The Endometriosis CARE Act was reintroduced across from the House steps outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday morning at a 15-minute press conference. EndoFound’s scientific and medical director, Dr. Dan Martin, was one of the speakers.
"We are glad to see renewed emphasis on care for the 10 to 20 million individuals with endometriosis," Dr. Martin said. "An even larger group remains undiagnosed due to inequalities in care, lack of education, lack of access, normalization of pain, and other factors that interfere with women receiving proper treatment.”
The Endometriosis CARE (Coverage, Awareness, Research, and Education) Act was introduced to the House in 2022 by Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood. It called for Congress to invest $30 million a year in endometriosis research, identify barriers to accessing treatments for endometriosis symptoms, and establish a national campaign to promote public awareness about the disease. However, the bill stalled in the House.
The bipartisan CARE Act reintroduced on Thursday calls for annual five-year investments starting in 2025 that include $50 million in research “to improve treatment options and develop a cure for endometriosis,” $2 million for public endometriosis education, $2 million for the dissemination of endometriosis information to health care providers, and $500,000 for an endometriosis disparities study.
“The reintroduction of the Endometriosis CARE Act marks a renewed fight for funding to support millions of overlooked women, including myself, suffering from endometriosis,” said Rep. Williams, who kicked off the press conference by sharing part of her story of having the disease since she was 14. “This legislation will help ease the burden of endometriosis by investing in the research necessary to make critical advancements in treatment.”
Significant awareness and funding have been brought to endometriosis in recent years at state and federal levels, including the creation of the House Endometriosis Caucus by former Iowa Rep. Abby Finkenauer in 2019.
Watch the entire press conference, which begins at the 4:25 mark, at www.facebook.com/events/1401133767954261.
