Advocacy Updates

Advocacy Alert: 9/25/2008

U.S. Health Policy News

The CFIDS Association of America brings you news of three announcements related to health policy:

• Dr. Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, announced yesterday that he would be stepping down from his post effective October 1, 2008. A new NIH director will be appointed by the next administration after the January 2009 presidential inauguration.
• President Bush has not yet signed a funding bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies. Yesterday the House of Representatives voted 370-58 to approve a $630 billion continuing resolution (HR 2638) that would fund at current levels the budgets of most Cabinet departments and federal agencies (including the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) until March 6, 2009. The Senate this week likely will pass the continuing resolution, which Bush has indicated he will sign.
• Yesterday the House also passed the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2008. The National Pain Foundation led a coalition of organizations, including the CFIDS Association of America, to introduce this legislation and secure a House vote before the 110th session of Congress ends. For more information, please visit www.painfoundation.org.

Thank you for your continued interest in CFS advocacy.