Championing Men’s Health:
MHN’s 2025 Policy and Advocacy Highlights
The following 2025 letters we have signed on in support and illustrate how MHN leverages its national presence to shape men’s health policy.
By engaging in federal debates, submitting testimony at the state level, and joining global coalitions, MHN connects local realities to national decisions. This approach ensures that the concerns of men and boys, whether in underserved rural areas, diverse urban communities, or among veterans, are consistently elevated in policy conversations that set the course for the nation’s health.
Men’s Health Network in Action:
2025 Advocacy and Policy Highlights
For over three decades, Men’s Health Network (MHN) has advanced the health and well-being of men, boys, and their families. That work spans awareness campaigns, community health programs, and education, but it also includes active advocacy in the policy space.
Laws, regulations, and federal funding decisions shape whether men and boys can access lifesaving screenings, benefit from medical research, or receive the healthcare they need where they live, work, play, and pray.
In 2025, MHN proudly signed onto multiple letters with coalitions of patient advocates, physicians, and health organizations.
These endorsements demonstrate our commitment to breaking down barriers to screening, securing critical research funding, expanding telehealth, and supporting cancer prevention both nationally and globally.
What follows is a chronological review of each letter MHN signed in 2025, with context, summaries, and reflections on why each one matters for men’s and boys’ health.
February–March 2025: Removing Barriers to Prostate Cancer Screening
The PSA for HIM Act – S. 297 and H.R. 1300
Early in the year, MHN endorsed both the Senate and House versions of the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Screening for High-risk Insured Men Act (PSA for HIM Act). The legislation would waive deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance for PSA screening in men considered at higher risk, African American men, those with a family history of prostate cancer, and those with genetic predispositions such as BRCA mutations.
Prostate cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States, with an estimated 313,780 new cases and over 35,000 deaths in 2025. African American men face the steepest odds, with nearly double the mortality rate compared to white men. Screening is one of the strongest defenses available, and cost barriers are among the most common reasons men avoid preventive tests.
By ensuring insurance coverage without added costs, the PSA for HIM Act takes a meaningful step toward saving lives.
New Jersey’s A1841 Bill
At the state level, MHN supported testimony in favor of New Jersey’s A1841. Despite existing insurance mandates, New Jersey has seen sharp declines in PSA testing, dropping 41% from 2008 to 2020, while late-stage diagnoses rose by 42%. A1841 removes cost-sharing for high-risk men, ensuring early detection becomes the norm rather than the exception. State-level data suggest this approach not only saves lives but also reduces long-term treatment costs.
When caught early, prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate of nearly 100%.
In advanced stages, survival rates fall dramatically, and treatments become invasive and expensive.
Why This Matters for Men and Boys’ Health
These screening bills matter because they directly address one of the most critical health disparities facing men. Boys with a family history of prostate cancer need to know that, by the time they reach adulthood, policies will be in place to give them better odds of survival.
For African American men, who face nearly double the mortality rate, removing cost barriers can mean the difference between catching cancer early or facing an advanced, harder-to-treat diagnosis.
This advocacy also sends an important cultural message: men’s preventive health matters.
For too long, men have been encouraged to “tough it out” or avoid doctors until symptoms become severe. By making preventive care affordable and routine, MHN is helping to normalize the idea that men deserve the same proactive health protections that women already benefit from in other screening programs.
Removing financial barriers makes it easier for men to make the healthier choice, without the added stress of weighing costs against survival.
March 2025: Strengthening Cancer Prevention Nationwide
Protecting the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC)
In March, MHN signed a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and OMB Director Russell Vought urging sustained funding for the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC).
The DCPC’s work includes:
- National Cancer Registries – providing researchers with vital data to identify trends.
- Screening promotion – ensuring cancers are caught early.
- State and territory support – funding local cancer prevention programs.
- Public education – raising awareness to reduce risks.
These programs have contributed to a 34% decline in cancer mortality rates over 30 years. The letter warned that underfunding the DCPC would threaten decades of progress and jeopardize the ability to respond to future cancer trends.
Cancer remains one of the most pressing health concerns for men, and programs like the DCPC provide the infrastructure to track, prevent, and treat disease across populations.
Medicare Coverage for Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Tests
Also in March, MHN endorsed the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act (H.R. 842). MCED tests, using a simple blood draw, can identify dozens of cancers, many with no standard screening tests, at earlier, treatable stages.
With over two million cancer diagnoses expected in 2025 and more than half among people over 65, this legislation would give older men access to one of the most promising advances in cancer prevention.
For men, MCED testing is particularly critical. Many of the cancers men face, such as pancreatic and esophageal cancers, are often diagnosed late because no standard screening tools exist.
Expanding Medicare coverage would open the door for early intervention and potentially save thousands of lives each year.
Why This Matters for Men and Boys’ Health
Cancer prevention isn’t gender-neutral when data show men die younger and often from preventable conditions. Boys deserve to inherit a system that invests in prevention instead of only reacting after diagnosis. For men, these initiatives offer more than treatment, they promise longer, healthier lives.
By strengthening registries and expanding coverage for innovative tests, policymakers can ensure early detection becomes a standard part of men’s healthcare. This matters especially for underserved men who are less likely to receive preventive care but more likely to face worse outcomes.
These letters represent a proactive approach, ensuring that prevention becomes a foundation of healthcare rather than an afterthought.
June 2025: Public Comment to the CDC on HPV Vaccination for Boys
The Public Comment to ACIP
In June, MHN formally submitted a public comment to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) urging stronger HPV vaccination recommendations for boys.
The submission highlighted disparities: in 2023, 64% of adolescent girls were up to date on HPV vaccination compared to only 59% of boys. This reflects a lingering misconception that HPV is primarily a women’s health issue, even as HPV-related cancers in men, including throat, anal, and penile cancers, are rising.
The letter stressed the vaccine’s effectiveness, noting dramatic reductions in HPV infections and pre-cancers among vaccinated women since 2006.
The same protection can, and must, be extended to boys.
Key Recommendations
MHN’s letter urged ACIP to:
- Strengthen gender-specific recommendations for vaccinating boys.
- Expand funding for male-focused education and outreach.
- Ensure providers recommend the vaccine to boys with equal urgency as girls.
- Support catch-up vaccination through age 26, with attention to high-risk groups like MSM and underserved minorities.
- Remove barriers to access such as misinformation, stigma, and cost.
Why This Matters for Men and Boys’ Health
This comment matters because HPV vaccination is one of the most powerful cancer prevention tools available today. Yet boys remain under-vaccinated, putting them at risk of cancers decades later. By directly addressing the CDC, MHN worked to correct this imbalance.
For boys, stronger recommendations mean protection that will last into adulthood. For men, it means fewer preventable cancer diagnoses.
And for families, it means peace of mind knowing sons are protected just as much as daughters.
This advocacy also pushes back against a broader cultural blind spot: the tendency to view reproductive and sexual health only through the lens of women. HPV does not discriminate, and neither should prevention efforts.
By elevating boys in the conversation, MHN is working to ensure empathy in prevention and to dismantle outdated assumptions that place men at greater risk.
Summer 2025: Protecting Military Servicemembers and Veterans
Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP)
During the summer, MHN signed a coalition letter urging Congress to maintain funding for the Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. Established in 1997, PCRP has driven the development of seven new treatments and essential diagnostic tools.
The program’s success reflects what dedicated federal investment can achieve when focused on high-burden diseases.
Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP)
Through the Kidney Cancer Impact Alliance, MHN also signed letters calling for $15 million in KCRP funding and restoration of CDMRP funding. Kidney cancer disproportionately affects men, particularly veterans exposed to burn pits, contaminated water, PFAS, and other toxins. Without dedicated funding, research progress stalls and men at the highest risk are left behind.
Why This Matters for Men and Boys’ Health
Most military personnel are men, and exposures linked to service increase cancer risks significantly. For today’s servicemen and veterans, dedicated research is vital.
For tomorrow’s boys who may one day serve, these protections ensure their health is valued as highly as their service. This advocacy also highlights a broader truth: men’s health is deeply tied to national security.
A healthy military means a stronger country. Ensuring cancer research addresses the unique risks faced by servicemen honors their service and strengthens our nation.
August–September 2025: Expanding Access Through Telehealth
In late summer, MHN signed multiple letters alongside urologic and patient advocacy groups urging Congress to make Medicare telehealth flexibilities permanent.
These flexibilities, first introduced during COVID-19, allow men to receive care at home, access audio-only visits, and connect with specialists without traveling long distances. Patient stories included in the letters highlighted how telehealth saved time, reduced stress, and allowed consistent follow-up care during cancer treatment.
For men balancing jobs, family responsibilities, and health concerns, telehealth reduces the friction that often prevents care from happening at all.
Why This Matters for Men and Boys’ Health
Men often delay care because of logistical barriers, time off work, long drives, or caregiving responsibilities. Telehealth makes preventive care and treatment easier to access.
For boys in rural or underserved communities, telehealth means earlier, more consistent connections to specialists. Telehealth also reflects a broader cultural shift: healthcare is moving to meet men where they are, rather than expecting men to always fit into rigid systems.
This approach aligns directly with MHN’s mission!
Fall 2025: A Global Call for Universal HPV Vaccination
In the fall, MHN joined more than 60 organizations worldwide in endorsing the Global Action on Men’s Health and NOMAN Call to Action for gender-neutral HPV vaccination. The goal is 100 endorsements by the end of 2025.
While HPV vaccination is often framed as a women’s health issue, HPV-related cancers affect men profoundly. Universal vaccination reduces stigma, protects both sexes, and creates a stronger culture of prevention.
Why This Matters for Men and Boys’ Health
For boys, gender-neutral vaccination ensures protection against cancers decades before they develop. For men, it represents progress in correcting longstanding gaps in prevention.
For families, it underscores the principle that men’s health deserves equal priority. This global endorsement also positions MHN as part of a wider international movement.
Men’s health challenges cross borders, and solutions must be built collaboratively.
Why Advocacy Matters
Each letter MHN signed in 2025 represented more than policy positions, it was about lives, families, and the future of men’s health.
- February–March: PSA for HIM Act and NJ A1841 – ensuring prostate cancer screening for high-risk men.
- March: Protecting DCPC and supporting MCED coverage – strengthening prevention and early detection.
- June: CDC public comment – pushing for stronger HPV vaccination recommendations for boys.
- Summer: Protecting PCRP and KCRP funding – safeguarding military service members and veterans.
- August–September: Telehealth flexibilities – expanding access to care for men and families.
- Fall: Global HPV vaccination endorsement – advocating for prevention on a worldwide scale.
Looking Ahead
2025 demonstrated that advocacy is a powerful tool in closing the lifespan gender gap.
From Capitol Hill to international coalitions, MHN’s voice has been clear: men’s health matters, and it must remain a priority in policy, funding, and prevention efforts.
As we look to the future, MHN will continue building on these victories, working to ensure that men, boys, and their families live longer, healthier lives.
