Three of the nation’s leading patient groups are expressing their strong support for language in the House health care bill that promotes evidence-based workplace wellness programs and encourages financial incentives for healthy behaviors that are not tied to insurance premiums.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association worked with House leaders to develop the workplace wellness provisions in the bill that passed the House Nov. 7, and they will be urging lawmakers to support those provisions over related Senate committee language in final health reform legislation. Read more

11/12/2009 - Statement by American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown on State-Specific Prevalence of Current Cigarette Smoking and Adult Smoking Rates

The articles in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, suggest proven tobacco control policies are having a positive impact on reducing death and disease caused by tobacco use in states that implement these measures, but we’re still several rounds short of claiming victory in the fight against tobacco.  Now is not the time to become complacent.  The national adult smoking rate remains virtually unchanged and each day thousands of children and adults are exposed to secondhand smoke, increasing their risk for heart disease, stroke and other chronic illnesses.  Legislators in states with high smoking rates must redouble their efforts to increase tobacco excise taxes, use that money to fund comprehensive programs to prevent children from starting to use tobacco and help current smokers quit, and enact comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws that include all workplaces, restaurants and bars. Read more

11/7/2009 - Statement by American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown on Passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act in the U.S. House of Representatives

Today’s dramatic vote in the U.S. House of Representatives brings us one step closer to meaningful health care reform. We are very pleased that the Affordable Health Care for America Act makes health care more accessible and affordable for millions of Americans by enhancing coverage, promoting preventive care and improving delivery of care. But this milestone also serves as a sober reminder of the tremendous amount of work we still have before us if we are to ensure that legislation that ultimately emerges from Congress and is sent to the President retains the patient protections and provisions that are in line with the association’s tenets of health care reform and are so important to individuals struggling with heart disease and stroke and their families.

Expanding coverage to an additional 36 million Americans, emphasizing clinical and population-based prevention and improving the quality and value of care are core principles and priorities of the American Heart Association. We also understand that many important issues in health care reform have not been settled. We hope and trust that the House vote will bring a renewed sense of optimism to Americans struggling with life-threatening illnesses that meaningful health care reform is within our grasp. We urge Congress and the Administration to continue to work tirelessly to make health care reform a reality this year.

10/15/2009 - American Heart Association Says IOM Report Underscores the Importance of Smoke-Free Policies to Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

The American Heart Association supports a new national study which found that smoking bans are effective at reducing the risk of acute cardiac events such as heart attacks associated with exposure to secondhand smoke.

 “This report makes it increasingly clear that smoke-free policies are having a positive impact in reducing the heart attack rate in many communities,” said Clyde Yancy, M.D., American Heart Association President. “There’s no question that secondhand smoke has an adverse health impact in workplaces and public environments. We must continue to enact comprehensive smoke-free laws across the country to save lives and reduce the number of new smokers.” Read more

With the number of meals Americans consume outside of the home reaching an all-time high, it’s more important than ever for consumers to have calorie information on menus and menu boards to make informed and healthy food choices in restaurants.  Recent findings from a study published in the journal Health Affairs suggest that calorie postings failed to change consumer behavior.  The study was done over a very short period of time and did not track changes in industry innovation such as smaller portion sizes on high-calorie offerings and lower-calorie menu items. Instead, researchers surveyed consumers in economically disadvantaged areas in New York City where price is typically the overriding factor for many low-income families.  Furthermore, the city’s education campaign to reduce calorie consumption had not yet started when the survey was conducted. 

Conversely, two similar studies found that menu labeling had positive effects on consumer behavior.  A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that 37 percent of Subway restaurant patrons in New York City reported that seeing calorie information had an effect on their purchases and those who reported seeing and using calorie information, purchased 99 fewer calories.  Another study conducted after the city’s menu labeling law took effect found that most consumers indicated that nutrition information on menus had an impact on their food ordering. We look forward to seeing the results of New York City’s much more extensive evaluation of their menu labeling regulations and believe that data will provide more analysis that will help state and local policymakers shape legislation that will reduce calorie intake and obesity-related illnesses.

9/30/2009- Heart Disease and Stroke Survivors Urge Congress to Pass Meaningful Health Reform This Year!
 
American Heart Association advocates today urged their representatives in Congress to pass meaningful health reform legislation that will help prevent disease and expand access to affordable, quality care for the insured and uninsured.

The association supports measures that will make health care affordable, accessible and adequate for all Americans, particularly heart disease and stroke patients. Nearly 80 million Americans suffer from cardiovascular diseases and many cite cost as the reason they are uninsured. During the association’s health care reform Fly-In Lobby Day on Capitol Hill today, heart disease and stroke survivors told their personal stories to Congress to help influence the debate and call attention to the needs of patients and their loved ones. Read more

9/24/2009- American Heart Association Applauds Public Service Campaign, “Rock Stars of Science”

The American Heart Association commends the Geoffrey Beene Foundation for launching a new public service campaign that intends to build a broader base of support for research as a national priority.  With an innovative approach, the “Rock Stars of Science” campaign honors researchers dedicated to finding cures for heart disease and stroke and other chronic illnesses that impact millions of Americans and their loved ones.

Leading medical researchers and Members of Congress today discussed recent scientific breakthroughs and efforts to make science a career choice for the next generation during the “Rock Stars of Science” event on Capitol Hill. The program also featured remarks by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins, M.D. The association supports a significant increase in federal funding for research supported by NIH to accelerate the identification of treatment and cures for heart disease and stroke. Read more

9/9/2009 - Statement by American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown on President Obama’s Address to Joint Session of Congress on Health Care Reform

The President has reminded us that health care reform is not about politics, it’s about real people who wake up each day hoping that a medical emergency won’t throw them into bankruptcy. We all agree that the current health care system is not working well for the insured, it’s not working well for the underinsured and it’s certainly not working for the uninsured.  That’s why we’re pleased the President has brought the debate back to where it started – focusing on the needs of Americans who cannot access affordable, quality health care.  We cannot forget the children with congenital heart defects who surpass their lifetime insurance coverage limits before they’re toddlers, we cannot forget the families who lose their homes because of high out-of-pocket medical expenses to treat a chronic illness, and we cannot forget those who go without needed, even lifesaving care because they can’t access or afford insurance.  Their stories must be the reason why Congress must continue in their efforts to find common ground and pass meaningful health reform this year.   We urge Congress to not lose sight of the goal we all share - to build upon what works in our health care system and fix those parts that are broken and simply unsustainable.

8/26/2009 - Statement by American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown on the Passing of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy

The American Heart Association joins with the nation in mourning the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy. The association will always remember the Senator as a stalwart champion of the sick and the needy.  His compassion, energy and dedication were matched only by his enduring legacy of legislative achievements in the field of health care that helped millions of Americans – and will continue to do so for generations to come.  The American Heart Association was proud to have called Senator Kennedy a friend; we will deeply miss him.

7/29/2009 - Statement by American Heart Association President Clyde Yancy, M.D. on Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Markup of Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill

We are quite concerned that the funding level for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that was approved by the Senate health appropriations subcommittee is not where it needs to be to sustain medical research advances that can improve the lives of millions of Americans who suffer from heart disease and stroke. The 1.5 percent increase will not even cover the cost of medical research inflation nor will it allow researchers to explore many promising new scientific opportunities. The implications of this funding level could be chilling next year when the one-time resources for the NIH in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) expire. We urge the Congress to avoid the peak and valley approach in supporting the NIH that has delayed progress in the battle against heart disease and stroke and other chronic illnesses. Read more


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