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Advocacy
News
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Public Policy News & Resources
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Bone Health
Advocacy E-News
Summer 2007 |
In this
issue:- Patient Access to
Osteoporosis Testing – NOF
advocates succeed in getting
Senate to support the Access to
Medicare Imaging Act!
Federal Funding for
Osteoporosis Research
NOF Advocates Support Patient
Access to Osteoporosis Testing
As previously
reported, Medicare reimbursement
rates for specialized tests
called dual energy x-ray
absorptiometry (DXA) tests that
help detect osteoporosis before
a fracture occurs have been
reduced so dramatically that
providers are beginning to
discontinue this necessary
treatment. The loss of DXA test
providers for patients with
osteoporosis and low bone mass
will be dramatic for Medicare
beneficiaries, those in rural
America, the frail and elderly
who are unable to locate or
travel to a new DXA provider. It
also may impact the quality of
DXA services as those most
skilled and knowledgeable about
a patient’s medical history stop
providing DXA testing.
To remedy this Medicare
reimbursement problem, NOF has
urged Members of Congress to
ensure patient access to high
quality osteoporosis prevention
and diagnosis by cosponsoring
the “Access to Medicare
Imaging Act of 2007” (S.
1338/H.R. 1293). This
legislation will enact a
two-year delay in the Medicare
imaging cuts and support a study
of reimbursement cuts by the
Government Accountability Office
(GAO).
Thank you to all NOF Bone
Health Advocacy Network
Advocates who have contacted
their legislators! As a
result of NOF advocacy, the
“Access to Medicare Imaging Act
of 2007” was introduced in the
Senate and currently has 19
Senate cosponsors and 143
cosponsors in the House! As a
member of the NOF Bone Health
Advocacy Network, your voice
helps push the NOF advocacy
agenda on Capitol Hill.
Your advocacy help is still
needed! Patient access to
high quality care for
osteoporosis prevention,
diagnosis and treatment is
threatened by this policy, and
NOF continues to push for a
solution on Capitol Hill.
The NOF Public Policy and
Government Relations Department
is meeting with members of
Congress in support of this
important legislation. Stay
Alert: The NOF Bone Health
Advocacy Network will keep you
updated on this issue. Please
urge your family, friends, and
colleagues to contact their
Members of Congress and join the
network at:
www.nof.org/advocacy.
Update on 2008 Federal
Funding for Osteoporosis
Research
One of the National Osteoporosis
Foundation’s highest advocacy
priorities is funding for the
National Institutes of Health (NIH),
supporting the federal research
effort to find a cure for
osteoporosis and improve the
quality of life for those with
the disease. In 2007, it is
estimated that NIH will spend
$168 million on
osteoporosis-related research.
We are very troubled that
support for osteoporosis
research will be frozen at this
level in 2008 under the
President’s budget proposal.
NOF believes that in order find
a cure and increase the
treatment options for
osteoporosis at our nation’s
premier biomedical research
institution, Congress must
provide sufficient funding to
NIH. For fiscal year 2008,
NOF continues to support a 6.7
percent increase for the
National Institutes of Health,
as endorsed by the Ad Hoc
Group for Medical Research,
along with the National Health
Council, and Research!America.
The Senate Appropriations
Committee cleared the 2008
Labor-Health and Human Services
appropriation bill. This
legislation includes funding for
NIH. The Senate committee has
supported a 3.5% increase for
NIH, approximately $29.9 billion
representing more than $1
billion over the President’s
budget request. Additionally,
the House Appropriations
Committee approved a bill
funding NIH at $29.6 billion, a
boost of $750 million, or 3%.
This funding increase would
bring the number of research
grants up by 545.
NOF is pleased that both the
Senate and House are pushing
back on the President’s budget
request that proposed to fund
NIH at $28.6 billion, lower than
the 2007 funding level of $28.9
billion. We join many in the
patient and research community
who fear that negative funding
combined with the high cost of
medical research inflation rates
(ranging from 3-5% over the past
few years) makes it even more
difficult for NIH to support its
current research grants or
expand opportunities for new
researchers.
NOF continues to work with
patient and research partners in
support of increased funding for
NIH. The NOF Bone Health
Advocacy Network will be called
upon to contact legislators as
the Senate and House meet and to
finalize the overall NIH
appropriations legislation. Ask
your friends and family to join
this effort:
www.nof.org/advocacy .
NOF on Capitol Hill –
Click here to read more about
NOF leadership outreach to
Members of Congress!
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