PRINTER'S NO. 34 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE RESOLUTION No.3 Session of 2025 INTRODUCED BY HOWARD, DALEY, KHAN, SANCHEZ, HOHENSTEIN, GIRAL, NEILSON, HILL-EVANS, HADDOCK, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, SHUSTERMAN, CONKLIN, MALAGARI, FREEMAN AND REICHARD, JANUARY 10, 2025 REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, JANUARY 10, 2025 A RESOLUTION Designating the month of March 2025 as "Endometriosis Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania. WHEREAS, Endometriosis is thought to afflict 10% of the female population, indicating hundreds of millions of sufferers globally; and WHEREAS, Endometriosis is thought to be the cause of 85% of cases of pelvic pain, as well as a host of other symptoms among women; and WHEREAS, These symptoms can easily cause long-term disability and prevent sufferers from leading the lives that they wish for themselves; and WHEREAS, Endometriosis is a leading cause of infertility; and WHEREAS, Despite its extreme commonality, endometriosis is comparatively unknown by the general populace and even medical personnel; and WHEREAS, This lack of awareness has enabled an extreme and unacceptable 10 years as the average wait time for diagnosis in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 American women; and WHEREAS, This disabling, common and distressing condition has been significantly under-researched and underfunded; and WHEREAS, The lack of research and funding creates a dearth of effective treatment options to patients in need of care; and WHEREAS, Awareness of endometriosis must be heightened to encourage research, inform clinicians of best practices in detection and treatment and generally alter this present status quo; and WHEREAS, Evidence suggests that the current best treatment for severe endometriosis, excision surgery, is unfairly reimbursed under the same medical billing code as the still under-reimbursed, but less labor-intensive, fulguration surgery; therefore be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania designate the month of March 2025 as "Endometriosis Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania; and be it further RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acknowledge the need to educate the public and medical professionals about this condition and the symptoms that warrant it being considered as a possible diagnosis; and be it further RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United States to request funding for the detection and treatment of endometriosis through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs and any other avenues for designated medical research funding that Congress finds prudent; and be it further RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 20250HR0003PN0034 - 2 - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United States to continue funding the research each year; and be it further RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United States to order a review of Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes to ensure that all endometriosis-related surgical treatments are sufficiently reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid; and be it further RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United States to create an annual "National Endometriosis Awareness Month" and to request that Federal agencies make efforts to inform the national public and medical practitioners; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the presiding officers of each house of Congress, each member of Congress from Pennsylvania and the President of the American Medical Association. 20250HR0003PN0034 - 3 - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20