|
Research Policy Issues:
Review of FY 2003 Funding Issues Impacting the Research Community:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the international leader in medical research. Its mission is to sponsor and conduct research that leads to better health for all Americans. Investigators conduct a broad array of research and training supported by NIH’s 25 institutes and centers, each created by Congress and charged with a unique mission. The Bush Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2003 budget includes a record funding level of $27.3 billion for NIH, a $3.7 billion or 16 percent increase over last year. The proposed funding level—which matches the recommendation of the academic internal medicine community—would complete the five-year plan to double NIH’s budget by FY 2003.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) research program is one of the nation’s premier research organizations, consisting of medical, rehabilitation, and health services research. The program serves as a magnet for attracting high-caliber clinicians to practice medicine and conduct research in VA medical centers. The resulting atmosphere of medical excellence and ingenuity, developed in conjunction with collaborating medical schools and teaching hospitals, benefits every veteran receiving care at VA and ultimately all Americans. The administration’s budget proposal for FY 2003 is $409 million, an increase of $38 million over last year. However, budgetary maneuvering means that $15 million of $38 million increase will be spent on personnel costs, leaving a programmatic increase of $23 million or 6.2 percent over FY 2002. Sources inside VA note that roughly $20 million of the increase will be directed toward bioterrorism research.
The Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research—in which the Association of Professors of Medicine represents the academic internal medicine community—will advocate for an FY 2003 increase in VA research spending of $89 million.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) “supports research designed to improve the outcomes and quality of health care, reduce its costs, address patient safety and medical errors, and broaden access to effective services.” Formerly the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Congress embraced the agency as the leader of its efforts to improve the quality of health care. For AHRQ, the president’s FY 2003 budget calls for $251 million in FY 2003, a $48 million or 16 percent decrease from FY 2002 funding levels. The academic internal medicine community recommends a funding level of $390 million for the agency, a $91 million or 30.4 percent increase over FY 2002.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the primary public health agency for “promoting health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability.” CDC works with states, local public health agencies, and organizations throughout the world to accomplish this mission. For CDC, the president’s FY 2003 proposal requests a total of $5.8 billion, a decrease of $1 billion or 15 percent from FY 2002. (CDC’s FY 2002 funding level was exceptionally high due to supplemental appropriations to enhance bioterrorism preparedness.) For CDC’s non-bioterrorism related activities, the proposal recommends a FY 2003 funding level of $3.9 billion, a $400 million or 9 percent decrease in FY 2002.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a public health agency as well as the principal consumer protection agency of the federal government. Charged with protecting American consumers by enforcing the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (PL 85-250), the agency oversees the development and use of commercial pharmaceuticals and biologies. The administration’s budget recommends a funding level of $1.7 billion in FY 2003 for the Food and Drug Administration, a $123 million or 8 percent increase over last year.
|
|
|
|
|