The millions of Americans who suffer from heart disease and stroke were given a renewed sense of hope today by Chairman Dave Obey (D-WI) and the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The 3.1 percent increase for the National institutes of Health (NIH), during these tough economic times, demonstrates a renewed national commitment to sustained and predictable funding growth for biomedical research. We urge the committee to maintain stable funding for 2011 when the temporary resources from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expire. Congress must avoid boom and bust cycles of support for NIH in order to make real progress in the fight against heart disease, stroke and other chronic illnesses.
The association would also like to commend the subcommittee for continuing to adhere to their policy of allowing scientists, not politicians, to determine how funding is allocated by disease. At present, NIH invests only four percent of its budget on heart research and a mere one percent on stroke research. However, the association believes that redressing this obvious imbalance should be based on scientific opportunity, burden of disease and the other criteria set by NIH.
The subcommittee’s relatively flat-funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was disappointing and will significantly hamper our ability to prevent disease before it strikes. Prevention is an important way to address our rising healthcare costs and will result in a healthier and more productive population. Currently, CDC spends on average a mere 13 cents per person each year on heart disease and stroke prevention initiatives and some states receive no funding at all. It’s hard to make real progress in preventing heart disease and stroke with this meager investment.
Where one lives could affect survival from a particularly deadly form of heart disease—sudden cardiac arrest. The subcommittee’s increase for HRSA’s Rural and Community Access to Emergency Devices program will enable more Americans to survive sudden cardiac death, a particularly deadly form of heart disease.
Stable and sustained funding for research, prevention and treatment is imperative to advance science, prevent disease and support true healthcare reform. With predictable increases, we can continue to make considerable progress in reducing death and disability from the nation’s costliest disease and create a healthier future for our children.
The association would also like to commend the subcommittee for continuing to adhere to their policy of allowing scientists, not politicians, to determine how funding is allocated by disease. At present, NIH invests only four percent of its budget on heart research and a mere one percent on stroke research. However, the association believes that redressing this obvious imbalance should be based on scientific opportunity, burden of disease and the other criteria set by NIH.
The subcommittee’s relatively flat-funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was disappointing and will significantly hamper our ability to prevent disease before it strikes. Prevention is an important way to address our rising healthcare costs and will result in a healthier and more productive population. Currently, CDC spends on average a mere 13 cents per person each year on heart disease and stroke prevention initiatives and some states receive no funding at all. It’s hard to make real progress in preventing heart disease and stroke with this meager investment.
Where one lives could affect survival from a particularly deadly form of heart disease—sudden cardiac arrest. The subcommittee’s increase for HRSA’s Rural and Community Access to Emergency Devices program will enable more Americans to survive sudden cardiac death, a particularly deadly form of heart disease.
Stable and sustained funding for research, prevention and treatment is imperative to advance science, prevent disease and support true healthcare reform. With predictable increases, we can continue to make considerable progress in reducing death and disability from the nation’s costliest disease and create a healthier future for our children.
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