Congressional Bill To Create Office of Men's Health

WASHINGTON, DC-Citing men's lack of desire to go to their physicians, more than 50 members of Congress are asking for funding to create a federal office of men's health.

What some Congressmen are calling "a silent health crisis," the bill would help make men comfortable in going to the doctor. The life expectancy at birth is six years less for males than for females. Each of the top 10 causes of death in the US kills men at a higher rate than women.

Many men can't pronounce "prostate cancer," the most diagnosed cancer in men. Jean Bonhomme, an Atlanta physician and adviser to the Men's Health Network, says many men say "prostrate cancer." This is frustrating for physicians nationally because it shows a general lack of concern toward health maintenance.

Men's health advocates say they would like an office for men, similar to the one women have had for 10 years. The federal Office on Women's Health had a $15.5 million budget last year.

However, there are others opposed to the idea. Rep. Connie Morella (R-Md) said that federal health research and policy already favor men.

The bill is currently in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over public health issues.

Information from www.washingtonpost.com