According to the National Institute of Health's National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the pain of a migraine headache is often described as an intense pulsing or throbbing in one area of the head. Resources RESOURCES > MIGRAINE Migraine According to the National Institute of Health's National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the pain of a migraine headache is often described as an intense pulsing or throbbing in one area of the head. The International Headache Society diagnoses migraine by pain level and number of attacks, and additional symptoms like nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound. More than 10 percent of people worldwide experience migraine, and it is thee times more common in women than men. Chronic Migraine Chronic migraine is defined as a headache that occurs on 15 or more days per month for at least three months. According to the National Headache Foundation, studies have shown that nearly 80 percent of patients with chronic migraine have depression. Raising awareness of the prevalence of chronic migraine and exposing its extensive impact on productivity are critical to highlighting the need for more research in order to support the millions who suffer daily. For a patient perspective on chronic migraine please visit PFCD's YouTube channel for video testimonials from three chronic migraine sufferers. IMPACT PAPER Chronic Migraine Impact Paper TESTIMONIAL Patient Testimonial — Barbara Monette TESTIMONIAL Patient Testimonial — Heather Zanitsch TESTIMONIAL Patient Testimonial — Tom Sayen

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is an internationally-recognized organization of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs: chronic disease Who We Are PFCD Team Kenneth Thorpe, PhD, Honorary Chair Candace DeMatteis, Vice President of Policy Jennifer Burke, Vice President of Communications PFCD Partners PFCD is a 501(c)4 not-for-profit organization. The following list includes organizations we have partnered with on various projects and programs since PFCD's inception in 2007 but does not imply support for all of our public policy initiatives. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) Alliance for Aging Research Alliance for Patient Access Alzheimer's Foundation of America American Academy of Family Physicians American Academy of Nursing American Association of Colleges of Nursing American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy American Association of Diabetes Educators American Association of Nurse Practitioners Autoimmune Association American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network American College of Lifestyle Medicine American College of Physicians American College of Preventive Medicine American Dental Education Association American Geriatrics Society American Kidney Fund American Medical Association American Medical Women's Association American Osteopathic Association American Pharmacists Association Foundation American Sleep Apnea Association American Society of Addiction Medicine American Society of Health-System Pharmacists America's Agenda: Health Care for All Arthritis Foundation Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors Astellas Pharma Inc. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America Biotechnology Industry Organization Building Healthier America Caregivers Action Network Community Health Charities The COSHAR Foundation Dialysis Patient Citizens Easter Seals Eisai Inc Eli Lilly Endometriosis Association FasterCures Genesis Philanthropy GlaxoSmithKline Healthcare Leadership Council HolaDoctor Integrated Benefits Institute International Association of Fire Fighters International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association Johnson & Johnson LeadingAge League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) The Leapfrog Group Lupus Foundation of America Marshfield Clinic Medical Fitness Association Men's Health Network Mental Health America Milken Institute NAACP National Alliance for Caregiving National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations National Asian Pacific Center on Aging National Association of Chronic Disease Directors National Association of Manufacturers National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems National Association of VA Physicians and Dentists National Black Nurses Association National Caucus and Center on Black Aged National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity National Community Pharmacists Association National Council for Mental Wellbeing National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention National Health Council National Health Foundation National Health Policy Group / Special Needs Plan Alliance National Hispanic Council on Aging National Hispanic Medical Association National Indian Council on Aging National Kidney Foundation National Medical Association National Minority Quality Forum National Pharmaceutical Council National Recreation and Park Association NTM Info & Research (NTMir) The Ohio State University Ovarian Cancer National Alliance Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Pharos Innovations Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association (PILMA) Population Health Alliance Prevent Blindness America ProMedica RetireSafe Sepsis Alliance Sheet Metal Workers International Association Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association STOP Obesity Alliance Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S. Chamber of Commerce U.S. Preventive Medicine Vision Council of America WomenHeart YMCA of the USA

In 2013, the American Medical Association declared obesity a disease. Since then, the prevalence and impacts of this disease have been even further widespread. ​Policy support on the national and state level is urgently needed to better address this costly chronic disease.  Resources RESOURCES > OBESITY Obesity #Fight4Health In 2013, the American Medical Association declared obesity a disease. Since then, the prevalence and impacts of this disease have been even further widespread. Policy support on the national and state level is urgently needed to better address this costly chronic disease. Obesity in the U.S. amounts to about $173 billion a year in healthcare costs. Obesity spans all ages and ethnicities. ARTICLE After BALANCE: Why Voluntary Coverage For Obesity Drugs Failed And What Comes Next OP-ED Gutting Medi-Cal’s weight loss drug coverage will cost California more in the long run PETITION PFCD Requests Meeting with Dr. Oz BLOG America Has Both an Obesity and a Health Care Cost Problem WEBINAR Weighing In: How Can We Make the Most Impact on Obesity? INFOGRAPHIC Obe$ity is an increasingly costly disease JOURNAL JAMA Network Estimated Reduction in Health Care Spending Associated with Weight Los in Adults December 5, 2024 PRESS RELEASE New Analysis Shows Weight Loss Saves Employers and Medicare Health Care Costs December 5, 2024 ARTICLE PFCD Chair Ken Thorpe in Medical Economics "The burden of obesity isn't measured just in pounds" February 26, 2024 PRESS STATEMENT American Medical Association (AMA) urges insurance coverage parity for emerging obesity treatment options November 14, 2023 DATA NIDDK Overweight & Obesity Statistics DATA CDC Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps 2023 U.S. DATA MAP

October 22, 2026 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) In response to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s proposed regulations implementing the Comprehensive Outbound Investment National Security (COINS) Act, including new restrictions involving biotechnology, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) issued the following statement: “As policymakers consider new restrictions on international investment in biotechnology, they must also recognize what is at stake for millions of Americans living with one or more chronic conditions who depend on continued medical innovation and access to effective treatments. “Medical innovation is increasingly global. Scientific discovery, clinical research, investment, and drug development often cross national borders, and patients benefit when promising advances can reach them regardless of where those advances originate. Policies that broadly restrict biotechnology investment without adequately distinguishing between transactions that pose genuine national security risks and those that support new treatments risk creating barriers to the development and availability of medicines. “For the 194 million Americans managing one or more chronic conditions, including those with limited or no treatment options, delays in medical progress have real consequences. Patients living with cancer, autoimmune disorders, rare diseases, and other serious chronic conditions already face significant challenges accessing the care they need. Affordability, insurance coverage restrictions, treatment delays, and limited therapeutic options create enormous burdens for patients and their families. Restrictions on investment that supports the development of promising therapies could ultimately reduce treatment choices, slow innovation, and undermine efforts to improve health outcomes. “America’s leadership in biomedical innovation is a strategic national asset worth protecting. As Treasury moves forward with implementing the COINS Act, policymakers should carefully consider evidence-based safeguards that address genuine security risks without unnecessarily disrupting the research, investment, and innovation that patients depend on and that have sustained U.S. biomedical leadership for decades. “National security and patient access should not be competing priorities. We urge Treasury to carefully consider the implications of these proposed restrictions for the millions of Americans living with chronic conditions and to protect American interests while ensuring that patients continue to benefit from the best science and most promising medical discoveries, wherever they originate.” ###

October 1, 2026 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today expressed serious concern following the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) release of the final rule implementing the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing (GLOBE) Model, a mandatory Medicare payment model affecting certain medicines administered under Medicare Part B. “Americans need relief from high health care costs, but we should not confuse lowering what the government pays for a medicine with lowering the cost of caring for patients,” said Ken Thorpe, honorary Chair of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease and professor of health policy at Emory University. “For millions of Americans living with chronic disease, timely access to the right treatment can prevent disease progression, disability, emergency room visits and costly hospitalizations. Any policy that puts that access at risk could create unintended consequences that ultimately increase the burden of chronic disease.” GLOBE uses international drug prices to help determine Medicare payment levels for certain Part B medicines. PFCD has consistently warned that importing foreign pricing policies into Medicare risks importing the access restrictions and treatment delays that patients in other countries can face as well. “For someone living with cancer, an autoimmune disease or another serious chronic condition, a medicine is not simply a line item in the Medicare budget,” Thorpe continued. “It may be what keeps that patient stable, functioning and out of the hospital. Once a physician and patient have found a treatment that works, government policy should not create new financial incentives that could disrupt that care.” PFCD is particularly concerned about the implications of implementing a sweeping, mandatory payment policy through the CMS Innovation Center. A model of this magnitude could affect patients, physicians and the development of future treatments well beyond the immediate savings projected for Medicare. With roughly three in four American adults living with at least one chronic condition, the United States urgently needs policies that address the full cost of chronic disease, not policies that simply shift costs from one part of the health care system to another. “Patients should be the measure of whether health care reform succeeds,” Thorpe said. “If a policy saves Medicare money but makes it harder for patients to get the medicines that keep them healthy, prevent hospitalization or slow the progression of disease, that is not meaningful health care savings.” PFCD urges CMS to closely examine the potential impacts of GLOBE on patient access, continuity of care, physician decision-making and future medical innovation before implementation. Policymakers should instead prioritize reforms that lower patients’ out-of-pocket costs by strengthening prevention and early diagnosis and improving coordinated care for people living with one or more chronic conditions. “America can and should make health care more affordable,” Thorpe concluded. “But we should do it by reducing the enormous human and economic burden of chronic disease, not by making effective treatments harder for patients to access.” ###

For millions of women, midlife brings changes with effects far and wide. Perimenopause and menopause can intersect with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, bone health and other chronic conditions, all marking an important opportunity to talk about prevention, treatment and what women need to maintain their health and quality of life. Those conversations are especially important for those who face both a disproportionate burden of chronic disease and barriers to accessing high-quality, culturally responsive care. Over the past several years, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) has been proud to partner with California State Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson for discussions that address the intersection of a variety of health issues and chronic conditions, particularly those impacting black women. This year “Thriving Through the Change: Menopause, Chronic Disease Risk, and Black Women’s Health,” is a free luncheon seminar at the Southeastern Live Well Center in San Diego that will take place on Monday, September 21. This event will explore the unique experiences of Black women during perimenopause and menopause, including how health care access barriers and social determinants of health affect women during midlife, how chronic diseases can make menopause more challenging, and the importance of culturally relevant health information. Midlife is a critical window for chronic disease prevention and management Menopause is a natural transition, but it occurs at a time when women’s risks for several chronic conditions can change. HealthyWomen notes that declining estrogen during perimenopause is associated with changes affecting cardiovascular health, while metabolic syndrome, which includes risk factors such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar and abnormal cholesterol, is more common after menopause. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among women in the United States, and Black women face particularly high cardiovascular risk. The disparities extend beyond heart disease. Black women are 90 percent more likely to have diabetes than white women, illustrating why menopause cannot be considered in isolation from the broader chronic disease landscape. Menopause symptoms themselves can also affect everyday health and well-being. As many as 8 in 10 women in midlife experience vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats, yet only about 1 in 4 receives treatment. Women of color are more likely to report these symptoms and may experience them for longer periods than white women. Sleep disruption associated with these symptoms can diminish quality of life and is linked with conditions including hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Access is part of the health equation Knowing what is happening in your body is important. Being able to do something about it is just as important. Preventing and managing chronic disease requires a health care system that allows women to receive regular primary and preventive care, appropriate screenings and diagnoses, specialty care when necessary, and access to treatments that they and their health care providers determine are appropriate. The Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention has made that connection central to its work, emphasizing that early and equitable access to screening, diagnosis and preventive interventions can improve women’s health and longevity. Its 2026 policy agenda specifically calls for broad access to routine primary care, culturally competent care, meaningful access to specialty care and new approaches, including telehealth and collaborative care teams, that can improve access in medically underserved communities. For Black women, ensuring that care is both accessible and responsive to their experiences is particularly consequential. The American Heart Association has identified the menopause transition as an important period for cardiovascular health and has highlighted persistent racial disparities in cardiovascular disease among Black women. The goal should not simply be to treat illness once it has progressed. It should be to give women the information, care and treatment options they need to recognize risks earlier, manage existing conditions effectively and make informed decisions with their health care providers. Bringing the conversation into the community “Thriving Through the Change” is designed to help create exactly that kind of dialogue. By bringing together community members, health leaders and policymakers, PFCD and Senator Weber Pierson are creating a space to talk openly about menopause within the broader context of chronic disease, and to make sure the experiences of Black women are part of the discussion.