Women’s Health Policy Agenda Expands Focus Areas for 2022

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) recently launched its Women’s Health Policy Agenda for 2022. Outlining the policy priorities of SWHR across five key areas—public health, research and clinical trials, lifespan issues, coverage and access, and the biomedical research workforce—the Policy Agenda builds off SWHR’s inaugural Policy Agenda and aims to serve as a roadmap to advance the health and well-being of women in 2022 and beyond.

The coming year represents tremendous opportunity in women’s health. Not only is there opportunity to draw from lessons learned during the COVID-19 public health crisis and consider the unique health needs of women in the broader context of public health, but there is also ample opportunity to evaluate and meet women’s needs over the course of their lifespans. For that reason, in developing the 2022 Policy Agenda, SWHR reflected on where there was space to move women’s health forward and close critical care and research gaps.

In 2022, SWHR added the following policy priorities to its Agenda:

• Autoimmune Diseases and Conditions. Autoimmune diseases have a greater prevalence among women than men. More than 100 types of autoimmune diseases predominately affect women, and women comprise nearly 80% of the population affected by autoimmune diseases. SWHR supports additional research into the development of new treatments to prevent and treat autoimmune conditions.
• Bone Health. Women account for 80% of the estimated 10 million Americans with osteoporosis, the most common form of bone disease. Nearly 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries have died from complications within 12 months after an osteoporotic fracture—and more than 60% were women. SWHR encourages policies that promote access to affordable, high-quality bone health screening, access to effective therapies, research into the preservation and treatment of bone, and education about how to prevent fractures and improve health outcomes. *A comprehensive bone policy agenda will be released in 2022.
• Long COVID. Early reports indicate that long COVID is diagnosed more frequently in women than in men. SWHR supports additional research into long COVID, including sex and gender disparities on the condition, as well as research into long COVID’s effect on quality of life.
• Menopause. Approximately 1.3 million women transition into menopause each year. SWHR supports continued efforts to raise awareness about menopause as well as policies that improve access and insurance coverage for menopause treatments; address ageism and protect women in the workplace; and provide better access to programs and facilities that allow women to adopt healthier lifestyles as they age.
• Women as Caregivers. According to the Institute on Aging, upwards of 75 percent of all caregivers are women, and female caregivers may spend as much as 50% or more time providing care than men. Women who are caregivers are at greater risk for poor physical and mental health, including depression and anxiety. These stressors were exacerbated, and caregiving responsibilities increased, for many women during the COVID-19 pandemic. SWHR encourages exploring structural policy change that would support women caregivers, including those that improve workplace flexibility and increase resources for child care providers.
• Ensuring Women’s Health Conditions are Accounted for in Research. In order to understand and respond to the life stages, diseases, and conditions that differently, disproportionately, or exclusively affect women, data need to capture elements related to women’s health. SWHR encourages ensuring policies reflect women’s unique health needs in federal research policies.
• Securing Sufficient Federal Funding for Women’s Health Research. Ensuring U.S. federal research entities have sufficient funding and the capacity to carry out their respective missions is critical for improving our knowledge base and driving progress forward. SWHR aims to ensure these agencies receive robust annual funding increases to maximize their potential to serve the American people.
• Value Frameworks and Assessments. SWHR encourages the incorporation of diverse perspectives to better understand the value of health equity in these frameworks and is committed to ensuring they are appropriately designed and used to provide appropriate access to new therapies and interventions to achieve optimal health outcomes for women as patients, caregivers, and health care decision-makers for themselves and their families.

Read more about these and SWHR’s other priorities in the 2022 Women’s Health Policy Agenda. We welcome your thoughts on these and other spaces as we collectively seek to make women’s health mainstream.

Please email SWHR Chief Advocacy Officer Lindsey Horan if you have feedback on the agenda or if you would like to share items for consideration for next year’s agenda.