Gerald E. Connolly Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3490 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3490

To require the Government Accountability Office to produce a report on 
               esophageal cancer, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 2025

Mr. Connolly (for himself and Mr. Comer) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

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                                 A BILL


 
To require the Government Accountability Office to produce a report on 
               esophageal cancer, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) esophageal cancer is the fastest increasing cancer 
        among American men;
            (2) esophageal cancer is one of the fastest growing cancer 
        diagnoses among all Americans, increasing more than 700 percent 
        in recent decades;
            (3) esophageal cancer kills 1 American every 36 minutes 
        every day;
            (4) esophageal cancer is among the deadliest of cancers, 
        with only about 1 in 5 patients surviving 5 years;
            (5) esophageal cancer has tripled in incidence among 
        younger Americans in recent decades;
            (6) esophageal cancer has low survival rates because it is 
        usually discovered at advanced stages when treatment outcomes 
        are poor;
            (7) raising awareness about esophageal cancer empowers 
        individuals to seek preventive care, recognize symptoms, and 
        pursue early detection strategies;
            (8) survivors, caregivers, medical professionals, and 
        researchers have made tremendous strides in advancing treatment 
        options and improving the quality of life for those affected by 
        the disease;
            (9) esophageal cancer can be prevented through early 
        detection of its precursor, Barrett's esophagus, which can be 
        eliminated with curative outpatient techniques;
            (10) research indicates that patients diagnosed with early-
        stage esophageal cancer have a significantly higher 5-year 
        survival rate (as high as 49 percent) compared to those 
        diagnosed at later stages, underscoring the critical need for 
        enhanced screening and awareness; and
            (11) as of December 2022, the American Gastroenterological 
        Association recommends screening with a standard upper 
        endoscopy in individuals with 3 or more established risk 
        factors for Barrett's Esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma, 
        including--
                    (A) male sex;
                    (B) non-Hispanic white ethnicity;
                    (C) age of 50 years or older;
                    (D) a history of smoking, chronic gastrointestinal 
                reflux disease, or obesity; and
                    (E) a family history of Barrett's Esophagus or 
                esophageal adenocarcinoma.

SEC. 3. GAO REPORT.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit a report to 
Congress that includes an evaluation of--
            (1) the total impact of esophageal cancer-related health 
        care spending under the Federal Employee Health Benefits 
        Program for Federal employees and retirees diagnosed with 
        esophageal cancer; and
            (2) how often individuals covered under the Federal 
        Employees Health Benefits Program with medical records 
        indicating such individuals are high-risk for esophageal cancer 
        undergo screening according to the established guidelines.
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