The AAMC and two coalitions convened by the association, the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research and the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC), submitted outside witness testimony reiterating fiscal year (FY) 2023 funding priorities to the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee on May 26.
The subcommittee is responsible for drafting annual spending bills to provide discretionary funding for the National Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other programs under the Department of Health and Human Services. The testimony from the AAMC and coalitions follow the groups’ May 11 submissions to the Senate Labor-HHS subcommittee [refer to Washington Highlights, May 13].
On May 25, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) submitted a letter to the Senate Labor-HHS subcommittee advocating for $980 million in funding in FY 2023 for HRSA’s Title VII Health Professions programs, as recommended by HPNEC. The letter, signed by 38 additional senators, advocates for federal programs designed to fill gaps in the supply of health professionals, respond to the needs of special and underserved populations, and increase minority representation in the health care workforce. The senators’ letter highlighted how support for these programs will ensure that the distribution, quality, and diversity of our nation's health professions workforce continues to improve and that the workforce is prepared to meet the country's evolving and emerging health care needs.
The House Labor-HHS subcommittee is expected to develop and mark up its FY 2023 spending bill in June.
The AAMC also joined nearly 50 organizations in a May 24 letter to authorizing committee leaders from the House and Senate with jurisdiction over the CDC sharing support for President Joe Biden’s proposed nearly $90 billion in mandatory funding for pandemic preparedness and biodefense in FY 2023. Authorizing committees would need to develop legislation to establish the funding mechanisms for new mandatory spending.
“Another infectious disease outbreak will happen. Through the investments proposed by the administration, we can make sure that we are not caught flat footed ever again,” the letter stated. “Rather than spending another trillion dollars during the next pandemic, we should invest strategically in biopreparedness now which will save more lives and be cost-effective in the long run.”