Written by Lisa Van Allen, Chair of the RSDSA Advocacy Committee, for the RSDSA blog.
Chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain are major burdens on the United States population and economy—leading to patient suffering, loss of productivity, as well as increased health care and disability costs. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not regularly analyze or publish comprehensive population research data on pain, as it does for other major diseases. This needs to change.
High-quality data is crucial to identify trends, risks, and consequences of pain, and to inform interventions aimed at improving care and patient outcomes while reducing costs to the U.S. health care system.
The Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act, S.2922/H.R.7164, is one of only a handful of bills ever introduced in Congress for people with pain. This bill would facilitate the creation of a public website for sharing aggregated and updated comprehensive population health data on chronic pain.
We are asking you to take action today by emailing, calling, and/or tweeting your federal senators and representatives, and: Requesting that the Senate hold a full vote on the SUPPORT Act reauthorization, which includes this bill.Requesting that members of the House of Representatives co-sponsor H.R.7164, the Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act.
It is through taking action by using our voices that we can bring about change. Thank you for participating in this critical advocacy effort. Here, you will find resources to help you quickly and effectively contact your legislators via email, phone, and social media.
We need consistent, high-quality data to gain a better understanding of the public health problem of pain, and to guide efforts to improve care and reduce related expenses. Currently, we lack data on the following related to chronic pain:
- Frequency and occurrence of pain conditions
- Demographic information such as age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, and geographic location
- Effectiveness of evidence-based approaches
- Utilization of medical and social services
- Both direct and indirect costs
- Risk factors, coexisting conditions, and health outcomes
Chronic Pain Facts & Figures:
- Chronic pain is an enormous public health problem.
- The number of Americans impacted by chronic pain is staggering: 51.6 million Americans, or 20.9% of U.S. adults, experience chronic pain, according to a 2023 CDC report.
- Of that number, 17.1 million experience high-impact chronic pain that interferes with the ability to function on a daily basis.
- Musculoskeletal pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States.Chronic pain has been linked to depression, anxiety, substance use and misuse, and double the risk of suicide.
- New cases of chronic pain now outpace those of diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure in theUnited States.
- Two-thirds of military veterans report living with chronic pain.
- 78% of Medicare beneficiaries, and 89% of Medicare beneficiaries under age 65, live with chronic pain.
Please write or call your congressional representatives today and ask them to support S.2922/H.R.7164, The Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act.
You can find your House representatives and Senators by entering your zip code on https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative and https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
References, citations, and sources found in this resource can be viewed at https://uspainfoundation.org/advocacy/advancingresearchact