in some way by heart disease and stroke, as the leading cause of death for women in Maryland, Alabama, and across the country. We know heart disease is not just costing American lives, but it is also costing us financially- accounting for 12 percent of total U.S. health expenditures. We must do all we can to prevent this disease and ultimately save lives. The Women's Heart Health Expansion Act provides critical screenings and services to help women catch and treat heart disease early," said Senator Alsobrooks.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for all Americans, but significant racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities exist in prevalence and mortality. Women in the United States experience unacceptably high rates of avoidable heart-related illness and death annually, and over half of all American women do not recognize that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. The Women's Heart Health Expansion Act is a critical step toward closing those gaps and reducing preventable deaths.

Under existing law, women must not only be eligible for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) but also be a recipient of NBCCEDP services to be referred to WISEWOMAN. This requirement unnecessarily restricts participation. The WISEWOMAN program currently operates in only a limited number of states and tribal organizations, restricting access for women at highest risk of heart disease.

The Women's Heart Health Expansion Act would give CDC, states, and tribal organizations the flexibility to develop additional referral pathways and permit other health care providers to participate in the WISEWOMAN program, significantly expanding access. The bill also authorizes $250 million for WISEWOMAN over the next five years to support nationwide expansion and meet increased demand.

You can find additional reporting on the bill here and read the full text of the bill here.

Senator Britt is a leading advocate for expanding affordable health care, especially for those in rural areas and those facing health disparities. She is a lead sponsor of the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) Act, which would eliminate copays and other out-of-pocket expenses for breast cancer diagnostic tests. Additionally, she introduced the bipartisan NIH Improve Act, which would ensure consistent funding for research on maternal care and mortality.

###