The Men’s Health Act, a bipartisan bill to establish an office of men’s health within the Department of Health and Human Services, will be introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday by Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), with co-sponsorship from Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).
Mirroring the bipartisan bill that was introduced in the House this year, the measure would require a study from the Government Accountability Office on the state of men’s health in the U.S. to be presented within a year of the law’s enactment. Following the report, and incorporating its findings, the office would coordinate existing and new research and raise awareness about men’s health, both physical and mental.
While several attempts to establish such an office have been made in the past, this year’s push is gaining strong momentum, though supporters still think it may be years before legislation passes both chambers and the office is established. The House proposal is the first to have bipartisan support, plus the outspoken endorsement of the Trump administration, in particular from assistant secretary for health Admiral Brian Christine, a urologist with a two-decade practice focusing primarily on men.
“Men are facing a growing health crisis,” said Gallego in a statement to STAT. “Instead of letting men continue to struggle alone in silence, this bill would establish an Office of Men’s Health to promote preventive care and life-saving research.”
