On September 19, the Senate Committee on Appropriations released the FY2020 Subcommittee Chairman’s recommendations for the Departments of Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) Chairman of the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee said, “The $3 billion NIH increase recommended in this bill marks a 40 % increase over the past five years paving the way for new advances that would give hope to millions of families.” The recommended NIH appropriations for FY2020 would enable NIH to receive $42.1 billion.
Some of the funds would be targeted towards finding alternative pain medications, to addressing workforce needs especially in rural communities, and for behavioral health. Investments are to continue related to critical medical research and opioid abuse prevention, treatment, and education.
Other funding would go to fight Alzheimer’s disease ($2.82 billion), the President’s Childhood Cancer Data Initiative ($50 million), and for Childhood Cancer Survivorship ($25 million), funding for the Clinical and Translational Science Award ($589.4 million), and funding to increase investments in innovative research to advance fundamental knowledge and speed the development of new therapies, diagnostics, and preventive measures.
- NIH would receive $3.7 billion for mental health programs, an increase of $305 million. Project AWARE would receive $103 million, a $32 million increase
- The NIH Brain Initiative would receive $500 million, a $71 million increase
- The “All of Us” precision medicine study would receive $500 million a $161 million increase
- Opioid addiction, development of opioids alternatives, pain management, and addiction treatment would receive $801 million for research
- NIH would receive $600 million, a $50 million increase to combat Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
- The bill would provide $3.7 million for mental health programs, an increase of $305 million
- Community Health Centers would receive $1.63 billion for CHCs serving more than 28 million patients per year via more than 11,000 health centers nationwide. CHCs would receive $200 million to expand behavioral health and substance use disorder prevention and treatment services
- Rural Health Care would receive $311.8 million for rural health programs which would include $26.5 million, which would be $2 million above FY 2019 for telehealth within rural areas
Go to https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/fy2020-labor-hhs-and-education-appropriations-bill-released to view the Senate’s recommendations to increase funding for health related care.