S. 283 Introduced in the U.S. Senate. Protect Patient Access Today!

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Yes, I would like to receive periodic updates and communications from the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

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Dear [Decision Maker],

Osteoporosis is a serious and deadly disease, yet it remains under-diagnosed and under-treated. I am asking for your support to address this critical and costly healthcare issue by co-sponsoring S. 238 in the U.S. Senate. This bill will help restore patient access to DXA testing, which is critical to diagnose osteoporosis.

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In 2010, 54 million of the 99 million Americans age 50+ were at risk of suffering from a fracture caused by osteoporosis. A woman's risk of having an osteoporotic fracture in one year is greater than her combined risk of having a heart attack, stroke or developing breast cancer. More women die each year from complications following hip fractures than from breast cancer, a staggering statistic. Medicare paid over $16 billion in 2010 for direct costs of new fractures that year, which is projected to grow to over $25 billion by 2025.

Hip fractures are the most life-changing of all fractures. In fact, 25% of women over the age of 50 who sustain a hip fracture die in the year following the fracture, 50% never walk independently again, and 20% require permanent nursing home placement. This is both costly and unnecessary. Unlike other diseases, where we are waiting to find an accurate screening test or cure, osteoporosis is a model for disease prevention with accurate, cost-effective diagnostic tools and inexpensive treatments that work at reducing fractures. Bone density testing is more powerful in predicting fractures than cholesterol is in predicting myocardial infarction, or blood pressure in predicting stroke. Medicare beneficiaries who have a DXA bone density test have 35% fewer hip fractures and 22% other fragility fractures.

We have the tools to reduce these fractures with effective DXA testing, diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, we are losing the war by not using the valuable tools we have. After a decade of increased osteoporosis testing rates, the percentage of people tested for osteoporosis has declined significantly since 2009 following a dramatic decline in the reimbursement for the test. The 71% Medicare payment cut has wiped out prevention efforts, resulting in fewer women being tested and fewer providers offering DXA testing.  By setting a floor for DXA funding, we can begin to reverse this dangerous trend. I urge you to cosponsor S. 238 for these reasons.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]