Washington, D.C.—The U.S. House of Representatives today passed an FY 18 federal budget, which includes; a $3 billion increase for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—the largest such funding increase in 15 years; a $275 million increase for the National Cancer Institute (NCI); a $10 million increase for cancer prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and first-time funding of $15 million for the Oncology Center of Excellence at the Food and Drug Administration(FDA).
The budget also increases funding for the CDC Office of Smoking and Health (OSH) and preserves the FDA’s full regulatory authority over tobacco products.
Funding to stabilize the individual insurance markets and reduce patient premiums was not included in the House budget.
A statement from American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network President Chris Hansen, follows:
Research
“The $3 billion boost to NIH, including $275 million more for NCI, offers a historic opportunity to greatly accelerate the pace of innovation and progress against a disease that is expected to kill more than 600,000 Americans this year. The increased resources come at a critical time as researchers are on the cusp of many promising new cancer diagnostic tools and treatments, including those that harness a patient’s own immune system to fight the disease. This increase coupled with first-time funding for the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence, promises to maximize our nation’s investment in medical research and ensure those advancements make it as quickly as possible from the lab to patients.
“We commend lawmakers for their strong, bipartisan dedication to consistent and continual research funding reflected in this budget. Their efforts are sure to help spur groundbreaking research for years to come.”
Prevention
“Cancer prevention and early detection is essential to reducing cancer’s devastating effects. This includes ensuring those who are uninsured or underinsured can access recommended screenings, like those for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, and dedicated efforts to reduce tobacco use.
“For years these programs have struggled with flat or falling funding. This budget finally provides the opportunity to increase access to life-saving services that will improve the health of underserved Americans. This includes a nearly $8 million increase for the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program; a joint federal-state effort that has screened 5.3 million uninsured or underinsured women since its inception, but which has historically struggled with inadequate resources to reach many more who are eligible.
“Moreover, the budget gives a $5 million bump for the CDC Office of Smoking and Health (OSH), which leads federal efforts to reduce tobacco-related death and disease, and preserves the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory authority over the full range of tobacco products granted under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
“Together this renewed focus on prevention and detection promises to maximize public health and minimize needless death and suffering from cancer. Lawmakers should be commended for recognizing the importance of preventing cancer whenever possible and detecting it early when it is most treatable.”
Access
“While cancer prevention, detection and treatment are all prioritized in the FY 18 budget, patients’ ability to access quality, affordable health care on the individual insurance market was not addressed. Rising health care costs and changes to rules governing how health plans operate pose serious challenges to patients’ long-term ability to benefit from evidence-based prevention and new and improved treatments. We encourage lawmakers to continue looking for long-term, bipartisan solutions to ensure investment in prevention and research are not squandered through barriers that block meaningful access to care.”
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.