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92_HR0007
LRB9202796KBkb
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Congestive heart failure is a major health
3 problem that impacts five million Americans, or 1.5% of the
4 United States population; and
5 WHEREAS, Each year there 550,000 new cases of congestive
6 heart failure diagnosed, with 200,000 deaths and one million
7 hospitalizations per year due to the disease; and
8 WHEREAS, Congestive heart failure is the leading cause of
9 hospitalization in patients over the age of 65; and
10 WHEREAS, Congestive heart failure patients with the most
11 severe symptoms have approximately 50% one-year survival
12 rates and half of patients with even mild disease die within
13 5 years; and
14 WHEREAS, The vast majority of patients are not diagnosed
15 until late in the course of the disease; and
16 WHEREAS, A conservative estimate of annual U.S. health
17 expenditures for congestive heart failure is in excess of ten
18 billion dollars, with the largest portion, eight billion
19 dollars of this expenditure, for the cost of
20 hospitalizations; and
21 WHEREAS, Although current treatment guidelines recommend
22 that approximately 80% of heart failure patients receive ACE
23 inhibitors in combination with beta blockers to extend life
24 and reduce costly hospitalizations, but only 45% of patients
25 are treated with ACE inhibitors and 20% of patients receive
26 beta blockers; and
27 WHEREAS, The primary goals of "National Heart Failure
28 Awareness Week" are (1) to promote research related to all
29 aspects of heart failure and provide a forum for presentation
30 of that research; (2) to educate heart failure caregivers and
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1 patients through programs, publications, and other media
2 allowing for more effective treatment and diagnosis of heart
3 failure; and (3) to enhance the quality and duration of life
4 for those with heart failure; therefore, be it
5 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7 we endorse the national proclamation of National Heart
8 Failure Awareness Week; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Department of Public
10 Health transmit the treatment guidelines for congestive heart
11 failure, published by the Heart Failure Society of America,
12 Inc., to the appropriate health care professionals in the
13 State of Illinois, while urging their adoption of these
14 guidelines in their practice; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That physicians and payers should be encouraged
16 to prescribe or provide reimbursement for the standard of
17 care for congestive failure, including FDA approved beta
18 blockers and ACE inhibitors as well as other therapies that
19 have been shown to reduce the mortality and morbidity
20 associated with congestive heart failure; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That the Illinois General Assembly endorses the
22 inclusion of the latest treatment advances for congestive
23 heart failure, including ACE inhibitor and beta blocker
24 therapies in the curriculum of medical schools in the State
25 of Illinois.