“To provide for research and education with respect to uterine fibroids, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings on uterine fibroids, including their prevalence (20-50% of reproductive-age women, or approximately 26 million U.S. women ages 15-50, with 15 million symptomatic); symptoms (e.g., pelvic pain, severe bleeding, infertility); racial disparities (e.g., >80% lifetime risk for Black women); diagnostic delays (average 3.6 years); research and treatment gaps (e.g., limited high-quality evidence, underfunding at $17 million from NIH in 2019); hysterectomy prevalence (39% of annual procedures); and economic costs ($5.9 billion to $34.4 billion annually).
This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand, intensify, and coordinate research programs on uterine fibroids (i.e., non-cancerous uterine tumors that affect as many as 80% of women by age 50 and can cause pain, heavy bleeding, and infertility), in coordination with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other relevant federal agencies. It authorizes appropriations of $30 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030.
This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish or expand a research database to collect data on services furnished under Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to individuals diagnosed with uterine fibroids, for assessing the frequency of such services. It further requires the Secretary to submit to Congress, not later than two years after enactment, a report on federal and state expenditures for such services under those programs, coordinating with other relevant federal agencies as determined appropriate.
This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate public information on uterine fibroids, including their awareness, incidence, and prevalence (particularly among minority populations), elevated risks for minorities, and medically appropriate treatment options (including non-hysterectomy treatments and procedures). The section authorizes dissemination directly or through intra-agency initiatives, nonprofit organizations, consumer groups, institutions of higher education (as defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965), or federal, state, or local public-private partnerships and authorizes appropriations of such sums as necessary for FY2026 through FY2030.
This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with and in accordance with guidelines from relevant medical societies, to work with health care specialty societies and health systems to promote evidence-based care for individuals with uterine fibroids—including minority individuals at elevated risk—and available treatments for symptomatic cases, including non-hysterectomy drugs and devices approved under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It authorizes appropriations of such sums as may be necessary for FY2026 through FY2030.
This section defines the term "minority individuals" for purposes of the Act as individuals who are members of a racial and ethnic minority group, as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u–6(g)).