Advocacy > Coverage of Health Care Costs for Clinical Trials

Last update: 05/17/2013

Act Now: Support Full NIH Funding for Medical Research

This is the last opportunity this year we have to make sure funding is not cut! Final negotiations are expected this week in the House and Senate conference committees.

As you know, NHL remains a life-threatening disease. The ONLY thing that is going to save lives is medical research -- and the NIH is gearing up to accelerate medical research, which is made possible by new technologies and insights about cancer:

NIH Seeks to Accelerate Medical Research - Washington Post Sep_30_03

"From creating drug-hunting databases to including more Main Street doctors in medical research, the National Institutes of Health pledged a series of changes on Tuesday intended to help turn scientific discoveries into better health care, faster." 

Funding, as it currently stands for fiscal year 2004, will not stay at current levels in the National Institutes of Health. Scientists say that we need an 8-10 percent increase just to stay even with inflation (and changes in priorities (for national defense funding for bioterrorism).

Legislators are circulating letters in the House and Senate in support of this increase.  Sponsors n the House are Chris Bell of Texas and Mark Foley of Florida, and in the Senate, Susan Collins and Dianne Feinstein.

See SAMPLE LETTERS below.

STEPS: 

1. Please go to these websites to see if your Senators and Congressman have signed up to 
   maintain NIH funding.
    
   House members who have signed:
   http://www.hematology.org/government/action_alerts/alert_092903B.doc 
    
   Senators who have signed:
   http://www.hematology.org/government/action_alerts/alert_092903C.doc 
   
   If your Senators and Representatives have signed the letter, you don't need to contact them.
    

2. If they have not signed, PLEASE act now by providing your zip code below and writing to your representative

Act Now:
To write to all or some of your representatives:   Type in your zip code and click GO. When the Roll Call window opens, click with one click  in the section that reads:  Write to ALL of your representatives with one click or  just go to the individual pages linked below
Sample Letters   You can copy (Ctrl + C) and paste (Ctrl+V) each into your message, then personalize it as desired.
Use this HOUSE version as is, or as a guide: I am writing to you to ask for your support of the Capps Bell-Foley-Leach "Dear Colleague" letter that urges an 8-10 percent increase in the final conference bill for funding in 2004 for the National Institutes of Health.  == Edit or choose one of these to personalize: I  have been diagnosed with Lymphoma, a life- threatening disease.  Tragically, 61,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with lymphoma, and 24,000 die. OR My loved one has been diagnosed with Lymphoma, a life- threatening disease.  Tragically, 61,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with lymphoma, and 24,000 die.   == Rapidly developing insights into cancer and new technologies are certain to result in dramatic discoveries that will help the millions of Americans to survive cancer and improve their quality of life.   Advocates and scientists are encouraged by a new commitment to translational research at the National Cancer Institute.  They point out that there was a time when directed research would have been foolish, as we didn't have the tools and understanding to make progress against cancer. But the time has arrived, and it's great to see these changes in the works. Please consider that every family is touched by cancer and that in 2001 alone cancer caused the death of a half million Americans. I look forward to learning of your position on this matter of great importance to all Americans.	Use this SENATE version as is, or as a guide: I am writing to you to ask for your support of the Collins-Feinstein "Dear Colleague" letter that urges an 8-10 percent increase in the final conference bill for funding in 2004 for the National Institutes of Health.  == Edit or choose one of these to personalize: I  have been diagnosed with Lymphoma, a life- threatening disease.  Tragically, 61,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with lymphoma, and 24,000 die. OR My loved one has been diagnosed with Lymphoma, a life- threatening disease.  Tragically, 61,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with lymphoma, and 24,000 die.   == Rapidly developing insights into cancer and new technologies are certain to result in dramatic discoveries that will help the millions of Americans to survive cancer and improve their quality of life.   Advocates and scientists are encouraged by a new commitment to translational research at the National Cancer Institute.  They point out that there was a time when directed research would have been foolish, as we didn't have the tools and understanding to make progress against cancer. But the time has arrived, and it's great to see these changes in the works. Please consider that every family is touched by cancer and that in 2001 alone cancer caused the death of a half million Americans. I look forward to learning of your position on this matter of great importance to all Americans.