Advocacy

Congress did not waste any time upon members' return from summer recess before diving into their incredibly busy fall agenda.

The latest developments in Washington, including the Senate's votes related to the Affordable Care Act and a potential repeal/replace/repair plan, have unfolded at a rapid pace and kept AcademyHealth, our community, and citizens throughout the country on our toes.

The latest "Read on Washington" includes an update on the health care debate, additional details on fiscal year 2018 appropriations, events of interest, and more.

Appropriations negotiations for fiscal year 2018, the unveiling of the Senate Republicans' health care bill, and continued discussions on the future of federal support for health services research mean busy times for AcademyHealth.

The House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee's spending bill for fiscal year 2018 proposes a $24 million cut to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Health Resources and Services Administration also taking hits.

This week's advocacy update includes links to summaries on the Senate's recently released health care bill, new articles on the proposal to move the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality into the National Institutes of Health, and more.

​​​​​​​Beyond stories about the Senate’s health care bill, which run aplenty these days, we have seen more developments across our industry, including the president continuing to solidify members of his administration and the National Institutes of Health announcing a new initiative.

This blog is the second in a two-part series on the president’s fiscal year 2018 budget proposal.

The president's budget request is typically described by journalists and political pundits as "dead on arrival" regardless of who is in charge of what branch of government. Congress takes their constitutional "power of the purse" very seriously, and while lawmakers do take the president's request into consideration, they take pride in making their own funding decisions...