S. 3944 — Women’s Heart Health Expansion Act of 2026

This section revises Section 1509 of the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to award supplemental grants (i.e., Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) program) to grantees under the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP, section 1501)—which provides breast and cervical cancer screening to low-income, uninsured, or underinsured women—for projects that (1) provide additional preventive health services such as screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, and other risk factors, and evidence-based health education to improve outcomes like blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or obesity; (2) offer referrals for medical treatment and follow-up services; and (3) conduct evaluation through surveillance or monitoring and report to the Secretary. Eligible women include those receiving NBCCEDP services and other high-risk women as specified by the Secretary, with services provided by NBCCEDP grantees or other determined health care entities. The section authorizes $250 million for FY2027 through FY2031.

This section directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce by September 30, 2027, on the Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) program. (As background, WISEWOMAN provides cardiovascular disease risk factor screening—such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes—and related interventions to low-income, underinsured women served by CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.) The report must include (1) an estimate of eligible individuals, (2) trends in individuals served, (3) factors driving those trends including barriers to cardiovascular screenings, and (4) cost-effectiveness relative to patient outcomes such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or obesity.