The Headache Act
The Headache Education, Access, Diagnosis, and Care Health Equity Act would create the first comprehensive federal response to migraine, cluster headache, and other headache disorders.
What the HEADACHE Act would do.
The HEADACHE Act would establish a coordinated federal response to migraine, cluster headache, and other headache disorders. It addresses the most pressing gaps in research, workforce, education, and access to care that the headache community has identified for decades.
Pillars of the bill:
Strengthen federal coordination on headache disorders.
Right now, no single federal program is responsible for headache policy, research strategy, or workforce development. The bill changes that.
Improve data collection.
Better data on prevalence, burden, and outcomes lets researchers and policymakers act with precision.
Expand public awareness and clinician education.
Most clinicians receive minimal training in headache disorders. The bill would aim to change that.
Prioritize workforce development.
The country has fewer than 900 board-certified headache specialists for more than 40 million patients. The bill would help train more.
Address barriers to diagnosis and care.
From insurance practices to geographic deserts, patients face systemic obstacles. The bill would direct federal attention to closing the gap.
Why it matters.
Headache disorders are among the leading causes of disability in the world, but federal investment has not matched the burden. Patients wait years for accurate diagnosis. Research dollars are a fraction of what comparable disease categories receive. The result is preventable suffering at enormous human and economic cost.
The HEADACHE Act is the first major federal bill that treats this community as the public health priority it is. Passing it would not solve every problem, but it would be the structural change that opens the door to real progress.
Send a message to Congress.
Tools for advocates.
Use these resources to advocate for the HEADACHE Act in your community, your workplace, and your meetings with legislative offices.
HEADACHE Act
Learn more about the HEADACHE Act by downloading the one-pager here.
Social media toolkit
Click here to download a social media toolkit containing graphics and sample posts.
Tell your story
We want to hear from you! Add your story to the story bank here.
