January 16, 2024 (Arlington, VA) – The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) is pleased to announce that Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) has been selected to receive the 2023 Congressional Bone Health Champion Award. The national award annually recognizes four Members of Congress who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, advocacy, and commitment to protect and improve the bone health of Americans. BHOF, the leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and promoting strong bones for life, presents the awards to highlight the importance of bone health and raise awareness about the osteoporosis crisis in the U.S. The other 2023 winners are Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV).
Rep. Cammack is co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee which has jurisdiction over Medicare and other key health programs. Rep. Cammack joined with the Caucus and the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation in sponsoring a congressional briefing on women’s bone health throughout the lifetime. This briefing provided a great opportunity to raise awareness about osteoporosis and promote action to improve the bone health of all Americans. In Florida, with its large senior population, 144,000 Medicare beneficiaries suffered over 172,500 fractures tied to osteoporosis in 2016.
“The importance of bone health and its impact on an individual’s overall health as well as healthcare costs is often overlooked by policymakers,” said Claire Gill, CEO of the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation. “We greatly appreciate Rep. Cammack’s work to raise awareness and shed light on what is a crisis in bone health in the United States. We know what needs to be done to address this crisis. There are simple steps Congress and the Biden Administration can take that would greatly improve the care of millions of Americans with osteoporosis.”
Rep. Cammack said, “It’s an honor to be named one of this year’s Congressional Bone Health Champion Award recipients. As a co-chair of the Bipartisan Women’s Caucus, women’s health is one of our top priorities, and we were fortunate to hold a bone health briefing earlier this year. For women—and adults across the U.S.—bone health is too often overlooked, but it’s an important part of an individual’s overall health. I look forward to continuing to raise awareness around this issue.”
Osteoporosis is a growing yet often ignored healthcare problem that disproportionately impacts women. Ten million Americans have osteoporosis and 44 million are at high risk of the disease due to low bone density. According to a 2021 report, two million Medicare beneficiaries (about 70 percent women) suffered up to 2.1 million osteoporotic bone fractures in 2016. For women, the risk of any osteoporotic fracture is greater than their risk of a heart attack, stroke or breast cancer combined. The total annual cost for osteoporotic fractures among Medicare beneficiaries was $57 billionin 2018 and is expected to grow to over $95 billion in 2040 without reforms, as the population ages.
About the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation
The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, formerly the National Osteoporosis Foundation, is the leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, promoting strong bones for life, and reducing human suffering through programs of public and clinician awareness, education, advocacy and research. Established in 1984, BHOF is the nation’s largest health organization dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health.
Media Contact
Carina May
cmay@bonehealthandosteoporosis.org
Phone: 703-740-1764