Dear Member of Congress:

I am writing this letter as your constituent and someone who cares deeply about heart health to urge you to support an amendment by Senator Debbie Stabenow that would improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease and stroke in women (S.Amdt. 2884) as the Senate debates health care reform. This amendment is based on the HEART for Women Act, which you have already co-sponsored. I greatly appreciate the support you have already demonstrated for women's heart health and hope you will continue to do so by supporting Senator Stabenow's amendment.

As you know, heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 killer of American women, claiming the lives of more than 450,000 American women each year. Over the last 25 years, the death rate for heart disease in men has declined steadily (by more than 17%), while the death rate for women has declined by only 2.5%, resulting in a disparity in heart disease mortality in women compared to men. Recent studies continue to confirm that women who have heart attacks receive fewer of the recommended treatments, compared to men. Sadly, it's no wonder that women are more likely than men to die within a year of having a heart attack.

Senator Stabenow's amendment would add provisions of the HEART for Women Act to the Senate health reform legislation. More specifically, this amendment would help eliminate disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and stroke in women by expanding the CDC's WISEWOMAN heart disease and stroke screening and lifestyle modification program to low-income women in all 50 states and by providing gender and race-specific information about new drugs and medical devices to clinicians, researchers, and the public to help them make better-informed treatment decisions.

Regardless of your views on the overall Senate bill, Senator Stabenow's HEART for Women amendment is an opportunity to help millions of women live longer, healthier lives, and I urge you to continue to support this important legislation. Thank you for your consideration.

Dear Member of Congress:

I am writing this letter as your constituent and someone who cares deeply about heart health to urge you to support an amendment by Senator Debbie Stabenow that would improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease and stroke in women (S.Amdt. 2884) as the Senate debates health care reform.

Heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 killer of American women, claiming the lives of more than 450,000 American women each year. Over the last 25 years, the death rate for heart disease in men has declined steadily (by more than 17%), while the death rate for women has declined by only 2.5%, resulting in a disparity in heart disease mortality in women compared to men. Recent studies continue to confirm that women who have heart attacks receive fewer of the recommended treatments, compared to men. Sadly, it's no wonder that women are more likely than men to die within a year of having a heart attack.

Senator Stabenow's amendment would add provisions of the HEART for Women Act to the Senate health reform legislation. The HEART for Women Act has enjoyed tremendous, bipartisan support in Congress, with the Senate bill currently having 43 co-sponsors. This amendment would help eliminate disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and stroke in women by expanding the CDC's WISEWOMAN heart disease and stroke screening and lifestyle modification program to low-income women in all 50 states and by providing gender and race-specific information about new drugs and medical devices to clinicians, researchers, and the public to help them make better-informed treatment decisions.

Regardless of your views on the overall Senate bill, Senator Stabenow's HEART for Women amendment is an opportunity to help millions of women live longer, healthier lives, and I urge you to support it. Thank you for your consideration.