[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1928 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1928

 To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to 
  Congress a report on esophageal cancer with respect to the Federal 
       Employees Health Benefits Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 3, 2025

 Mr. Warner (for himself and Mr. Kaine) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to 
  Congress a report on esophageal cancer with respect to the Federal 
       Employees Health Benefits Program, 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 ``Gerald E. Connolly Esophageal Cancer 
Awareness Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) esophageal cancer is the fastest increasing cancer 
        among men in the United States;
            (2) esophageal cancer is one of the fastest growing cancer 
        diagnoses among all people of the United States, with the 
        incidence of esophageal cancer increasing by more than 700 
        percent in recent decades;
            (3) esophageal cancer kills 1 individual in the United 
        States 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 people of the United States 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 
        esophageal cancer;
            (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. REPORT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``Program'' means the 
program carried out under chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 
Congress a report that includes an evaluation of--
            (1) the total impact of esophageal cancer-related health 
        care spending under the Program for individuals who are covered 
        under the Program and who are diagnosed with esophageal cancer; 
        and
            (2) how often individuals who are covered under the 
        Program, and who have medical records indicating that those 
        individuals are high-risk for esophageal cancer, undergo 
        screening for esophageal cancer according to established 
        guidelines.
                                 <all>