Legislation that could help more women manage heart problems is making its way through Congress, having just cleared a House subcommittee this week.
According to the American Heart Association, the Heart Disease Education, Analysis and Research and Treatment (HEART) for Women Act will expand requirements for the use of sex and race-based data for new drugs and medical devices. In turn, this could lead to more effective treatments against heart disease in the coming years.
Another feature of the bill is that would expand an existing federal program that provides medical screening services for low-income, uninsured women.
The organization added that some 432,000 women die of heart disease each year. And while this particular legislation may only serve women, hundreds of thousands of men are stricken each year by heart disease as well.
For those who do receive a diagnosis of heart disease, one unforeseen consequence often tends to be dramatically higher health insurance and life insurance rates. Those who have been diagnosed with heart disease also face a variety of added medical costs as well as a potentially shorter life expectancy.
