AAMC Submits Comments on
FY 2004 HHS Budget
May 30, 2003 - The AAMC May 23 submitted a
statement for the record to the House Labor-HHS-Education
Appropriations Subcommittee commenting on five areas of interest
to medical schools and teaching hospitals in the FY 2004 budget
for the Department of Health and Human Services.
The statement notes, "The diagnosis and treatment of
many diseases have undergone fundamental transformations thanks
to NIH-funded research…. If we are to sustain this momentum
and translate the promise of science into the reality of better
health, this nation must maintain its commitment to medical
research." The AAMC endorses the recommendation of the
Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding, which calls for
the Congress to add 10 percent in FY 2004 to the recently
doubled budget of the NIH, which would bring the total appropriation
to $30 billion.
Expressing disappointment with the Administration's proposal
to eliminate funding for most of the Title VII health professions
education programs, the AAMC supports an FY 2004 appropriation
of at least $550 million for Title VII and VIII programs,
as recommended by the Health Professions and Nursing Education
Coalition (HPNEC). The AAMC statement explains, "Indeed,
at times, these programs serve as the only source of health
care in many rural and disadvantaged communities. In addition,
these programs provide and essential and stable infrastructure
for the training and education of health professionals…."
Emphasizing the "value of health services research as
this nation continues to strive to provide high-quality, efficient,
and cost effective health care to all of its citizens,"
the AAMC supports $390 million for the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ) in FY 2004, as proposed by the
Friends of AHRQ. With regard to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), the AAMC recommends at least $7.9 billion
in FY 2004 "to sustain a network of successful programs
in illness and injury prevention and health promotion and
to move cutting-edge health programs from idea to implementation."
The AAMC also supports the Administration's proposal for $213
million for the National Health Service Corps to allow for
"increased access to health care in underserved areas
by developing new delivery sites and a larger number of clinicians
providing care."
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Associate Vice President
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
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