Topic: Our Bill's competition on House Health Subcommittee
pmerv
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1504
posted
Not only is the IDSA working against the bill, but I looked up other resolutions under consideration by the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and found there are probably close to 700 bills on their agenda (I stopped counting after 469).
Many bills have only a few cosponsors or even none (other than the author); HR741, the Lyme Bill, has 103 cosponsors, a respectable number. Here are some bills that are doing comparably or better than ours, listed in order of number of cosponsors. It makes you realize how important our contacting our local congressional representatives is. The greater number of cosponsors increases the bill's chances of being heard.
You can see how long it has taken to get this much support and how long it has been sitting in the committee by looking at the dates the bill was introduced and referred.
Our bill: H.R.741 : To provide for the expansion of Federal efforts concerning the prevention, education, treatment, and research activities related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, including the establishment of a Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee. Sponsor: Rep Smith, Christopher H. [NJ-4] (introduced 1/31/2007) Cosponsors (104) Committees: House Energy and Commerce Latest Major Action: 2/2/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Other bills with a comparable number or greater number of cosponsors on the Health Subcommittee's agenda:
H.R.464 : To provide for the provision by hospitals receiving Federal funds through the Medicare Program or Medicaid Program of emergency contraceptives to women who are survivors of sexual assault. Sponsor: Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] (introduced 1/12/2007) Cosponsors (102) Committees: House Energy and Commerce; House Ways and Means Latest Major Action: 2/2/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
H.J.RES.54 : Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services within the Department of Health and Human Services relating to Medicare coverage for the use of erythropoiesis stimulating agents in cancer and related neoplastic conditions. Sponsor: Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] (introduced 9/27/2007) Cosponsors (105) Committees: House Energy and Commerce; House Ways and Means Latest Major Action: 11/8/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
H.RES.288 : Recognizing that the occurrence of prostate cancer in African-American men has reached epidemic proportions and urging Federal agencies to address that health crisis by designating additional funds for research, education, awareness outreach, and early detection. Sponsor: Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] (introduced 3/29/2007) Cosponsors (106) Committees: House Energy and Commerce Latest Major Action: 3/30/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
H.R.882 : To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to emergency medical services and the quality of care furnished in emergency departments of hospitals and critical access hospitals by establishing a bipartisan commission to examine factors that affect the effective delivery of such services, by providing for additional payments for certain physician services furnished in such emergency departments, and by requiring reports on certain emergency department information as a condition of participation in the Medicare Program, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Gordon, Bart [TN-6] (introduced 2/7/2007) Cosponsors (127) Committees: House Energy and Commerce; House Ways and Means Latest Major Action: 2/20/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
H.R.322 : To derive human pluripotent stem cell lines using techniques that do not harm human embryos. Sponsor: Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] (introduced 1/9/2007) Cosponsors (131) Committees: House Energy and Commerce Latest Major Action: 2/2/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
H.R.621 : To amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to restore the Medicare treatment of ownership of oxygen equipment to that in effect before enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Sponsor: Rep Price, Tom [GA-6] (introduced 1/22/2007) Cosponsors (141) Committees: House Energy and Commerce; House Ways and Means Latest Major Action: 2/2/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
H.R.552 : To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for cardiac rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation services. Sponsor: Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] (introduced 1/18/2007) Cosponsors (187) Committees: House Energy and Commerce; House Ways and Means Latest Major Action: 2/2/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
H.R.1459 : To improve Medicare beneficiary access by extending the 60 percent compliance threshold used to determine whether a hospital or unit of a hospital is an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Sponsor: Rep Tanner, John S. [TN-8] (introduced 3/9/2007) Cosponsors (239) Committees: House Ways and Means Latest Major Action: 3/13/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
H.R.1157 : To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of research centers regarding environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Sponsor: Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] (introduced 2/16/2007) Cosponsors (260) Committees: House Energy and Commerce Latest Major Action: 2/27/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health
There are really not that many with 100 or more cosponsors, so in that respect HR741 looks pretty good. Below is an example of what could happen next, but you can see even this bill has not made it to the final stage.
H.R.1014 : To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women. Sponsor: Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] (introduced 2/13/2007) Cosponsors (218) Committees: House Energy and Commerce Latest Major Action: 5/1/2007 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Our bills eventually might get an entry like this successful one:
220. H.R.1064 : To amend title 39, United States Code, to extend for 2 years the provisions under which the special postage stamp for breast cancer research is issued. Sponsor: Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] (introduced 2/15/2007) Cosponsors (218) Committees: House Oversight and Government Reform; House Energy and Commerce; House Armed Services Latest Major Action: 3/27/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia. Note: For further action, see S.597, which became Public Law 110-150 on 12/21/2007.
Keep up your calls and faxes!! Phyllis Mervine CALDA
-------------------- Phyllis Mervine LymeDisease.org Posts: 1808 | From Ukiah, California, USA | Registered: Aug 2001
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
kudos phyllis for ENLIGHTENMENT of what OTHER, critical bills have been submitted to this health committee!!
of all the bills you posted, all are good, and should have a hearing BUT many of them have had previous hearings also ...
so give our LYME BILL A CHANCE ... OUR 1ST HEARING EVER! ***************
phyllis, you made a good point too!
call, fax, or email your HOUSE REPS & SENATORS TO BE "CO-SPONSORS" OF HR 741 AND S 1408!!!
WE NEED THEM NOW TO COMPETE WITH OTHER BILL WITH MORE SPONSORS ABOVE!
we can make a difference! this is the best money i have spent on making my non-free calls since i don't have a cell phone! i'm investing in my FUTURE HEALTH ...QUALITY OF LIFE! Bettyg
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