News Headlines from Washington
President Bush Nominates FDA's McClellan to Lead Medicare Agency
President Bush nominated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Mark B. McClellan as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Dr. McClellan would succeed Thomas A. Scully, who left his position at CMS last December. The CMS administrator nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, and, although three Senators initially indicated that they planned to block Dr. McClellan's nomination because of his opposition to prescription drug reimportation, as of press time for The Hematologist, it appears that his nomination will meet Senate approval. At CMS, Dr. McClellan will lead the daunting task of implementing more than 300 provisions of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 while under close scrutiny of congressional committees due to the politics surrounding the Medicare drug law and its effect on seniors, physicians, hospitals, etc.
At FDA, Deputy Commissioner Lester Crawford will become acting commissioner. In Washington, analysts project that Dr. McClellan's departure from FDA could impact FDA's drug approval process and its ability to make decisions on various policy issues. While FDA Commissioner, Dr. McLellan increased the speed at which the agency approves prescription drugs. In contrast, Dr. Crawford is known for being more cautious in approving drugs. Some health care industry officials are also concerned about whether an interim FDA commissioner who has not been confirmed by the Senate will have the necessary influence to make controversial decisions; the Bush administration is not likely to nominate a replacement for Dr. McClellan before the election.
Rep. Barton Replaces Rep. Tauzin as Chair of Commerce Committee
Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) was recently named chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a congressional committee with jurisdiction over the Medicare program. He replaces Chairman W.J. (Billy) Tauzin (R-LA), who stepped down from the powerful seat to discuss possible opportunities to lead the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association when he retires from the House of Representatives next fall. As the new chairman, Representative Barton has announced that his top health care priority for 2004 will be oversight of the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. Chairman Barton expects to hold oversight hearings on the prescription drug law this year.
New Research Grant Opportunities Page on ASH Web Site
To draw together the multitude of hematology-related research grant opportunities that are available at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies, the Society created a new page on the ASH Web site that simplifies your search for requests for blood and blood disease research topics. Please go to www.hematology.org/education/grants/grants.cfm for more information and links to current hematology research grant opportunities at NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ASH will regularly update this page and plans to expand its scope in the future when other grants are published that may be of interest to hematologists.
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Take Action On Sickle Cell Disease Legislation
Legislation to enhance prevention and treatment services for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is gaining support in Congress, but ASH needs members' help in contacting Senators and Representatives to ensure that the bill advances this year.
The Sickle Cell Treatment Act of 2003 (S 874/HR 1736) was introduced in Congress in April 2003 by Senators Jim Talent (R-MO), Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Representatives Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Richard Burr (R- NC). Interest in this bill is growing quickly; there are currently 41 co-sponsors in the Senate and 39 in the House. ASH is working with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and several other patient and professional organizations to build support for this measure in Congress.
S 874/HR 1736 would provide federal matching funds for SCD services. Right now, Medicaid covers physician and laboratory services for all states. This bill allows any state that spends money on SCD services (as designated in this bill) to receive a federal match. The legislation permits states to support SCD programs and providers in a manner suitable to the particular local needs of patients in each state.
In addition, S 874/HR 1736 provides federal reimbursement for education and other services related to the prevention and treatment of SCD and would create grant programs for 40 health centers nationwide. Grants could be used for the education, treatment (i.e., genetic counseling and testing), and continuity of care for individuals with SCD, for training health professionals, and to identify and secure additional federal funds to continue SCD treatment.
The legislation also establishes a National Coordinating Center to collect, monitor, and distribute information on new and innovative practices to prevent and treat SCD. It launches a model protocol for the grant recipients to follow as a quality control mechanism, develops educational materials regarding the prevention and treatment of SCD, and submits a report to Congress to ensure fiscal accountability and provide information of recent developments for SCD.
Senator Talent and his co-sponsors are very optimistic that the House and Senate leadership could move this legislation to a vote over the next few months if more co-sponsors are recruited. The Society is initiating a membership-wide education effort about contacting every Member of Congress to support and co-sponsor the Sickle Cell Treatment Act of 2003. Please go to the ASH Web site for up-to-date information on S 874/HR 1736, including a current list of the co-sponsors of this legislation. Your help is desperately needed to recruit more bill co-sponsors!
If you have questions or need more information, please contact ASH Government Affairs Manager Jeff Coughlin at 202-776-0544 or jcoughlin@hematology.org.
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