Whereas cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States;

Whereas projected rates of cardiovascular disease are expected to increase significantly in the United States by 2060;

Whereas, compared to urban areas, rural areas in the United States have higher death rates for cardiovascular disease and stroke, and a 40 percent higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease;

Whereas risk factors contributing to cardiovascular disease and poor health outcomes include elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (referred to in this preamble as LDL–C), high levels of lipoprotein(a) cholesterol, hypertension, obesity, low awareness of personal risk factors, genetics, geographic location, and inequitable access to care;

Whereas lipoprotein(a) cholesterol is predominantly genetically inherited and can build up in the walls of blood vessels, creating cholesterol deposits, or plaques, and lead to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease;

Whereas LDL–C is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and having lower LDL–C is associated with a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke;

Whereas more than 25.5 percent of adults in the United States have high LDL–C;

Whereas more than 200 studies with more than 2,000,000 patients have broadly established that elevated LDL–C causes atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease;

Whereas atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the build-up of cholesterol plaque within the walls of arteries and includes acute coronary syndrome, peripheral arterial disease, and events such as heart attacks and strokes;

Whereas the resources needed to bend the curve on cardiovascular disease exist, yet 71 percent of hypercholesterolemia patients at high risk of a cardiovascular event never achieve recommended LDL–C treatment guideline thresholds;

Whereas only 33 percent of individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who are taking statins, a guideline recommended lipid-lowering therapy, actually achieve LDL–C goals;

Whereas, although clinical guidelines recommend that a patient hospitalized for heart attack receive an LDL–C test in the 90 days following discharge from a hospital, only 27 percent of patients receive the test;

Whereas African-American adults are less likely to receive an LDL–C test in the 90 days following discharge from a hospital, despite having a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease;

Whereas significant gaps in care may lead to subsequent cardiovascular events;

Whereas the Million Hearts program seeks to improve access to and quality of care to reduce heart disease, stroke, and death; and

Whereas September is recognized as National Cholesterol Education Month to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease and the importance of individuals knowing their LDL–C number: Now, therefore, be it