Rep. Burgess Selected as Congressional Bone Health Champion Award Winner for "Outstanding Leadership, Advocacy and Commitment"

BHOF CEO Claire Gill and Representative Michael Burgess, M.D.

Representative Michael Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas) has been selected as a 2022 recipient of the Congressional Bone Health Champion award by the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF). The award annually recognizes Members of Congress who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, advocacy, and commitment to protect and improve the bone health of all Americans.

Rep. Burgess is a lead sponsor of bipartisan legislation, the Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021. This bill aims to make sure more Medicare beneficiaries get screened for osteoporosis (a chronic disease that weakens the bones and leads to fractures) and thereby reduce the number who suffer painful and debilitating broken bones. A 2021 report by the independent actuarial firm Milliman found that only 9% of women who suffer a fracture are screened for osteoporosis within six months of a new fracture. Other analyses have shown that Medicare payment rates have been cut by 70% and in the last 5 years the osteoporosis diagnosis of older women has declined by 18%.

“We’re grateful to Rep. Burgess for his long-time leadership in improving the bone health of all Americans,” said Claire Gill, CEO of BHOF. “Good bone health is essential for overall health. Congress needs to prioritize bone health on our nation’s healthcare agenda, and pass legislation to improve bone health screening. We know it will have a dramatic impact on improving quality of life and reducing costly osteoporotic fractures,” concluded Gill.

Osteoporosis is a growing yet often ignored health care problem that disproportionately impacts women. Ten millionAmericans 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. In Texas some 123,000 Medicare beneficiaries suffered over 147,700 osteoporotic fractures in 2016. The total annual national cost for osteoporotic fractures among Medicare beneficiaries was $57 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow to over $95 billion in 2040 without reforms, as the population ages.