2022 Research and Public Health Funding Advocacy Highlights

ASH continues to advocate for issues impacting hematology research and practice, including research and public health funding, access to quality care for patients, physician payment and coverage for hematologists, and policy issues related to sickle cell disease (SCD). The following overview provides information on advocacy highlights in research and public health funding. 

During 2022, ASH continued to be highly visible in our advocacy for federal support of biomedical research and public health funding, including funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). ASH and other members of the biomedical research and public health communities have strongly urged Congress to provide increased funding for these agencies.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Appropriations for NIH and Federal Public Health Programs

• In spring 2022, ASH joined more than 360 organizations and institutions in the research community in recommending a program level of at least $49 billion for the NIH in fiscal year (FY) 2023, a $4 billion increase over FY 2022 funding. This funding level would allow for meaningful growth above inflation in the base budget and would expand the NIH’s capacity to support promising science in all disciplines across the agency.
• In April 2022, ASH joined more than 175 organizations and institutions in the public health community in recommending at least $11 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in FY 2023. This proposed funding level would help reverse years of underfunding which has resulted in many of the CDC’s most effective prevention programs being unable to reach every state.
• In early May 2022, ASH submitted a statement to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) supporting at least $49 billion for NIH in FY 2023, as well as at least $10 million in funding for the CDC Sickle Cell Data Collection Program and continued support for the sickle cell programs at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The Society submitted a similar statement to the House in late May 2022.
• In late December 2022, Congress passed a FY 2023 omnibus funding bill providing a program level of approximately $47.5 billion for NIH, a $2.5 billion (or 5.6 percent) increase over the comparable FY 2022 level. The bill also provided $9.2 billion for CDC, including $6 million for the Sickle Cell Disease Data Collection program (which doubles the funding for the program), and increases in funding for sickle cell programs at HRSA.
  • The FY 2023 omnibus spending bill also fully authorizes the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) separately within the NIH and provides $1.5 billion for the agency (a $500 million or 50 percent increase over FY 2022).
  • The chart below summarizes recent funding levels for federal research and public health programs of interest to ASH, including the NIH, ARPA-H, the CDC Sickle Cell Data Collection program, and the HRSA sickle cell programs.
• Funding for Federal Research and Public Health Programs

Grassroots Advocacy and Congressional Visits

• ASH is grateful for the engagement of its Grassroots Network members who, throughout the year, urged Congress to support federal medical research and public health program funding. Members utilized the ASH Advocacy Center to find sample letters and tweets supporting funding for NIH and CDC, including funding for sickle cell data collection efforts at CDC, and sent nearly 2,400 messages to Capitol Hill in support of ASH’s policy priorities.
• It remains true that one of the most visible ways for the Society to advocate for hematology issues is through meetings with Members of Congress and their staff.  In 2022, ASH staff and members of the Society held over 100 in-person and virtual and meetings with congressional offices throughout the year to advocate for the Society’s policy priorities.
  • In March, members of the ASH Committee on Government Affairs members met virtually with congressional members and their staff to urge support for FY 2023 funding for the NIH and funding for the CDC Sickle Cell Data Collection program. 
  • On September 14, ASH sponsored and participated in the 10th annual Rally for Medical Research Hill Day. Participants from more than 125 partnering organizations, including ASH, met in-person and virtually with congressional offices in support of funding for NIH. ASH sent an advocacy alert to the ASH Grassroots Network to coincide with the Rally which generated nearly 90 emails and tweets to congressional offices.
  • In mid-October, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, ASH hosted the 10th annual ASH Advocacy Leadership Institute (ALI).  Day two of the meeting marked ASH’s return to in-person advocacy on Capitol Hill, where ALI participants visited more than 35 congressional offices to advocate for three of ASH’s policy priorities: sustained and consistent increases in funding for NIH; increased funding for CDC’s Sickle Cell Data Collection program; and additional cosponsors for the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act (H.R. 6216/S. 3389).