IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 469 Expressing support for the designation of June 2021 as ‘‘Migraine and Headache Awareness Month’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 11, 2021 Ms. DEAN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of June 2021 as ‘‘Migraine and Headache Awareness Month’’. Whereas approximately 60,000,000 Americans live with mi- graine disease, more than have asthma or diabetes com- bined, and 6,000,000 Americans experience chronic mi- graine, a highly disabling neurological disorder and the second-leading cause of global disability; Whereas a migraine attack can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head, which is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and ex- treme sensitivity to light, sound, and smells; Whereas migraine attacks can last for hours to days, with pain so severe that it interferes with daily activities and quality of life; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR469.IH HR469 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 469 IH Whereas the pain of cluster headache attacks is one of the most excruciating human experiences; Whereas persons living with migraine disease and headache disorders also experience significant stigma, often coming from friends, family, and coworkers; Whereas migraine disease and headache disorders dispropor- tionately impact women; Whereas migraine disease affects approximately 45,000,000 women in the United States, and 85 percent of those with chronic migraine are women; Whereas more than 567,000 veterans, 30 percent of whom are women, are diagnosed with migraine and receive their headache care within a Veterans Health Administration medical center; Whereas migraine disease and headache disorders are not only physical conditions that require living with chronic pain, but there is also the constant worry that these at- tacks can strike at any moment, taking an emotional toll and increasing the likelihood of anxiety and depression; Whereas differences in diagnosis and treatment of headache and migraine disorders in Black, indigenous, and people of color communities may indicate racial and ethnic dis- parities in access and quality of care for these patients; Whereas the physical pain of women is routinely dismissed by medical professionals and society as a whole, contributing to their pain and the cascading effects therefrom; Whereas the physical pain of Black, indigenous, and people of color individuals is routinely dismissed by medical pro- fessionals and society as a whole, contributing to their pain and the cascading effects therefrom; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR469.IH HR469 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 469 IH Whereas studies have shown that racial bias can affect how doctors assess and treat pain, including a 2016 study that showed trainees who believed that Black people are not as sensitive to pain as White people were less likely to treat Black people’s pain appropriately; Whereas migraine disease is three times more common in women, reaching peak prevalence between 30 and 39 years of age, at a time when many women are rapidly growing in their career and balancing work, family, and social obligations, further contributing to the wage gap; Whereas more than 2,300,000 women have left the United States workforce since the beginning of the COVID–19 pandemic, reversing decades of labor participation rates and resulting in a regressive effect on gender equality; Whereas women account for a large majority of the estimated $78,000,000,000 in migraine-associated economic costs in the United States, representing about 80 percent of both direct medical costs and lost labor costs including presenteeism and absenteeism; Whereas migraine disease has significant negative con- sequences for individuals, their families, and society as a whole; Whereas the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded less than $40,000,000 in headache disorders research in fiscal year 2019, amounting to 0.1 percent of the total NIH budget, and comparisons with NIH funding of other dis- eases of similar disability and disease burden indicate that funding of headache disorders research should in- stead exceed $200,000,000 each year; Whereas migraine disease and cluster headache are disabling diseases but largely symptomatic, without reliable diag- VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR469.IH HR469 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 469 IH nostic physical signs or lab findings, meaning that Fed- eral regulations prohibiting claimant symptoms from sup- porting SSDI/SSI eligibility as medically determinable impairments in sequential evaluation unfairly prevent their inclusion; and Whereas access to relief from cluster headache is often inexplicably limited by lack of insurance and Medicare coverage of safe and effective oxygen therapy: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) expresses support for the designation of 2 ‘‘Migraine and Headache Awareness Month’’ in 3 order to highlight invisible diseases like migraine 4 and headache disorders which have a dispropor- 5 tionate impact on women; 6 (2) emphasizes the need for additional Federal 7 support for migraine disease and headache dis- 8 orders, including increased Federal research fund- 9 ing, access to treatment options and diagnostic 10 methods including telemedicine, and economic incen- 11 tives for additional employer accommodations; and 12 (3) recognizes and reaffirms a commitment to 13 public education about migraine disease and head- 14 ache disorders to reduce stigma. 15 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR469.IH HR469 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS